News of interest to charities in New Zealand
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Lesa's Message
Tēnā koutou, talofa lava and warm greetings,
This month Charities Services held our Annual meeting on 14 November in Christchurch. I would like to thank those who made it, particularly given the events very early that morning. It’s always a great privilege for me to talk with you at the Annual meeting.
The conversations we have with you and the questions you ask are immensely helpful for us to better understand the things that are top of mind for you, and the most effective ways we can work with you to ensure the public has trust and confidence in charities.
With the holiday season upon us, I would like to acknowledge the wonderful work that you do. The recent earthquakes have demonstrated yet again the strong community spirit we have in New Zealand, and the amazing resolve New Zealanders have to get stuck in and support each other.
The team at Charities Services wishes you a safe holiday season.
Annual Meeting
Despite the unrest and disruption caused by the earthquakes very early that morning, around 120 people attended our Annual Meeting held in Christchurch on 14 November. It was a great turn out given the circumstances!
Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew, Charities Registration Board Chairman Roger Holmes Miller, our General Manager Lesa Kalapu, and other Charities Services staff spoke on a range of topics, including how the Board operates, what we're seeing with the new reporting standards, and registration and compliance issues. There was also a question and answer session where members of the Charities Services team responded to questions from charities.
We would like to thank those who attended and hope you found the meeting useful, you enjoyed lunch, and were able to pick up some of our resources that will help your charity. We had a large amount of food left over, but rest assured that this did not go to waste - the remaining food was donated to the City Mission.
A video and photos of the Annual Meeting will soon be available on our website.
New Resources for Tier 3 and
Tier 4 Charities
Two new Guides on how to report annually to Charities Services for Tier 3 and Tier 4 charities have been published. These charities have annual expenses under $2 million, and have no public accountability. They represent about 95% of the sector.
The Guides take you through all the steps required, including confirming your charity's tier, preparing your charity's Performance Report and filing the Annual Return. They are practical step-by-step Guides to be used in conjunction with the template (also included).
Click below to download the Guide you require:
- Tier 4 Guide - Annual Reporting to Charities Services
- Tier 3 Guide - Annual Reporting to Charities Services
If you require a printed version of either Guide, please email us on nrs.charities@dia.govt.nz. Please let us know which of the two guides you would like, and we will send it out to you.
Registered Charities Helping Earthquake Struck Areas
The earthquakes that hit the South and Lower North Island last week have caused devastation, disruption and a fair amount of stress a few weeks out from the holiday season and the start of the busy summer tourist season. Events like this are a time when charities do the work they do best, and we are heartened to see the variety of ways in which organisations are getting stuck in.
Below is a list of registered charities that are contributing to the relief efforts. This is not exhaustive, and if you know of any charities doing their bit, please let us know and we will add them to the list.
Thank you for the work you are doing, from Charities Services, and the people you are helping.
- Red Cross have been delivering supplies such as food, water and toilet paper, and providing psychosocial support
- Marlborough Search and Rescue have been helping to rescue people from buildings
- The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust has been helping with air rescue and transport of goods to the affected areas
- Takahanga Marae (Ngai Tahu Charitable Trust) set up a welfare centre and have delivered over 6000 meals
- Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand are encouraging people who have been traumatised to get in touch
- Save the Children have opened a child friendly place for those disrupted by school closures
- The SPCA have been assisting with the evacuation of, and care animals in Kaikoura and distributing pet food for those that need it
- Otautahi Maori Wardens have been visiting people door-to-door to check that they are safe
- The North Canterbury Rural Support Trust is providing support for rural communities through physical assistance and emotional support while people get their businesses back up and running
- New Zealand Emergency Services Solutions has set up a fundraising page to raise money for the NZ Emergency Services and the Red Cross
- Barnardos New Zealand has set up a fundraising page to help their Early Learning Centre staff in Kaikoura
- Innovative Waste Kaikoura are working to deal with extra amounts of waste caused by the earthquakes and continue with their achievement of 75% diversion from landfill
- Victim Support are providing support for those affected by the earthquakes and will help people to settle back into normal life
OTHER UPDATES
Online Deregistration Form
A new deregistration form is now available for charities that wish to be removed from the charities register. You can find this form by logging on to your account, and clicking on the “Deregister” tab on your charity’s dashboard.
The form has been developed following recent changes to tax legislation that mean a deregistered charity may need to pay a one-off tax on the accumulated assets that are held as at the date of deregistration.
The form captures information about the reasons for deregistration, the value of the charity’s assets and liabilities at the time of deregistration, and what the charity has done (or intends to do) with any accumulated assets and income. A summary of this information will appear on the charities register, and will be available to Inland Revenue.
Fringe benefit tax
Inland Revenue has recently released a draft item for public consultation clarifying when charitable and other donee organisations are excluded from paying fringe benefit tax. This draft item may affect your charity if it provides non-cash benefits to employees (such as the use of a car) where those employees are engaged in business activities for the charity.
This draft item will shortly be available at Public Rulings current consultation. You can email your feedback and comments to Inland Revenue at public.consultation@ird.govt.nz.
Public consultation closes on 23 January 2017.
Christmas and New Year Office Hours
We will close for the holiday break at 5pm on Friday 23 December, and re-open again (with a reduced number of staff) on Wednesday 4 January.
Charities will still be able to log in and access their online accounts at any time to file their Annual Return or update information.
