Charities in New Zealand – A Legal Handbook ParryField Lawyers are active in the non-profit sector and have recently published a legal handbook for charities. The handbook has sections on: Establishing your charity Operating Your charity Other legal issues Appendices on Impact Investing and Social Enterprises The handbook complements other Read more…
DIA Charities Services have published their 2019/2020 Annual Review. “It outlines the work we’ve done this year and our key priorities for the year ahead. We also showcase information about the charitable sector, highlighting the important mahi (work) charities do.” Topics covered include: The Charities Act The year in number Read more…
A report on research by Craig Fisher (RSM) and Darren Ward (Direct Impact Group) on the International NGOs operating out of NZ has recently been published by the Council for International Development (CID). While specifically considering INGOs, many findings also resonate in the broader charity/nfp sector in New Zealand. “The Read more…
Steven Moe and Craig Fisher are leading members of the NFP Community in NZ. They have collaborated on a thoughtful and insightful paper that “looks at challenges faced by the Covid-19 crisis, poses 7 hard questions we need to be asking and examines where the opportunities are.” From the Introduction: “Covid-19 Read more…
Asking “What is the “best” legal structure for a non-profit organisation” may be seen as the ‘how long is a piece of string’ type of question as the answer is far from straightforward and is dependent upon a number of factors. Indeed, in some cases, a not-for-profit organisation doesn’t even need Read more…
Dave Henderson and Sue Barker have been heavily involved in following proposed changes to the legislation on Charities and Incorporated Societies, keeping the sector updated, and being involved in discussions with government ministers and officials. At the end of February we received an update from them. With permission, and without Read more…
As an officer of a registered charity your biggest responsibility is to act in the best interest of your charity, making sure it remains focused on its purpose and the benefit it provides to the public. This resource is a starting point to help you understand your role as an Read more…
As previously commented, the Review of the Incorporated Societies Act – commenced in 2012 – is moving glacially through the parliamentary/government process. At the start of May, the Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs presented a paper to Cabinet which comments on the various submissions and proposals in respect of Read more…
We recently received the following message from Dave Henderson who has been active in fora on the Review of the Charities Act. He has been involved in a recent series of seminars around the country, where mention was made of the conference of the Charities Law Association of Australia and Read more…
Have you just appointed a number of new members to your board/committee? Does your governing body need some refresher training? Have you been appointed to a committee or board but feel that you need some training in the basics? Following a number of requests for affordable training in the essentials of Read more…
Q: We are thinking of registering as an NZ Charity. There seem to be a number of obligations. Is it worth doing? A. There are a number of benefits and advantages in being a Registered NZ Charity. You must meet the charities test*, of course, and complete a detailed application online. Read more…
Update: 14 April 2019: Public consultations on the Review of the Act – submission date extended to 31 May 2019 Previous posts in this site relate to the review of the Charities Act 2005 which is currently underway. As a part of the review, a Core Reference Group has been established. Dave Read more…