Network News November 2019

This newsletter covers topical issues in the community sector.
In this issue:

• Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice
• Guest column: Hidden homelessness of older people
• Meet the members: Public Health Assn of NZ
• On Air
• ComVoices blogs
• Government reforms / consultations
• Charities Services new resources
• Inland Revenue update
• Campaigns / programmes / events
• Special offer for members

We encourage you to send this newsletter out through your networks.

Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice

Tēnā koutou katoa

What can you post on Facebook that gets 2,556 people reading and 706 people engaging with it over three days?  A comment about how sick I am of the old mantra about people being asked to put all raised funding to clients only, and no overheads. Go to http://bit.ly/2NaSVfO and scroll to 1 November.

This obviously has hit a nerve; perception is one of our biggest problems.  People seem to perceive that when non-profits raise money the majority of those funds go to paying wages and administration, and trips to Guatemala, and office parties, etc. etc. etc. People who don’t work for non-profits that is!

Anyone who works for a charity knows the truth; we must have reasonable administration.  Goodness knows many of us are funded for projects but not for running the projects.

Have you ever tried to bake a cake without any ingredients?  Have you ever said you will arrange a visit with a social worker when you have no social workers?  Without resources we simply can’t provide services; and its time all these taxpayers who have no trust in us loosened up a bit.

The truth is the majority of badly-paid, dedicated, loving employees for non-profits do a great deal of extra work for absolutely nothing because they hate letting down people who are desperate for help.  Waiting lists are an inevitable result of under-resourcing and when organisations fail, it usually isn’t because of a lack of need, but often because they don’t get enough money to actually do their job.

It’s time to start asking the more important question, “Will at least 25% of my contribution go to ensure your organisation can hire staff, lease premises and ensure your organisation will be sustainable for the sake of our vulnerable community?”

If the answer is yes, they will get my donation!

And lastly, as always, remember we’re here to help. If you’re a member of CNA and have a problem or issue, or just need some information, please don’t hesitate to contact me on (04) 472 3364 or eo@communitynetworksaotearoa.org.nz. 

Guest column: 

Hidden homelessness of older people

By Dr Bev James, Centre for Research, Evaluation and Social Assessment (Cresa)

We are all familiar with newspaper reports about the housing crisis and homelessness, and even about older people living in cars because they can’t find a place to live. But what is less obvious is the ‘hidden homelessness’ older people experience. As part of research about renting among older people, we conducted 108 interviews with renters aged 55 and older living in seven areas of New Zealand, to find out whether they had experienced homelessness.

Life When Renting is a four-year research programme funded through the Ageing Well National Science Challenge.

John Rice beside his caravan.

We used the Statistics NZ definition of homeless, which includes living without shelter (sleeping rough or in a makeshift shelter such as a shed or garage), temporary accommodation (in a camping group or emergency accommodation), living in uninhabitable (dilapidated) housing, or sharing accommodation with others because there is nowhere else to live.

We found that 19 of our 108 participants (17.5%) had been homeless in the previous five years. Of those:

• Two of those had been homeless more than once in the past five years
• Over half (11) became homeless when they were aged between 55-64.
• The rest were over 65, with three people over 70 when they became homeless.
• All except one had never experienced homelessness before – they were homeless for the first time in later life.

13 of the 19 eventually found housing for themselves, mainly through friends and contacts in their community. However, six were still homeless at the time of interview, and all of those were paying rent.

The homeless situations they experienced ranged widely, including rough sleeping, living in a car, bus, shed, garage, sleepout, emergency accommodation in a motel, a campground, couch surfing, living in a packing shed, in commercial premises, in a barn and in a condemned house.

There were two main reasons for becoming homeless: the first was unaffordable rent; the second was their tenancy being terminated because the house was sold or the landlord or landlord’s family wanted to live in the property.  Most older tenants have private landlords, and many are on periodic tenancies, which mean that they can be given 90 days’ notice (or in some situations 42 days’ notice) to leave. It can be very stressful trying to find another rental within that time.

The most recent national level data about homelessness (2013) found that 40,658 people were homeless. Of those, 5,971 were aged 55 and older. This was almost 15% of the homeless population.

CRESA has used its research findings to develop some practical information tools.

Meet the Members: The Public Health Association of New Zealand – Kāhui Hauora Tūmatanui o Aotearoa  

To us, every issue should be seen through a public health lens. How good is policy if it is not analysed for the impact it will have on our wellbeing? How good is policy if it does not ensure equitable outcomes for all New Zealanders? Where there is risk to health and wellbeing, the PHA raises its voice and looks for stakeholders to raise their’s alongside us.

We recognise Te Tiriti o Waitangi as Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding document, defining respectful relationships between tangata whenua and tangata tiriti. The PHA is committed to ensuring that Te Tiriti values of respect, partnership, equality, and full participation infuse all our policies, actions and services.This means that our governance and decision-making must reflect Te Tiriti values – the specific needs of Māori, and kaupapa Māori solutions must be factored into all decision-making about public health.

Find out about joining the PHA; to discuss a public health issue, call 04 472 3060 and ask for Leah Bain, Māori Policy Advisor or Dr Prudence Stone, Chief Executive. To feature upcoming public health events or advocacy opportunities in our Policy Spot ask for Libby Grant, Communications Advisor.

Network News September/October 2019

This newsletter covers topical issues in the community sector.
In this issue:

• Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice
• Guest column – Sarah Doherty
• Meet the members: Otorohanga Support House Whare Awhina
• CNA and NZCCSS joint conference
• On Air
• To blog, or not to blog
• Government reforms / consultations
• Changes from Inland Revenue
• Campaigns / programmes / events
• Special offer for members

About Community Networks Aotearoa

Community Networks Aotearoa is an umbrella organisation for local community networks. Our goal is to empower and strengthen the community sector by supporting community networks across Aotearoa.

We:

• Provide advice and support to members
• Connect community networks nationally
• Use our collective voice to advocate for policy change and raise awareness of issues affecting the community sector.

To find out more visit our website.

We encourage you to send this newsletter out through your networks.

Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice

Tēnā koutou katoa

Firstly, I would like to apologise for the lack of newsletter last month.  Sadly my brother in Invercargill died suddenly and I was away from work for some weeks.  This held up the publishing of the newsletter.

We are still basking in the reaction following our biannual joint conference that we held with The NZ Council of Christian Social Services.  Wow, conference work is exhausting but most people had a great time!  We had some amazing speakers, some amazing food, lots of amazing people, and a conference dog 🙂  Yep, a little dog in a purse, who won everybody over with her sweetness and placidity. Our outgoing staff member Sarah Doherty has written our guest column summing up the conference.

And lastly, as always, remember we’re here to help. If you’re a member of CNA and have a problem or issue, or just need some information, please don’t hesitate to contact me on (04) 472 3364 or eo@communitynetworksaotearoa.org.nz. 

Guest column: Sarah Doherty

Tatou Tatou E! The value of relationships in building wellbeing, was the joint conference recently hosted by Community Networks Aotearoa and the New Zealand Christian Council of Social Services. Held in Wellington, this was the third time that we had partnered to bring this hui to the community sector in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Designed to provide the opportunity to step away from the day-to-day demands and engage in the deeper conversations that we often don’t get time for, the conference programme included a combination of inspirational keynote presentations, dynamic panel discussions and practical workshops.

The conference opened with a keynote from Professor Cindy Kiro of Auckland University who set the scene for a challenging and inspiring two days. Cindy chaired the Welfare Expert Advisory Group, who delivered the report: Whakamana Tāngata – Restoring dignity to social security in New Zealand.

Kath Harrison, from Belong Blue Mountains in New South Wales, shared how they had worked with the community to create sustainable change in the wake of the environmental impact of devastating wildfires, and the economic pressures on the neighbourhood centres that merged to form Belong Blue Mountains.

Panapa Ehau of Hikurangi Enterprises ended the first day with an inspiring address about Business as Unusual. They work in community-led economic development in the Waiapu Valley and the wider East Coast. The Hikurangi Cannabis Company grows hemp and is developing medical cannabis in New Zealand. It’s an inspiring story.

Panel discussions covered a range of topics. The political panel included four Members of Parliament: Carmel Sepuloni, Jan Logie, Tracey Martin, and Alfred Ngaro. Chaired by Bryce Edwards, it was a lively and vigorous discussion with great questions from the floor.

Day two continued as stimulating as the first day. Sasha McMeeking of University of Canterbury discussed the idea of changing social change and challenged everyone to really think about how we work for change. Associate Professor Damon Salesa of Auckland University, closed out the conference looking to New Zealand’s Pacific Futures, and thinking critically about inclusion and diversity.

The community panel discussed how community organisations can sustain their response to exclusion and discrimination following events in Christchurch. Jayden Cromb, Liz Hawes, Anjum Rahman and Mike Reid all brought diverse perspectives to an issue that we will need to keep working on throughout New Zealand for some time to come.

Our reflections after the event with our conference partners, New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services, affirmed our thoughts that this conference was unique in its offering. It was a conversation about social justice in Aotearoa New Zealand rather than a particular specialty or sector within social services, for example, aged care, social services, vulnerable children, etc. That made for an interesting mix of perspectives, both within the programme and across the participants.

The panels brought diverse voices, the keynotes were inspiring and the workshops were packed with practical application. It’s not easy stuff that we are all grappling with and we have come away with plenty of food for thought.

We ended the conference tired and satisfied, and so very grateful to everyone who participated. We count Tatou Tatou E! a success!

Sarah

From time to time CNA invites individuals to contribute to our newsletter as a guest columnist. The thoughts, ideas and opinions shared by guest columnists are not necessarily those of CNA. 

Meet the Members:  

Otorohanga Support House Whare Awhina

CNA and NZCCSS joint conference 

The conference is over but we have some extras for you to view.

When speakers present without notes, we don’t have their verbatim words, but wherever possible we have posted their presentations, and any notes we could get, on the Tātou tātou e! website.
See the Presentations

We have also set up a gallery so you can view some of the photos that were taken during conference.  We didn’t get as many pictures as we would have liked, but this is a great bunch of pics.
See the Gallery

Network News March 2019

Community Networks Aotearoa is an umbrella organisation for local community networks. Our goal is to empower and strengthen the community sector by supporting community networks across Aotearoa.

We:

• Provide advice and support to members
• Connect community networks nationally
• Use our collective voice to advocate for policy change and raise awareness of issues affecting the community sector

To find out more visit our website here.

This newsletter covers topical issues in the community sector. In this newsletter:

• Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice
• Guest column – Paul Barber
• Meet the members – Community Networks Wellington
• Charities Act review
• Save the date! CNA and NZCCSS joint conference 27th and 28th Aug 2019
• IRD changes
• On Air
• To blog, or not to blog
• Government reforms/consultations
• Things to note before you go
• Special offer for members

Update from CNA Executive Officer, Ros Rice

Tēnā Koutou Katoa

Here’s a quick update on what we’ve been up to.

There’s a number of significant reforms underway right now, including a review of the Charities Act which you can read more about in this newsletter. Over the next couple of months we’ll be busy feeding into these reforms and ensuring the interests and role of the community sector is at the forefront.

At the end of the newsletter there’s a list of government reforms / consultations, I encourage you to have your say. Many of these reforms will have far reaching consequences, so it’s important we take this opportunity to be heard.

There are two things happening right now that I want to highlight:

• The Charities Act 2005 is being reviewed and the Department of Internal Affairs has released a discussion document, please do have your say, the review could have major consequences for charities. In this newsletter we’ve included information on the review, and an overview of what some of the issues for charities might be.
• Do you know there have been changes to COGs funding? It appears that some money from rural areas has been reallocated to urban areas, leaving some rural COGs funding severely depleted. We are not aware of any consultation on this with communities, and we are looking into what has happened and why. Watch this space!

Also, please remember the joint conference of  CNA and NZ Council of Christian Social Services is on 27th and 28th August. All are welcome. Every year we’ve held the conference it has been a blast, and we expect the same with this year! You can read more about in this newsletter.

And lastly, as always, remember we’re here to help. If you’re a member of CNA and have a problem or issue, or just need some information, please don’t hesitate to contact me on (04) 472 3364 or eo@communitynetworksaotearoa.org.nz.

Guest column: Paul Barber
Some small steps to greater fairness: looking at tax from the community sector perspective

The pressures and stresses of the unfairness and inequalities in our social and economic system impact directly on the whānau, families and communities that community-based organisations work in. 

It plays out in two ways, firstly, poverty, hardship, and missed opportunities for the people living in those communities, and secondly, inadequate levels of funding and other resourcing for the organisations that want to make difference for their communities.

Rebalancing our social system is going to take some national-level change to the structures of our laws and systems that affect all of us every day. That is why the work of the Tax Working Group (TWG) is important. Tax affects everyone both in how much we pay ourselves and in the benefit we receive through government-funded services and support. The TWG is clear that tax plays a vital role in reducing inequality in our society but it is not doing this nearly as well as it was 30 years ago.

The final report of the TWG says about $8 billion dollars could be raised over the first five years of a capital gains tax (CGT). It has suggested ways that $8 billion could be redistributed through tax cuts to the lower income earners.

Research by polling company UMR done in 2018 shows two thirds of New Zealanders support a capital gains tax that excludes the family home.

New Zealand really is an oddity among the other wealthy countries because it does not have a meaningful capital gains tax or other wealth taxes. It is the wealthiest 20% of our population benefit from these un-taxed gains, they would be the ones who would have to pay almost all of any CGT. It seems perfectly reasonable to ask them to pay their fair share of tax.

Reducing tax for low and middle income earners and taxing the gains from capital income for the wealthy would be very welcome steps towards more fairness and greater equality in this country. But the TWG report itself admits the package it is proposing would only have a small impact on reducing inequality.

More needs to be done and soon for a fairer and more coherent tax system.

First priority has to be making the ways the tax and the welfare systems interact. The rate at which Working for Families or the Accommodation Supplement reduces as your income rises can mean losing most of every extra dollar earned through lost entitlements.

Secondly, a higher tax rate for the highest incomes (e.g. over $100,000) needs to be introduced to make the tax system more progressive. The TWG proposal give people earning over $100,00 the same tax break as those earning $22,500, but a higher tax rate for the high earners would correct this unfairness.

Thirdly, the people who most need help will not get it through income tax cuts. They will need significant increases in core welfare benefits that are indexed to wages to keep them out of poverty.

See here for full coverage of the TWG report and media reaction. Read the TWG Final Report and the many background papers on the TWG website here.

Paul Barber, Policy Advisor, NZ Council of Christian Social Services.

From time to time CNA invites individuals to contribute to our newsletter as a guest columnist. The thoughts, ideas and opinions shared by guest columnists are not necessarily those of CNA. 

Meet the Members – Community Networks Wellington 

Community Networks Wellington is a non-profit organisation that provides a shared platform for Wellington’s community organisations. We aim to connect services together and to be a voice for the community sector in Wellington City. Our network meets monthly and we share information in our newsletter. We also connect with key organisations and people in our region and work to determine, strengthen, and share our voice. ​

There is no doubt the current environment has a number of challenges for community organisations. More than ever it feels that there is a need for organisations that bring together people working in community to connect, share information and collaborate. We carry out an annual network survey that informs our work and direction, and is a basis for conversations with our local council and other government organisations. The top five priorities that came out of our last survey were mental health and addictions, housing and homelessness, social isolation, funding for the community sector and poverty and financial inequality.

To progress these key issues, last year in partnership with Wellington City Council, we organised the Wellington City Social Forum. The two-day social sector gathering brought together practitioners, policy-makers and providers of services. Over two days people joined together to discuss the issues and plot a way forward. The forum was an excellent opportunity to build a collaborative response to the city’s social needs.

More information on Community Networks Wellington can be found here.

Important – Charities Act Review 

The Charities Act 2005 is being reviewed to ensure that it is effective and fit for purpose. The Department of Internal Affairs has released a discussion document (consultation is open until 30 April 2019) and are holding a series of community meetings in March and April 2019 – more information on the review and meetings can be found here.

Sue Barker and Dave Henderson have received funding from a group of 12 community trusts and foundations to make sure there is a strong community voice in the review. Included below is information they have put together on why you should take part in the review. They have also provided information on issues charities should look out for in the review – to read a copy click here.

Review of the Charities Act 2005 – why you should get involved
Dave Henderson and Sue Barker

Every charity should be concerned about the way the current regime is being administered: good charities are being deregistered, good community organisations are being refused registration as a charity even though their funders require it, and up to one third of organisations applying for charitable status are being persuaded to withdraw their application.

At some stage, your charitable purposes may require you to point out deficiencies in government policy, yet many charities are careful what they say because of the threat of deregistration. The situation is not limited to advocacy; good charities are being affected in many other areas, including: social enterprise, economic development, sport, social housing, arts, and many others.

The review of the Charities Act could be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a world-leading framework of charity law in New Zealand: one that facilitates, rather than frustrates, charitable work.

However, it will not happen by accident: it is essential that charities get engaged with the review.

Save the date! 2019 CNA and NZ Council of Christian Social Services joint conference 27th and 28th August 2019

CNA and the NZ Council of Christian Social Services are holding our joint conference on the 27th and 28th August 2019 in Wellington. Everyone is welcome. The theme this year is Tātou tātou e (all of us together): The value of relationships in building wellbeing.

We know wellbeing is a key focus for this Government, so the conference is an excellent opportunity to hear about how the community sector fits into the Government’s priorities and highlight the important role of the sector in building wellbeing. The conference will be jam packed with thought-provoking speakers with lots of opportunities for connecting with others across the country.

Once registration opens we’ll let you know, we’ll also put information up on our website.

IRD changes

Please find below information from IRD on upcoming changes.

Start payday filing now

Has your organisations started payday filing yet? Payday filing will soon be compulsory, so get on board now. All employers need to be payday filing from 1 April, which means you will have to:

• File employment information every payday instead of an Employer monthly schedule (IR348)
• Provide new and departing employees’ address information, as well as their date of birth – if they have provided it to you, and
• File electronically (from payday compatible software or through myIR) if your annual PAYE/ESCT is $50,000 or more.
• Depending on the method you choose to start payday filing, you will need to do one of the following:
  • If you’re using software, check if it is payday filing compatible.
  • If you’re filing through myIR, make sure are familiar with the new Payroll Returns account in the My business section.
  • If you’re filing through paper, make sure you have the new forms to fill in.

Want more information? Inland Revenue’s payday filing website has plenty of resources to help, and why not register today for our webinar on 25 March? It’s a great opportunity to ask our panel of IR experts any burning questions you’ve got about payday filing.

Getting ready to support you

We’ve been busy holding dress rehearsals to test our timing and sequencing ahead of April, when the next wave of changes to make our tax system more straightforward will come into effect.

To minimise disruption for our customers and limit the time our services will be unavailable, the dates we have chosen take advantage of the Easter and Anzac Day public holidays. So what this will mean for you is our:

• core systems, our front of office counters and our contact centres will shut down from the afternoon of Thursday 18th April 2019,
• systems and services will be back open on the morning of Friday 26th April 2019.

Upgrading IR’s website – new content on beta site

We’re completely redeveloping our website, including the look and feel, content, and the platform it sits on, to provide our customers with a great online experience. We’re building content in sections on a beta, or test site, and our third round of content – income tax, will be available from early March.

We want to make the new IR website the best it can be, so, as with previous beta releases, we’re keen to receive your feedback.

You can access the beta site via a link on the current IR website’s homepage, as well as through links on the Child Support and Working for Families landing pages. In early March a link will also be available from the income tax landing page. Please take a look and complete the survey to share your thoughts.

New website goes live in April

Our new website will go live as part of our next transformation release and will be available from the morning of Friday 26 April. It will feature:

• A new homepage
• A new look and feel, and layout
• Content previously tested on the beta site – Working for Families, Child Support, income tax
• Global search across the new site and all content on the old site
• Seamless navigation across both the new and old sites.

Not all content will be on the new website initially, but our global search will help you find what you’re after and the improved navigation and site structure will enable you to seamlessly move between the two sites.

We’ll continue to test further content on the beta site and then publish to the new site in the months following the April transformation release. We hope to have all our content on the new website by late 2019.

It’s the Well-being Era

This newsletter does have a focus on the new discussion we are hearing everywhere on well-being.  The strongest example of this are the four papers distributed by The Treasury. (links below).  These are an unprecedented view from The Treasury and these discussion papers are based in the Treasury’s Living Standards Framework.  The papers are on natural capital, social capital, human capital and wellbeing frameworks. Although they cannot be said to be the Treasury’s position on measuring intergenerational wellbeing and its sustainability in New Zealand, they are however an intention to encourage discussion on these topics.
The focus of Treasury in recent years has been increasingly on using a living standards framework to assess the impact of government policies on the wellbeing of New Zealanders, and there is interest in evaluating a range of different frameworks for measuring wellbeing.
This is a complex issue as Wellbeing is a multi-faceted concept involving significant value judgements and underlying causes maybe less easy to understand, however there seems to be a preference for the OECD (The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) framework which is used for similar evaluation.
To read the discussion paper on Wellbeing Frameworks for the Treasury  go to:
Wellbeing Frameworks for the Treasury

The next two discussion papers are specific to Social Capital and Human Capital.  To be honest to read these is exciting because Treasury is talking about the value of people and communities and how that can be measured.  Human capital is defined as “an individual’s skills, knowledge, mental and physical health that enables them to participate fully in work, study, recreation and in society more broadly”.
Social Capital is defined as “the social connections, attitudes and norms that contribute to societal wellbeing by promoting coordination and collaboration between people and groups in society”.  I hope that they include government in that society.
The Value of New Zealand’s Human Capital
The Value of New Zealand’s Social Capital

The final discussion paper I recommend is that focused on Natural Capital.  This paper refers to all aspects of the natural environment and looks at key environmental indicators which are suggesting that the overall state of the environment is declining.  That Treasury are reviewing how the natural capital can be given an economic value and that the framework identifies the value people derive from not just using by also not-using natural capital is a fascinating and hopeful way of reviewing how we as a nation preserve that which has precious value to us.
The Value of New Zealand’s Natural Capital.

These are such important discussion papers, I would like to encourage everyone to sit with your friends, your workmates and your organisations, discuss these issues and feed back to Treasury all your thoughts.  These could be hugely influencial in many government decisions, and we must have our say on these serious issues while the opportunity is presented to us.
Higher Living Standards Discussion The Treasury

Meet the Members  

Welcome to another article in the series introducing the wonderful members we serve and the work they are doing in their communities throughout Aotearoa/New Zealand.  This month we feature The Association of Community Access Broadcasters (ACAB).

Community Access Radio – A platform for people’s voices

12 radio stations, hundreds of volunteer groups, 800+ programmes, thousands of hours broadcast on-air each year – welcome to Community Access Radio. 

Community Access Radio stations produce the most diverse media content in the nation. The first station was founded in Wellington in 1981, for people and issues that were lacking representation in traditional media.  Over the next 36 years the sector grew to include 12 regional stations hosting women’s, ethnic, language, disability, diverse sexuality and identity, religious and ethical belief, and children’s and youth shows alongside community, arts, culture and niche music programming.

The Association of Community Access Broadcasters Aotearoa (ACAB) is the national membership group for the sector.  ACAB President, Kristen Paterson, says “One of the unique qualities of community access programmes is that they’re made by, for, and about the community. This means that on top of being accessible as platform of media representation, groups can create content in their own voice and through their own filter.”

From myriad languages to high school groups, from grassroots political activists to disability advocacy, from fringe festivals to local music showcases, programmes represent the beautiful culture and diverse identities, topics and opinions that make up Aotearoa.

Platforms like this are increasing important as mainstream media outlets deal with cutbacks, don’t focus of diversity or minority groups, and move away from hyperlocal coverage. Community Access stations continue to sit at the heart of the communities they serve, and provide an outlet for groups that lack the resources and time to create relationships with mainstream media.

Community Access stations also stream live online and host podcasts for on-demand listening and download, and share programmes for broadcast between stations.

If you are interested in making a programme contact the stations via the links below:

• Planet FM 104.6  (Auckland) http://www.planetaudio.org.nz/
• Free FM 89 (Hamilton – Waikato) https://www.freefm.org.nz/
• Radio Kidnappers 1431AM 104.7FM (Hastings – Hawkes Bay) http://www.radiokidnappers.org.nz/
• Access Radio Taranaki 104.4FM (New Plymouth – Taranaki) http://www.accessradiotaranaki.com/main.html

• Access Manawatu 999AM (Palmeston North – Manawatu) http://www.accessmanawatu.co.nz/

• Arrow FM 92.7 (Masterton – Wairarapa) http://www.arrowfm.co.nz/
• Coast Access FM 104.7 (Kapiti/Horowhenua) http://coastaccessradio.org.nz/
• Wellington Access Radio 106.1FM (Wellington, Porirua, Hutt Valley – Wellington) http://www.accessradio.org.nz/

• Fresh FM 107.2FM Nelson CBD, 104.8FM Nelson-Tasman, 95.0 Takaka, 88.9Fm Blenheim (Nelson/Tasman Region) https://www.freshfm.net/

• Plains FM 96.9 (Christchurch- Canterbury) https://plainsfm.org.nz/

• Otago Access Radio 105.4FM (Dunedin – Otago) http://oar.org.nz/

• Radio Southland 96.4FM (Invercargill – Southland) http://radiosouthland.org.nz/

Jacinda’s little-noticed, biggest policy announcement for the well-being sector 
Garth Nowland-Foreman : Garth Nowland-Foreman, director LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Leadership, garth@lead.org.nz.

While new governments often come in with lots of changes to individual policy areas, that all have implications for our sector, our current government actually plans to change the goal-posts – and in a (potentially) good way.

Snuck in amongst announcing the new Child Poverty targets, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also announced in her first major speech of the year that by the 2019 Budget, the government would introduce a tool and framework to include wellbeing of New Zealanders and not just report on economic measures, like GDP.

While this might sound like a boring bit of bureaucratic tinkering only of interest to public finance geeks, it has the potential to shake the foundations of public policy. After all its a well-established principle that any organisation does more of whatever it measures – for better or for worse. It is perhaps no coincidence that she gave this speech at an nonprofit (St Peters, Wellington) to an audience filled with people from our sector.

And for years (internationally) we have been measuring the wrong thing, with our GDP fetish. As a recent UK  blog asked: what does heroin, a ‘paper’ cup that wont biodegrade for 500 years and Kim Jong-un’s smart new collection of intercontinental ballistic missiles have in common? They all contribute to growth of GDP.
* GDP only measures things that are bought or sold, so doesn’t include really important things like voluntary work, housework and caring, Increased (or reduced) leisure, etc.

* And it counts everything that is capable of being bought or sold – so spending more on prisons, fatal car crashes, or oil spills all add to our measures of ‘progress’.

* Its over-simplified averages hide how the wealth is (or is not) shared out. A very small elite may be reaping a disproportionate share of the growth, and the vast majority of citizens can be no better off in a highly “successful” economy measured by GDP.

* And the price paid is the only measure of progress, so a bloated US healthcare system with lots of inefficiencies, inflated by private profits, parasitical insurance companies and unnecessary procedures and litigation means healthcare makes up a whopping 17% of GDP, though America is lower on most measures of health status than New Zealand, where healthcare adds less than 10% to GDP.

* And perhaps most bizarrely of all, it doesn’t take into account using up or depleting natural assets. The value of minerals dug up and sold add to GDP, but the fact that we have lost them forever isn’t recognised. The loss of clean air or clean rivers is invisible to GDP. Its almost like only worrying about how much you spend and not caring whether you are running down your savings in order to do so!

Criticism of this crazy system is not new. In fact, one of the first people to put this issue on the international stage in 1988 with her classic book: “Counting for Nothing: What Men Value and Women are Worth” was the young Kiwi, Marylin Waring. And a fascinating article by two more kiwis, Caroline Saunders and Paul Dalziel, updates what has happened since then, in “Twenty-Five Years Counting for Nothing: Waring’s Critique of National Accounts”.

2018 New Zealand Business Survey

Please send this invitation to participate in the 2018 New Zealand Business Survey to your provider networks

Have your say about what it’s like to work with government 

Every year thousands of community service providers deliver social services across the country to improve the wellbeing of New Zealanders. The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) works with government agencies to strengthen capability in the procurement and contract management of social services.

Each year MBIE runs an annual survey to understand suppliers’ and providers’ experiences of government procurement. For the first time in 2017, we released a companion report that focused on the results from community service providers. Companion Report 2017

We invite you to participate in this survey to have your say about what it’s like to work with government. The survey closes on Wednesday 10th April 2018. Your results are confidential.

Please share this invitation with your networks so more providers have an opportunity to participate.

The information from the survey informs the direction of our work.

The survey is now open and will close on Wednesday 10th April 2018. You can respond to this survey on your phone, tablet or computer.

Click here to start the survey

Time to learn from the past: Childrens Commissioner Andrew Becroft

“Survivors of abuse in state care will have the deep hurt they experienced investigated and acknowledged by this new inquiry”, said Children’s Commissioner Judge Andrew Becroft.
“I welcome the announcement of the Royal Commission of Inquiry into historical abuse in state care. I see this as a positive step forward for all of those who suffered the pain, fear and grief that result from abuse, while growing up with the trauma of being removed from their families. Nothing can restore their blighted childhoods, but I fundamentally hope that this will provide an opportunity for the survivors to feel genuinely listened to, and gain assistance, support and healing.
“We must aspire to a higher quality of care for all of our children. The Royal Commission will enable us to learn some hard-won lessons from the past and improve our protection and monitoring systems in the future. We must do all we can to ensure that these sad circumstances can never be repeated. As the lessons emerge, they need to be applied to the changes that that are already underway in our statutory care and protection system.
“Allowing the public to review the Terms of Reference before they are finalized will ensure that the inquiry is fully informed by the diverse range of public views.
“There will no doubt be recent lessons to be learned from the six-year Australia Royal Commission of inquiry into child abuse which conducted a thorough and sensitive and supportive process for all those that gave evidence, as well as the excellent work of the Confidential Learning and Advice Service run by Judge Henwood. My Office will provide whatever support and assistance we can offer as the inquiry progresses.

” About the Office of the Children’s Commissioner The Children’s Commissioner is an Independent Crown Entity, appointed by the Governor-General, carrying out responsibilities and functions set out in the Children’s Commissioner Act 2003. The Children’s Commissioner has a range of statutory powers to promote the rights, health, welfare, and wellbeing of children and young people from 0 to 18 years. These functions are undertaken through advocacy, public awareness, consultation, research, and investigations and monitoring. The role includes specific functions in respect of monitoring activities completed under the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989. The Children’s Commissioner also undertakes systemic advocacy functions and investigates particular issues with potential to threaten the health, safety, or wellbeing of children and young people.

The Children’s Commissioner has a particular responsibility to raise awareness and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Children’s Commissioner’s activities must comply with the relevant provisions of the Public Finance Act 1989, Crown Entities Act 2004 and any other relevant legislation.

Special offer just for members of Community Networks Aotearoa and their networks – because we think you’re great!

Facing an increase in your insurance premium? Then Community Networks Aotearoa in association with Rothbury Insurance Brokers can help!

This is a package specifically created for community groups and organisations, with extremely discounted rates.

We are pleased to offer this opportunity not only to our member organisations but to their members as well. If you, or one of your network organisations, are interested in receiving an obligation free quote, please contact us for the special code you will require and Rothbury’s contact details.