Kia Tūtahi Steering Group Updates

The Kia Tūtahi-Standing Together Steering Group provided its report and recommendations to the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector. The Steering Group recommended that the proposed Community Government Relationship Agreement be re-framed as a Relationship Accord to better reflect the aspirational nature of the document and not imply expectations of legal redress that cannot be met. This proposal followed consultation feedback on the difficulties of holding parties accountable to a high level agreement.

The Steering Group discussed with the Minister and Associate Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector the need for further work to give effect to the Accord, and has worked with the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector on ways to do this. The Steering Group's report includes the draft Accord and an implementation plan.

Kia ora

The Kia Tūtahi Steering Group thanks everyone who participated in the July and August consultation hui or made a submission on the draft Kia Tūtahi Relationship Agreement. The feedback received was extensive and helpful. It was great to hear the many different voices of people within communities and government.

We got a clear message that you wanted to see the proposed agreement before it is finalised, so attach the proposed agreement, along with a summary of our response to the feedback received, for your consideration.

We heard that it is valuable to have an agreement and important to get it right - for government and for communities. The principles proposed in the draft agreement received broad support.

A significant matter that attracted different views was around defining the parties to the agreement. National and umbrella community organisations favoured the term "Community and Voluntary Sector", while local and regional level attendees generally preferred the wider term "communities" that encompasses organisations, families and individuals. 

After much discussion, we have decided to retain the more inclusive term "Communities of Aotearoa New Zealand". We believe the significant role of the national organisations and umbrella groups is not diminished by using this broader term.

We also heard that people are eager for action and there is a real need for the agreement to lead to tangible results. You will see that the proposed agreement makes commitment to its implementation clearer.

As a high-level aspirational document the Relationship Agreement provides the principles for future action. We strongly agree with feedback that how the agreement is put into practice is very important and that responsibility for this is shared by all those who sign up to it. Over the next few months we will continue conversations around how to give effect to the principles and address long-standing issues such as review, monitoring, accountability and disputes.

In early 2011, we expect to provide the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector with the proposed agreement, and an initial high-level framework to put the agreement into practice.

If you have any comments please provide these by Friday 3 December to ocvs@msd.govt.nz or to:

The Kia Tūtahi-Standing Together Steering group
Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector
PO Box 1556
Wellington 6011

Noho ora mai
The Kia Tūtahi-Standing Together Steering Group

We asked for your feedback ...

The discussion document and background information were provided so people could provide feedback - in person at one of the hui, via a written submission or online at http://bangthetable.com/kiatutahi. 

The deadline for submissions was 20 August 2010. The steering group has now considered all the feedback received, and taken the range of views into account during revision of the draft Relationship Agreement.

Notes from each of the consultation hui are online at http://bangthetable.com/document/index/227

In response to a survey indicating a 92% preference for hui, the steering group held 17 regional and two national hui throughout New Zealand during July-August 2010. The table below indicates where and when these hui took place.

Location	Venue	Date	Time
Rotorua	Rydges Hotel, Rotorua	Friday, 9 July 2010	10.30am - 12.30pm
Northland	Forum North, Whangarei	Tuesday 13 July	12.30pm - 2.30pm
East Coast	Cosmopolitan Club, Gisborne	Tuesday 13 July	10.30am-12.30pm
Auckland	Learning Network NZ, Henderson	Wednesday 14 July	12.30pm - 2.30pm
Hastings	Hawke's Bay Opera House, Hastings	Thursday 15 July	10.30am - 12.30pm
Taranaki	Pukekura Race Course, New Plymouth	Friday 16 July	12.30pm - 2.30pm
Manawatu	Kingsgate Hotel, Palmerston North	Monday 19 July	10.30am - 12.30pm
Wellington	Aotea Lodge, Porirua	Wednesday 21 July	10.00am - 12.00pm
Nelson	Trailways Hotel, Nelson	Thursday 22 July	1.00pm - 3.00pm
Canterbury	Christchurch Netball Centre, Christchurch	Tuesday 27 July	2.30pm - 4.30pm
Otago	Otago Museum, Dunedin	Wednesday 28 July	12.30pm - 2.30pm
Waikato	Kingsgate Hotel, Hamilton	Tuesday 3 August	1.00pm - 3.00pm
Opotiki	Bay Trust Sports Pavilion, Opotiki	Wednesday 4 August	1.00pm  - 3.00pm
Kaikohe	Kaikohe Memorial Hall, Kaikohe	Wednesday 4 August	1.00pm - 3.00pm
Southland	Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill	Friday 6 August	1.00pm - 3.00pm
West Coast	Kingsgate Hotel, Greymouth	Thursday 12 August	12.30pm - 2.30pm
Auckland	Manukau City Council, 31-33 Wiri Station Road, (opposite the Courthouse) Manukau	Friday 13 August	10:30am - 12:30pm

In addition to the regional hui, a hui for national lead organisations and others with a national perspective on tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector issues in Wellington was held on 14 July.  A hui for government officials in Wellington was held on 22 July 2010.