Overcoming policy barriers
The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector (OCVS) works across the whole of government to identify policies that hamper the ability of community and voluntary organisations to do their work. We then work with relevant agencies to address these. We provide advice on a wide range of topics - a small sampling of these are noted on this page.
On this page:
Supporting volunteering
Many government agencies are working to address any government policy and practices that create barriers to volunteering. The OCVS maintains an overview of this activity.
The OCVS meets regularly with Volunteering New Zealand and the Department of Internal Affairs to co-ordinate activities to promote and support volunteering. The OCVS work on volunteering focuses on three areas: recognition and valuing of volunteering, protection and good practice, and supporting and enabling volunteering.
Providing secondary policy advice
The OCVS provides ‘second opinion’ policy advice as required on a range of issues. This includes implications for community and voluntary organisations of the Ministry of Economic Development’s review of the Financial Reporting Act 1993, changes to tax legislation in relation to honoraria, volunteer reimbursments and charitable donations, Pathway to Partnership, the Rugby World Cup 2011, etc
The OCVS provided advice to the Ministry of Health and the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector on the extent to which community and voluntary organisations can be funded by government to advocate on policy issues.
The OCVS also provided advice that contributed to the redrafting of the Charities Bill, in response to submissions to the Social Services Select Committee. The OCVS continues to provide policy advice on key strategic issues related to the introduction of the Charities Commission.
Integrated Contracts project (formerly Funding for Outcomes)
Many community and Māori groups receive funding from more than one government agency, but incur transaction and compliance costs on each fund. The Government has also identified that it is inefficient when its agencies work separately. The Integrated Contracts project is identifying opportunities for better co-ordination between agencies, and therefore reduced costs for the groups that receive the funding.
The OCVS has been actively involved in this four-year project, which brings an organisation’s individual contracts with government agencies together into an integrated contract.