2022 Mahi Highlights - Community Networks Aotearoa.

Communications Officer • December 19, 2022

It’s been an exciting year for us at CNA!

With the support of our passionate members and backing organisations, we’ve been immersed in many rewarding projects, connecting with countless community good-sorts throughout Aotearoa. As we all wind our way towards well earnt relaxing days on the beach, we’d like to take a minute to reflect (and recap our own memories) on what a whirlwind of a year 2022 has been! 
 

Let’s recap on our hero projects: 

 

Better Banking 

In our latest project, we're investigating how banks and changes to banking systems are affecting the work of community organisations. Thanks to JR McKenzie Trust and the Todd Foundation, we’ve been able to engage Head Researcher and Economic Anthropologist Dr Jane Horan. 

Since launching the project we’ve celebrated a number of wins! 


  • Collected over 100 survey responses from community organisations, telling us about the difficulties they’ve experienced with banks. A huge thank you to everyone who has submitted a response – this research wouldn’t be possible without you. 
     
  • Raising continuous awareness by having ongoing conversations with government departments, the Banking Ombudsman, MPs, and banks about the issues our sector is facing. 
     
  • Held the successful Better Banking webinar in collaboration with Steven Moe. We had over 50 organisations tune in live! You can watch the recording here. 

 
Tick For Governance 

2022 was the year we launched our online governance course, Tick for Governance! This course is fun, easy, engaging and has been developed to help community organisations learn and be recognised for good governance skills and practices. We’ve been thrilled to see such a positive uptake of courses, hearing all your feedback and seeing it make such a positive difference across our sector. 


We’d like to acknowledge and thank our friends at the Ministry of Social Development for helping us provide funding for those in need. 


Learn more about Tick For Governance here.  

 
Charities Amendment Bill Submission 

Another huge win for us this year was the submission we made to the Select Committee, on the Charities Amendment Bill.   

We’re in the midst of a very crucial time for charities in Aotearoa, and the final months of 2022 were important for us to make sure our voices were heard. Our submission highlights some crucial changes we’d like to see made to the bill. 


You can read about some of them here in our latest blog post, or read the full submission here. 

We were grateful for all the organisations that stood with us and supported our submission and look forward to seeing how our points are addressed by the committee. 

 

Our team has expanded! 

 
A huge thank you to Ciara and to Lauren who have stood in and done an awesome job at our communications this year, we’re so grateful for your support and epic mahi. 


We’re pleased to announce that we’ve expanded our team, making way for a permanent communications role! 

Say kia ora to the new CNA comms team! 👋 Dan & Lydia, a brother & sister duo with expertise in communications and digital marketing. 


Other wins and highlights? 

 

  • Our Bramble Conference! A fond highlight of 2022 was hosting and connecting with our members virtually through Bramble. The open and friendly discussions, networking opportunities and immersive experience that Bramble provided added an element of fun that left our members talking about the conference for weeks! 
     
  • Attending the ComVoices meetings. The get togethers have been a fantastic space for sharing and learning from peers in the sector. 
     
  • Between navigating the pandemic, it’s a pleasure to have been fortunate to connect with people face-to-face. We are grateful to have had the opportunity to present and attend conferences, Hui’s and meet-ups throughout the country. 
     
  • We’ve met with multiple MP’s throughout the year, some on multiple occasions! While we have a long way to go, the walls of parliament are becoming familiar and it feels good to have our sector represented and heard. 


And with that, it’s time to kick our feet up, enjoy the sunshine and enjoy quality time with friends and whānau. We wish you a restful break, a Meri Kirihimete and Happy New Year. 


See you in 2023, there’s a lot in store that we look forward to sharing with you. 


The CNA team. 


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State of the Nation 2026 Report Launch

By Community Networks • February 18, 2026
Early last week Paddy and I stumbled down to popular venue for Non-Profits, the Loaves and Fishes Hall next to St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral for the 7am release of the Salvation Army’s annual report on the State of the Nation 2026.

A Governance Milestone

By Community Networks • February 3, 2026
Kia ora koutou, Running a not-for-profit in Aotearoa New Zealand isn’t for the faint-hearted. Funding pressures, rising compliance demands, volunteer burnout and changing community needs can make it feel like you’re spinning a dozen plates at once. But here’s the good news: you’re not alone. One of the clearest signs of that strength is CNA’s Tick for Governance course, which has now reached a major milestone — over 1,000 users have either completed the course or are actively working through it. That’s 1,000 trustees, board members and leaders investing in good governance and better outcomes for their communities. 🎉 Tick for Governance is special because it’s the only truly Kiwi governance course of its kind. It’s written by Kiwis, for Kiwis, grounded in the realities of how not-for-profits operate in Aotearoa. It’s also proudly supported by Charity Services and the Institute of Directors, giving organisations confidence that the learning is practical, credible and relevant. But CNA doesn’t stop at courses. We’re here to help build capacity and ease workloads through a growing suite of courses, apps and practical resources designed for the real world not-for-profits operate in. A standout example is our collaboration with WiseComply, a smart compliance app that takes a huge weight off governance and management teams. Just like Tick for Governance, WiseComply updates your legislative and compliance requirements as they happen, so you don’t have to constantly chase changes or worry about missing something critical. Less stress, more confidence, better governance, more casual cups of tea. We’re also expanding our highly successful Sharp Strategies series. These aren’t your average sit-and-listen presentations. Sharp Strategies go deeper, offering real-time answers from experts on the issues that actually keep you awake at night, especially with the impending re-registration of Incorporated Societies, the General Election and more. Practical, interactive and immediately useful. Together, these initiatives reflect what CNA is all about: creating meaningful building blocks that strengthen individual organisations, lift the sector as a whole, and ultimately contribute to a stronger, more resilient Aotearoa New Zealand society. Five ways your organisation can get involved: Enrol your board in Tick for Governance to build confident, capable governance. Use WiseComply to simplify and stay on top of compliance obligations. Attend Sharp Strategies sessions to get direct, expert guidance on tough issues. Share CNA resources with staff and volunteers to build capability across your organisation. Make CNA learning part of your ongoing planning, not just a one-off fix. As we head into 2026, now is the perfect time to invest in your people, your governance and your future. Engage with CNA, use the tools on offer, and let’s keep building a stronger not-for-profit sector — together. In the words of a wise, wise man – “To Infinity, And Beyond!”

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By Community Networks • December 8, 2025
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