Issue 7 - 10 November 2006

A glance through the list of items in section 2 of this e-newsletter shows several opportunities for people from the community and voluntary sector to contribute their opinions and ideas on a range issues - from tax to flexible work, religious diversity, policing and financial reporting. The spread of topics shows just how broad the sector's reach and impact is.

Various processes and mechanisms are being used to seek this input, and the OCVS has been pleased to be involved with some of the organisations as they have planned how best to go about this.

As it states on our Good Practice Participate online toolkit, "the active involvement of community, voluntary, iwi and Ma-ori organisations in decisions that affect them is a sign of a healthy participatory democracy", so I hope that many from the sector will take up these opportunities where they see the relevance to their work. (With such a range of issues being consulted on, there are sure to be some topics of interest to you.)

I know it can seem like "just something else to do in an already busy day", but I believe these multiple requests for feedback and ideas are clear recognition of the valuable knowledge and experience that the sector has to offer on important issues.

Brenda Ratcliff,
OCVS Director

OCVS Policy Analyst, Kat Paton is on her way to speak at the 19th International Association of Volunteer Effort World Volunteer Conference in New Delhi, India. The theme of the conference is volunteering for peace in multi-cultural societies.

Kat's paper is entitled Community-Government partnering to support volunteering in New Zealand, and she will highlight examples of collaborative work underway in this country. Kat will also stopover in Singapore for meetings with the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre.

The OCVS and Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) are working together again in preparation for International Volunteer Day (IVD) on 5 December. This work includes the IVD toolkit of ideas to celebrate the huge contribution of volunteers and gain publicity for volunteering. IVD balloons and A4 posters will also be available from OCVS and VNZ later this month.

Once again, VNZ is attempting to build a picture of what is happening around the country to celebrate IVD. This is useful background for the media and also helps demonstrate how different communities recognise their volunteers, so please e-mail Volunteering New Zealand with news of what you will be up to in your region.

The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, the Hon. Luamanuvao Winnie Laban will be in Hamilton and Auckland acknowledging the contribution of volunteers there, before returning to Wellington for engagements in the afternoon. A number of other MPs and Mayors are also attending various events, but there's still time to send those invitations if you haven't yet invited local dignitaries to your events.

A highlight of International Volunteer Day is the attention given to all the local heroes and community stories that make our country great, so don't forget to invite your local media or contact them in advance to arrange a photo opportunity.

» You can access the IVD toolkit on the Events/Links page on the Volunteering New Zealand website.

Strengthening the government-volunteering interface is the theme of the next Good Practice in Action seminar for public servants. Presentations will be made by Liz Burns (President of the International Association for Volunteer Effort), the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management, SPARC (Sport and Recreation NZ) and the Office for Senior Citizens.

The GPIA seminar on 24 November aims to help public servants implement the Government Policy on Volunteering, which recognises the huge contribution volunteers make to our society.

 The working paper Defining the Non-Profit Sector: New Zealand, published by Johns Hopkins University, has proved popular, with hundreds of copies going out to all kinds of different people around the country. The paper is part of an international comparative study of the non-profit sector. It was written by a team of Massey University researchers, with guidance from the Committee for the Study of the NZ Non-Profit Sector, the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector (OCVS), and Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The next stage of Massey's work will involve a number of interviews with people in the sector to identify key issues and developments over the years.

If you have an event, conference or meeting related to community or voluntary issues, you are welcome to send a brief description of the event to us for inclusion in our email updates.

 The recently-launched Community Resource Kit is a great resource for small or emerging community and voluntary groups, especially those just setting up or undergoing change. It's also useful for advisors, community workers and resource people working with these groups. This comprehensive kit includes information on 12 topics from planning and governance, through to financial management, employment and information technology.

The government is providing $20.7 million seed funding over four years to partly fund partnership initiatives that will improve people's capability and skills to use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and develop digital content.

The Community Partnership Fund supports grassroots ICT-related initiatives to bring communities closer together, to build the capacity of individuals and groups, extend existing services to isolated communities or to those excluded from participating fully, and increase participation in the democratic process. Applicants must contribute their own resources in addition to the funding needed to make their initiative happen.

» For full details on how to submit an Expression of Interest Stage please visit the 2006 / 07 EOI Application page. Expressions of Interest must be submitted by 5pm, Tuesday 19 December 2006.

The Tax Incentives for Giving to Charities and Other Non-Profit Organisations discussion document has been released, and public meetings have already been held in Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin to discuss key issues identified in the document. Further consultation workshops will be held in Hamilton and Auckland (Email Auckland contact) next week. Local community groups are helping organise these meetings.

The discussion document looks at ways of improving existing tax incentives, which consist of a donation rebate for individuals and a tax deduction for company donations and Ma-ori authority donations.

Ideas explored in the document include:

• increasing rebates and deductions for donations made by individuals, companies and Ma-ori authorities
• introducing incentives such as "workplace giving" in the form of payroll deductions, or making non-cash donations tax deductible
• introducing tax relief for volunteers in the form of a modest tax rebate in recognition of the value of the time they give to charities.

IRD is emphasising on the workshop roadshow that it is putting forward the ideas to generate robust discussion and seek a range of ideas from the sector. Any decisions will be made after good consultation. The ideas are sure to generate a range of responses, and hopefully a number of formal submissions.

» Download PDF and Word versions of the Tax Incentives for Giving to Charities and Other Non-Profit Organisations discussion document. Submissions close 28 November 2006.

The Police Act Review, issues paper 4 Community Engagement, seeks input on how NZ Police engage with communities. This 8-page paper explores the key themes of how communities engage with police on setting priorities and services, and how to empower active involvement in policing by interested citizens. It also includes discussion on the role of volunteers.

» Submissions are invited by 20 November 2006. These can be sent by post, fax or by using the web form provided on the Police Act website.

The Department of Labour wants to hear your views about quality flexible work arrangements. The Transport and Industrial Relations Committee of Parliament has asked the Department to consult widely on the best ways to deliver flexible working hours to New Zealanders.

The Department has been working with business, unions and other workplace leaders to promote quality flexible work. They want to find out more about the issues for you and your workplace or business, and what will help employees and employers implement and manage flexible work arrangements.

The Department has released a discussion paper outlining the key issues and possible approaches for quality flexible work and is inviting submissions on the paper until mid-December.

» To find out more about the consultation, visit the Department of Labour's website or contact Cath Edmondson on 04 915 4692 or via Email by 15 December 2006.

NZ Institute of Chartered Accountants seeks feedback on draft Not-For-Profit Financial Reporting Guide

The New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountant's draft Not-For-Profit Financial Reporting Guide seeks to assist small to medium sized non-profit entities in preparing financial statements that comply with New Zealand's equivalent of the International Financial Reporting Standards. The Public Benefit Entity Working Group, a sub-committee of the Financial Reporting Standards Board (FRSB), welcomes your views on the draft Guide. The draft Guide is intended to make it easier for non-profit entities to identify and understand the requirements of the financial reporting standards. It is not intended to alter any requirements in those standards.

» Read the draft Not-For-Profit Financial Reporting Guide. Feedback is sought by 22 November 2006.

Te Papa's National Services Te Paerangi team has introduced a free telephone helpline for museums. Phone 0508 NSTP HELP (0508 678 743). The service aims to provide people involved in museums around the country with improved access to information about:

• governance, management and planning
• care of collections and taonga
• public programmes (including exhibitions)
• relationships with communities.

National Services Te Paerangi works with museums, galleries, iwi, and related organisations to enhance museum services and support these to become self-sustaining. This support includes the Regional and Iwi Development Fund. Applications close on Thursday 30 November 2006.

If you wish to be added to (or removed from) the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector distribution list for this e-newsletter and other regular communications, send an email to: ocvs@msd.govt.nz with your name and postal address.

The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector exists to inspire co-operation and superb relationships between the government and the community and voluntary sector.