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Message from Charlotte
Charlotte Stanley
General Manager
Tēnā koutou katoa,
This is a busy time of year for us here at Charities Services and also for nearly 13,000 registered charities that have an Annual Return due date of 30 September 2024. Our records show 9076 of these charities have already reported to us, and over 3000 are yet to report. Thank you to those who have submitted their returns on time and a reminder to others that are now overdue to please submit without delay. If you need assistance, information about filing can be found on the Charities Services’ website.
In August and September, Charities Services hosted a series of webinars to help charities understand recent changes that may affect them. The webinars outlined the new Reporting Standards, key changes to the Charities Act 2005 and our new Annual Return forms. There was fantastic interest in these webinars with nearly 3000 charities registering to attend. We take this as an encouraging sign that we are providing support in the right areas. A recording of the webinar can be found on our website.
Recently I attended the Pacific community charities workshop in Māngere, Auckland. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet so many of you. This was part of a wider in-person community series that we have been running throughout 2024 in the main centres around the country. This workshop targeted our support to charities that are in the Pacific community. Thank you to the community organisations and government partners who helped to provide this workshop to the community – Hāpai Hapori (Community Operations, DIA), ACE Aotearoa, ANCAD (Auckland North Community and Development), Volunteering Auckland and Foundation North. We also worked alongside representatives from Inland Revenue and the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Without this support, we wouldn’t have been able to run such a successful event.
This month, a new Board member Tarita Hutchinson was appointed by Hon Louise Upston (Minister for Community and Voluntary Sector) to the Charities Registration Board. The Charities Registration Board is increasing from three to five members following the amendments to the Charities Act 2005. We would like to offer Ms Hutchinson a warm welcome and look forward to providing a full introduction in our December newsletter.
And finally, it’s pleasing to see the high level of interest in the upcoming Charities Services Annual Meeting. So far, over 1000 people have registered to attend. After the success of last year’s meeting, this meeting will also be online on Wednesday 13 November 2024. Our intention is to make this meeting as accessible as possible - making the best use of your time and our resources. The meeting will include an address from the Hon Louise Upston, Gwen Keel (Charities Registration Board Chairperson), Maria Robertson (Deputy Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs) and Charities Services. There will also be an opportunity to ask questions of Charities Services, and information sessions for charities.
I look forward to hosting this meeting and engaging with you all.
Nā Charlotte Stanley
Kaiwhakahaere Matua, General Manager
Join us for our online Annual Meeting
You are warmly invited to Charities Services online Annual Meeting on Tuesday 13 November 2024 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM.
This is a fantastic opportunity to hear from the Hon Louise Upston (the Minister of the Community and Voluntary sector), Gwen Keel (Charities Registration Board Chairperson), Maria Robertson (Deputy Chief Executive, Department of Internal Affairs) and Charities Services.
You will hear about our work over the last year and will be able to engage in Q&A sessions and educational discussions.
Don’t miss out — click here to register. Registration closes on November 6th, so be sure to sign up soon to secure your spot. If you cannot make it, stay tuned to our newsletters for the recording release.
We look forward to seeing you online!
Dunedin Community Session
Our next Community Session will be held on Thursday 28 November at the Dunningham Suite in the Dunedin Central Library. The address is 230 Moray Place, Dunedin.
Join us from 11.30am to 1pm for a presentation on recent “Changes for Charities”. There will be lots of time for questions from the audience.
In the afternoon from 1pm -3pm we are holding drop-in sessions where you can pop in and get some general support and information for your charity. You can talk to us about governance, reporting, registering your charity, recent Charities Act 2005 changes or updating your details on the register. Our colleagues from Hāpai Hapori, Community Operations, will join us to share information about funding opportunities.
Secure your spot for our lunchtime session quickly, as capacity is limited to 90 participants. To register for the lunchtime presentations please follow this link.
There is no need to register for the afternoon session – you can just drop in. We look forward to seeing you!
Keep your charity’s details updated
It’s important to keep your charity’s contact information up to date so that we can stay in touch with you about important updates. This includes your charity’s email address, postal address and phone number.
If your details are out of date, you might miss key information, including reminders for reporting deadlines and notices of new resources and events that can help your charity.
You can log in to your charity dashboard to update your details.
If you need assistance, please email info@charities.govt.nz
Is your charity an Incorporated Society?
You can check if your charity is an Incorporated Society on the Companies Office website here. The Companies Office looks after the Register of Incorporated Societies.
If your charity is an Incorporated Society, you need to re-register with the Companies Office before 5 April 2026. You can find information and resources to help you on the Companies Office website. For further help, you can contact the Companies Office by emailing engage@societies.govt.nz.
After you have reregistered with the Companies Office, please notify Charities Services of any changes to your charity’s details. You can log on to your charity dashboard to make changes.
Most charities that have completed the reregistration process will have a new rules document. If you have a new rules document, log into your charity dashboard and update the Charities Register by filling in an Update Details form. Your new rules document will then be visible on the Charities Register.
Webinar - Incorporated Societies Act changes and what they mean for you
Is your charity an Incorporated Society? Hui E! and Volunteering New Zealand are hosting a free webinar on Friday 18 October to share information about changes to the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 and what it means for you. This webinar will cover:
- Re-registration with the Companies Office
- Financial reporting standards and templates
- Tax implications
- Q&A.
2024 State of the Sector Report
The 2024 State of The Sector Report, He Uiui Te Tūnga o Te Ratonga was launched on Wednesday 2 October by Community Networks Aotearoa. The report offers a comprehensive snapshot of the community and voluntary sector in 2024, highlighting emerging trends, addressing key challenges, and sharing the collective wisdom and experience of organisations across Aotearoa. This report is an essential tool for anyone with an interest in the future of our communities. Click here to read further.
Support your charity’s governance with Community Governance Aotearoa
Did you know that charities are now required to review their governance every three years under the Charities Act? This makes having the right resources to guide you more important than ever. Community Governance Aotearoa can help.
Community Governance Aotearoa is a registered charity dedicated to supporting community organisations across Aotearoa to improve their governance. They offer a variety of tools, resources, and services that are easy to use for charities looking to enhance their governance.
The Good Governance Code is a useful tool for charities to use as a part of their three-year governance review. This provides clear guidelines and helpful checkpoints to ensure your charity gets the most out of your review.
If you’re looking to boost your governance practices, the Good Governance Code is a great place to start! Your charity can strengthen its governance and make an even greater impact in your community.
Leadership and Governance research project
Strengthening organisational culture within charities can enhance cohesion, productivity, and financial sustainability. Culture influences donor trust, volunteer and employee engagement, accountability, and collaboration – encouraging innovation and a long-term focus on mission impact. It shapes the effectiveness and resilience of charities by guiding employee purpose, priorities, behaviours, motivation, and performance.
Recognising that culture starts at the top, Massey University and the Leadership and Governance Collective have developed a survey by NZ leaders for leaders. The results will provide transparency, actionable insights, and guidance on effective practices through dashboards tailored for time-poor leaders, which will be freely available on the Collective's website. To read more about the research, follow this link.
Update from Inland Revenue
Inland Revenue has produced a new fact sheet for charities that derive business income. It contains guidance about what constitutes business income and when a charity’s business income is taxable or tax exempt. To find out more please visit Charities – Business income exemption (ird.govt.nz)
Deregistration from Charities Services
If your organisation is deregistered, Inland Revenue needs to hear from you. They can help you understand your tax obligations if you’re continuing to operate or advise what steps you need to take if you’re winding up.
For more information on deregistration Charities deregistration tax on assets (ird.govt.nz)
Does your charity have a requirement to file an income tax return?
Registered charities are tax exempt from the date they are registered and do not have to file an income tax return with IR unless they have business income that is applied overseas.
Please remember that from your organisation’s commencement date, the organisation is a legal entity and has a requirement to file an income tax return up until the day before it becomes a registered charity, and the tax exemption applies.
If your organisation has received an income tax return or a reminder to file and you believe the organisation is not required to file or are not sure, please get in touch with us as we may need to update our records.
Getting in touch
If you need to get in touch with Inland Revenue, please contact them through your myIR account. For more information, please visit myIR Secure Online Services (ird.govt.nz) or email charities.queries@ird.govt.nz