Hui E! Community Aotearoa

Hui E! Community Aotearoa seeks to promote, strengthen and connect the Community Sector – tangata whenua organisations and the broad voluntary and community sector – charities, incorporated societies, clubs, boards, trusts, and informal community groups.

Ko tā Hui E! Community Aotearoa he whakatairanga, he whakapakari, he tūhono i te Rāngai Hāpori – ngā rōpū tāngata whenua me te rāngai mahi tūao, mahi hāpori torowhānui – ngā rōpū mahi aroha, ngā rōpū kāporeita, ngā karapū, ngā poari, me ngā rōpū kaitiaki.

 Tēnā tātou katoa

Kia ora ki te Hakihea – for those heading into a well-deserved break we wish you a safe and happy summer season. For those of us still focused on our communities and don’t have the luxury of taking some time off – kia kaha, kia maia, kia manawanui! Stand strong with a clear focus and open heart! Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to those who lost their lives and their families and communities who are now dealing with the aftermath of the Whakaari / White Island Volcano Eruption. 

There are many ways to support charities and communities during this season. The Good Registry for example gives more joy, not more stuff through their Good Gift Cards, which enable others to make donations to charities they care about, and their Good Gift Registry for special events; the Women's Refuge once again has teamed up with Trade Me to help families in need this Christmas; and The Gift Trust published 10 ways to give back this Christmas in their latest pānui. 

We feel fortunate to have been able to work with many of you from within the community this year and across the many sectors to ensure a community voice is heard. We were set up to connect, strengthen and support the wider community sector in three ways: Kōrero, Hui and Āwhina. Your support has been valuable to promote the sector, share what’s happening, explore opportunities and connect across sectors. In the New Year, we look forward to engaging with you on refreshing Hui E!'s strategic priorities, and ensuring meaningful and impactful engagement in the 2020 election. 

But before we sign off, there are some important updates we want to share with you in this pānui: 

• DIA's release of their summary of the 363 submissions they received in response to the Review of the Charities Act, including the roadshow which we took part in around the country in March and April 2019.
• an article contributed by Sue Barker on the impacts of the new trust act 2019 (which comes into effect from January 2021) on charities governance 
• updates on the process for developing the 4th OGP National Action Plan and a call for ideas kicking off this week
• the release of the final 2019 People's Report on the SDGs and ComVoices' State of the Sector Survey Snapshot; as well as 
• global issues that affect our sector.

Sector News 

The report can be found at www.dia.govt.nz/charitiesact and the Departmental announcement is at https://bit.ly/2LRWxSY. The report discusses the themes that came through in submissions. DIA expects to be in touch in the New Year with proposed next steps.

The new Trusts Act 2019 passed on 30 July 2019 and replaces the Trustee Act 1956. The Act clarifies and modernises existing trust law and comes with some significant changes for trustees from 30 January 2021. We are pleased to share with you an article contributed by Sue Barker on the impacts of the new trust act 2019 on charities governance. Read the full article here: http://www.huie.org.nz/charities/governance-of-charitable-trusts-and-how-the-new-trusts-act-2019-might-impact/

The public engagement process to develop the next Open Government Partnership (OGP) National Action Plan will open on 20 December 2019 (for online submissions) and run until the end June 2020.

The first step will be to collect ideas about how to make government more open, accountable and responsive. This will happen via an online conversation at www.ogp.org.nz from this week until the end of March 2020, followed by a collaborative process to develop the plan. 

Face-to-face hui (kanohi ki te Kanohi) to collect ideas for the next plan will be held in March 2020 and a few workshop dates have already been confirmed at this stage so please save them in your diary:

• 3 March (public workshop) 4-7pm, National Library, Wellington
• 24 March (public drop in session) 12-2pm, Te Mārama Room, Auckland Central City Library
• 25 March (youth event with Youth Voices Network) 6-8pm, Pacific Community Centre, MIT Campus, Otara.              

More workshops and drop in sessions are being scheduled for Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin and Rotorua and details will be published on www.ogp.org.nz when available.

If anyone is interested in hosting or facilitating a workshop in your community, please drop the team an email at ogp@ssc.govt.nz.

For more information about the engagement process and the development of the NAP, check out the flier on our website: http://www.huie.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/OGP-NAP4-flier.pdf 

The country’s community and voluntary organisations are delivering services where they matter – to New Zealanders in need – even as they continue to grapple with a number of significant challenges.

That’s one of the key findings from a survey of community and voluntary sector organisations carried out by their network ComVoices (https://comvoices.org.nz/publications/). The survey is carried out biennially to provide a snapshot of how community organisations are faring.

ComVoices Chair Chris Glaudel says community and voluntary organisations provide many essential social services to individuals and whānau in communities around New Zealand.

“We help people and their communities flourish, often in the face of some tough times, and we’re proud of the contribution our member organisations are making to the wellbeing of this country,” he says.

“At the same time, there’s no doubt that we’re operating in an increasingly complex environment with some challenges around funding and other resourcing, and we’re working with people who often have high or complex needs, and in communities that can really do with a hand."

“We’re continually adapting to the requirements of the environment we’re in as we’re committed to providing valuable social services to our communities, while continuing to advocate for more resources with the people able to make these decisions.”

The main survey findings include:

Service delivery

• 69 percent of organisations report more people are using their services than two years ago (65 percent in 2016), but only 31.5 percent (34 percent in 2016) have more staff than two years ago.
• 73.5 percent are doing more work than specified in contracts (68 percent in 2016).
• The needs of clients and the community are becoming increasingly complex. As a result, service provision is becoming more challenging and time-intensive.  

Financial pressures

• 34 percent of organisations were unable to offer staff a wage increase in the last two years (42 percent in 2016).
• One organisation is facing closure and 10 are worried about their financial viability. Nearly half the organisations are struggling to make ends meet – an increase from 33 percent in 2016.
• Half the organisations are using their reserves to help fund service delivery, and half of those will only be able to sustain this for one more year or less.
• The sector is highly reliant on grants, donations and central government funding. Nearly 45 percent of respondents are seeking to support themselves by generating their own income.

Organisational pressures

• The sector continues to undergo restructuring, with 44 percent of organisations saying they have restructured in the past two years. Restructuring is often carried out to change or improve the way an organisation works, or to improve its financial position.
• Half the organisations say the specifications in their government contracts have changed significantly over the past two years. This can result in additional compliance requirements and costs, without additional funding.
• Forty percent of organisations say the contract changes have not benefitted them.

A full list of ComVoices members is available at https://comvoices.org.nz/about-us/#who.

For more information, please contact ComVoices Chair Chris Glaudel at 027 462 0605 or at projects@communityhousing.org.nz.    

We recently released the final ‘People’s Report on the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): an alternate report for Aotearoa New  Zealand 2019’. 

We published and presented a final draft at the UN High-Level Political Forum in July this year. Since then we did some editorial changes, included more case studies and flashed out some of the goal chapters. However, no post July events have been included, so that its time frame continues to be comparable with the government’s Voluntary National Review (VNR). The full report and a summary pamphlet can be accessed at www.sdg.org.nz/peoples-report 

We have shared the final report with government departments, ministers and MPs and would like your help in sharing the report and the significance of its findings with your members and networks. Key messages are posted on our website at http://www.huie.org.nz/hui-e-karere-news/a-progress-report-for-aotearoa-new-zealand/

The Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit of The Salvation Army has released a new discussion paper and welcome your comments. 

Progress Towards Equality looks at aspects of equality and inequality in Aotearoa New Zealand with the key message being that New Zealand is making some progress towards fairness and equality but urgent Government action is needed to counter significant and enduring unfairness that remains.

The paper is the latest in a series by SPPU highlighting housing, the criminal justice system and income and tax rates as areas where not enough is being done to promote equality in Aotearoa. It draws on the People’s Report for its analysis and recommendations. The Progress Towards Equality report can be accessed at:  www.salvationarmy.org.nz/towardsequality or on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SPPUNZ/

Please contact the author with your comments or questions at social.policy@salvationarmy.org.nz

The Youth Team at New Zealand Red Cross has reached out to us to share their Youth Engagement Survey with you all. Please take a look and share it widely with your own networks over the next couple of weeks. 

The team is aiming to get 1000 diverse young people's voices and reflections. They want to capture the views of 1,000 young people on a diverse range of topics – from what issues matter to them to their views on how New Zealand Red Cross engages with young people. The results will be used to inform NZ Red Cross' Youth Engagement Strategy, which is a key outcome of Strategy 2030. The survey has a big focus on gathering information regarding inclusion, diversity, resilience and much more and we value your work in all these areas.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the youth team directly on youthstrategy@redcross.org.nz.

Hui E! is inviting support from our wider networks for Millions of Mothers' current campaign – an Open Letter to Parliament petitioning for a formal MOU between parties to work more closely, to work with more urgency and to go further on climate issues.

The goal:
100+ cross sector organisations/businesses/rural groups to sign up and support via their logo on the letter and banner to be presented to MPs from all parties at Parliament. 
10,000 individual signatures on the Open Letter which can be found here and here. 

If your organisation supports this letter, please sign the petition, email your logo to millionsofmothers@gmail.com, and share it widely with others, for example:

• Rural groups such as Rural Women or regenerative farming groups etc
• School Board/NZEI/Teachers assoc
• Nurses organisations or unions
• Drs orgs/DHBs
• Civil Defence
• Sports Clubs
• Church Groups
• Lions/RSA/Rotary
• Charities
• NGO's
• Local businesses
• Sustainability officers within companies
• Unions
• Climate groups
• Transport groups

Don't miss your last chance to get your say on the draft NZ Dementia Action Plan. Your feedback will help provide a clear view of how the provision of help and support for people with dementia and care partners can be improved. The draft Dementia Action Plan has been developed by a working group under the leadership of Alzheimers NZ, Dementia NZ, and the NZ Dementia Cooperative. They expect that it will help shape activities under the refreshed Healthy Ageing Strategy’s Implementation Plan. Read the Plan and complete the short survey before Friday 31st January. https://www.alzheimers.org.nz/news/have-your-say-on-the-draft-nz-dementia-action-plan

Global issues that affect the sector

[published on 13 December 2019 on The Energy Mix]

Reporters on the ground described two weeks of stalemated United Nations climate negotiations limping to a close, a diplomat branded the United States a “climate criminal” for its stance on the crucial issue of loss and damage, and the hundreds of youth, Indigenous, and other community representatives onsite talked about the grassroot action back home that will continue to spur faster, more ambitious climate action, as COP 25 entered its final hours in Madrid.

The talks entered their final scheduled day earlier today [Friday, 13th December 2019] “with divisions emerging between major emitting countries and small island states,” the BBC reports.

"Inside the conference, there is a sense of business-as-usual—that if we tweak things at the edges, we will be fine. But it’s not true. If we want system change, which is what we need, that is not going to come from inside—it can only come from outside”, says Greenpeace International Executive Director and COP veteran Jennifer Morgan. 

Read the full article at https://bit.ly/2YMr4XH

[published on 13 December 2019 on UN News]

The UN chief has called on countries to be more ambitious, side strongly with science, and commit to stronger action.

“Today is the last day of the COP25 in Madrid”, said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “And I appeal to the delegates of all Member States to convey a message of ambition to the world”.

He urged all to align “their objectives with science” to make sure that “temperatures will not rise above 1.5C at the end of the century”.Mr. Guterres maintained that a “spirit of compromise is necessary for a successful conclusion of the regulations related to the implementation of the Paris Agreement” of 2015, which was signed by 193 countries to limit the damage caused by a warming world.

He also underscored the importance of “showing a very strong commitment and a very strong ambition in climate action”.

Read full article at https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/12/1053521

[published on 12 December 2019 on Democracy Now!]

In her address at COP25 last week, young climate activist Greta Thunberg warned that the planet’s carbon budget is down to just eight years, and urged bold action. "COP has turned into opportunities for countries to negotiate loopholes and to avoid raising their ambition." “I still believe that the biggest danger is not inaction. The real danger is when politicians and CEOs are making it look like real action is happening when in fact almost nothing is being done apart from clever accounting and creative PR,” Thunberg said. "There is hope and it comes from the people ... People are ready for change".

Wacth the recording of her address at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnbtthGrGf0

A crackdown on advocacy charities in Germany is part of a disturbing trend happening globally, advocates have warned.

Last week, one of Germany’s oldest and largest Holocaust survivors’ organisations was stripped of its charity status amid allegations it had ties to left-wing extremists. Read the full article here. 

Since November 2018, OHCHR and UN-Women have been working to better understand and to strengthen the UN’s engagement with civil society organisations.

Between April-May 2019 OHCHR and UN Women conducted a UN-wide online survey.

In total, 100 responses were received: 32 HQ and 68 field entities (57 UN Country Teams and 11 Peace Missions).  

The UN will be organising online consultations with civil society organisations on the issue of civic space from 13 to 24 January 2020 on the Global Dev Hub platform: https://www.globaldevhub.org/ 

More information and the questions for consultations can be found at: http://www.huie.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/UN-civic-space-public-consultations_English.pdf

Please distribute this call for participation as widely as possible within your own networks.