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Ngā Kōrero o te rōpū o Ngā Ratonga Kaupapa Atawhai (Message from Charities Services)
Tēnā koutou katoa,
This is the last newsletter of 2022 and what a year it has been! In this edition you will find new resources, key information about our office hours over the Christmas period, links to the Annual Review and recordings of the Annual Meeting.
Since our last newsletter we have bid farewell to Natasha Weight and Stephen Reilly who, coincidently, both left to take on exciting opportunities at Maritime New Zealand. Both played integral roles in the team here at Charities Services and their wisdom will be missed. We thank Natasha and Stephen for their guidance and mahi (work) over the years and wish them the very best on their next journey.
Earlier this year we shared the Supreme Court judgement on Family First. We have heard some concerns surrounding advocacy in the charitable sector. Advocacy is charitable when it is connected to your charitable purpose. Charities are a valued and trusted voice on the issues that affect their communities and their mahi, and it’s important that charities speak up on these issues. We endeavour to update our resources on the Charities website in the new year to provide more guidance. If you do have concerns or questions please do get in touch (CCregistrationinfo@dia.govt.nz). Our team is always happy to help.
Before we sign off for the year, we want to say a big thank you to you all for the effort that goes into the reporting that maintains that invaluable trust in New Zealand Charities. Without trust, our sectors’ mahi supporting and uplifting the most vulnerable communities in Aotearoa would be that much harder.
To echo Natasha’s words at the Annual Meeting this year:
“E kore e pahawa i te kupu ngā mihi i tō mahi katoa ki roto i tō hapori”
“There are not enough words to thank you all for the work you do in your communities”
We hope you will get the chance to relax and have fun over the break. We look forward to seeing you next year!
From all of us in the Charities Services Team
Kia mīharo ki a koutou i te wā whakatā
(Have a wonderful break everyone)
RESOURCES
The Good Governance Code
Waehere whakahaere tika
Officially launched in November, the Good Governance code is a six principle framework that talks about good governance for community organisations in Aotearoa.
It was co-designed in a series of workshops by Community Governance Aotearoa and the community sector held earlier in the year.
These workshops brought together a range of people from not-for-profits, philanthropic organisations, government and businesses, to create the foundational principles.
The code is informed by knowledge from a range of sources including overseas codes, indigenous frameworks and te ao Māori. This guided the code’s development into something specifically created for people governing organisations in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
You can download the code and find more information about it on the Community Governance Aotearoa website.
Office Hours
Charities Services’ office will close from 12 pm, Friday 23 December 2022, and resume normal business hours from Monday 9 January 2023.
Charities will still be able access their online account at any time to file their annual return or update information. The public will also be able to access the Charities Register to get up-to-date information about charities.
We will be re-opening our clinics on the 9 February 2023. You can book for the new year now. We have a range of appointments available depending on what questions you need answered. Appointments are available with Charities Services staff to discuss advice on your rules, advice on changing your purposes or activities, financial reporting, and governance.
If you have any questions over the break, email info@charities.govt.nz and we'll respond when we return.
SECTOR SHOWCASE
Mixit
The Mixit Charitable Trust (CC47816) offers a multi-ethnic creative platform for young people throughout Aotearoa providing programmes and workshops, based around dance, drama and music.
To learn more about the awesome mahi they’re doing in the community, click on this link.
To read all our sector showcases or to find out how your charity could be featured in the future, click here.
NEWS OF INTEREST
Charities Services Annual Meeting 2022
On 14 October, we held our Annual Meeting in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland. This meeting is a chance for registered charities to hear from us, ask the hard questions and to celebrate the diversity of the charitable sector.
We also launched Charities Services’ 2021/2022 Annual Review at the Annual Meeting. This showcases information about the charitable sector, goes into detail about what we have achieved in the last year and lays out our priorities for the upcoming year.
To view a recording of the Annual Meeting and to read the Charities Services Annual Review follow the links to the Charities Services website.
(Photo at Eden Park for the Charities Services Annual Meeting 2022)
New blog posts
Just had an AGM? Don't forget to update your charity's details
Are your charity’s details correct?
Our latest blog discusses the different kinds of information you're able to provide about your charity, and how important it is to keep them all updated.
Head over to our website to learn more
How to start up a charitable trust
Charitable trusts are a popular option for charities when setting up their organisation.
To find out some tips and things you need to consider when looking to start up a charitable trust, head over to our website.
Myth Busting
When we’re out and about, we often hear myths about what charities can and can't do. Our Myth Busting series is a regular feature where we address some misconceptions and bust some myths about the obligations of charities.
This month, we’re looking at whether or not your charity’s officers need to be physically in New Zealand, or if they need to be New Zealand residents or citizens to hold their position.
INCORPORATED SOCIETIES UPDATES
There is still plenty of time until societies need to re-register under the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022. The re-registration period does not start until October 2023.
To learn more about the new Incorporated Societies Act 2022, you can watch the two part webinar we held with MBIE in July this year.
One of the new requirements is that all incorporated societies will need to have dispute resolution clauses written into their constitution to be able to deal with disputes when they arise. Sections 38 – 44 of the new Act cover the requirements for in detail.
You can use the optional process in Schedule 2 of the Act, or write your own.
Schedule 2 of the Act contains an optional dispute resolution process, and a society may choose (it is not required to use these specific clauses) to include clauses 2- 8 in its constitution to meet the requirements of the Act. Have a look at Schedule 2 by clicking here and using the search function at the top of the Act.
UPDATES FROM WIDER GOVERNMENT
Evolving the Lottery Grants System
Te Puna Tahua (Lottery Grants Board) is evolving the lottery grants and advisory support system to make it easier and fairer for communities, hapū and iwi to access funding. This is the first time an end-to-end review of the system has been undertaken since the NZ Lottery Grants Board was established in 1987.
This programme of work is well underway and is being carried out by Hāpai Hapori (Community Operations), the business unit within Te Tari Taiwhenua (Department of Internal Affairs) that administers the Lottery Grants System.
“During 2023 we’ll continue to progress work to evolve the Lottery Grants System to enable more effective funding distribution to communities, hapū and iwi,” says Leonie Matoe, Acting General Manager Community Operations.
“The Lottery Grants System is not broken, but we know that not all sectors of our community are benefiting equally. We want to unlock the potential of the Lottery Grants System and shift to one that is:
- strategy led and learns
- high trust and leverages relationships
- devolved decision making and flexible funding
- funding for equity
- collaborative to achieve the greatest impact.”
Leonie has given an in-depth update on this programme of work in the November edition of Philanthropy News.
Further information on the Lottery Grants Board’s work to evolve the Lottery Grants System, can be found at the Community Matters website.
Updates from Inland Revenue
New website content for Charities and Not-for-profits
Inland Revenue recently updated its website content for Charities and Not-for-profits. It is a great source of information and covers a wide number of topics.
To view please visit; Not-for-profits and charities (ird.govt.nz)
What your charitable income tax exemption looks like in myIR
When a charity is registered with Charities Services it is automatically granted an income tax exemption in Inland Revenue’s system. This shows in your organisation’s myIR account as the income tax (INC) account being closed from a certain date.
This does not mean the whole account is closed, this just reflects that there is an income tax exemption in place from the date the organisation obtained registration with Charities Services and prevents Inland Revenues system from issuing Income Tax Returns.
Please contact Inland Revenue at charities.queries@ird.govt.nz if you require any changes or further information on your organisation’s status.
New Operational Statement available for Charities and Donee organisations
Operational Statement (OS) 22/04 outlines the tax treatment and obligations that apply to charities and donee organisations and how the Commissioner will apply the relevant legislation.
The statement is in two parts that together make up OS 22/04: Charities and Donee Organisations. The two parts are Part 1: Charities and Part 2: Donee organisations. Each statement is accompanied by a fact sheet.
This statement is in the Tax Information Bulletin, Vol 34 No 10 - November 2022.
To view the statements please visit;
Charities and Donee Organisations - Part 1 Charities (ird.govt.nz)
Charities and Donee Organisations - Part 2 Donee Organisations (ird.govt.nz)
For any feedback or to contact Inland Revenue please send us a message through your myIR account or email us at; charities.queries@ird.govt.nz
Inland Revenue wishes you a happy and safe holiday season!
RESOURCES
Latest blogs
Just had an AGM? Don’t forget to update your charity’s details
Myth Busting: your officers always need to be NZ Citizens and physically in New Zealand
Myth Busting: you need an accountant to prepare your Performance Report
Cartel activity - illegal and harmful to procurement
Being a registered charity makes you a legal entity
Reflections on the 2022 New Zealand Charities Reporting Awards
5 things charities need to know about the new Incorporated Societies Act
Click here to view all our past blogs
