The annual return for registered charities is being updated
Most of you know that registered charities must report annually to Charities Services. Charities are required to complete an annual return, and submit accompanying financial statements, within six months of the end of their financial year. This provides for the on-going accountability and transparency of registered charities, as the information is publicly available on the charities register.
The annual return for registered charities is being updated. The changes are being made for a couple of reasons – to ensure that we have accurate information about your charity on the register, and to broadly align the financial information collected through the annual return with what needs to be reported in the financial statements under the new reporting standards.
The new annual return will take a bit more time to complete. Charities will be asked to check and update their charity’s details (including details of officers and contact information for the charity) and answer a few new questions. Some of the new questions relate to obligations under the new reporting standards. Other questions help us identify charities that may have obligations under tax or anti-money laundering legislation.
We will also ask for additional identifying information about officers, including full name, date of birth and home address information. Currently, we only have an officer’s first and last name. This is not enough information for us to accurately identify individuals when we need to. The date of birth and home address information will not be publicly available.
The new annual return form will be available from April 2016. When charities submit their first performance report under the new reporting standards they will have to use the new annual return form. (The performance report will include non-financial and financial information and replaces the financial statements charities previously submitted.) There will be a transition period, so that charities that are not yet required to report under the new standards can still complete the current annual return form.
All charities are strongly encouraged to complete the new annual return form online. This will be easier for charities, as some of the information will already be included on the form. And there will be useful help boxes and further information online to support charities to complete the new return.
We will keep the sector updated about the introduction of the new annual return form through our regular newsletters and information on our website.
Find out more about the new reporting standards, including when your charity will need to report using the new requirements and links to what a performance report for your charity might look like.
White Ribbon Day 2015
White Ribbon Day is held annually on November 25th and the campaign for this years event is well underway. This year there are 2 events in central Auckland that you are able to attend.
You can also take the White Ribbon Pledge
I PROMISE never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence towards women
We encourage you to get involved in this important cause.
Interview with David Zussman
Check out Beate Matthies interview with David Zussman from the Monte Cecilia Housing Trust.
Hikoi for Homes
The groups leading the Hikoi believe that because housing is a basic human need access to decent quality, affordable and safe housing should be seen a human right. This means that our society and more specifically the State has an obligation to ensure that everyone living in New Zealand always has access to adequate and secure housing. The groups further believe that this obligation means that housing needs to be considered as more than a commodity whose allocation is decided entirely by markets and the profit motive.
The Hikoi will be run by CPAG with support from many other community members and organisations including AAAP, Unite Union and First Union.
Campaign Asks
An immediate stop to the sell-off of state and council housing
A $1 billion annual budget for the provision more state, public and not for profit housing
Setting minimum standards for all rented housing
Greater tenure protection for tenants
Rent freeze for five years
A statutory right to be housed
State subsidies for modest income homeownership programmes
Buddy Day
Buddy Day is about doing altogether better for kids.
On Friday 13th November, for the fifth year running thousands of life-size cardboard ‘Buddies’ are being sent out into the community for the day, which are dressed, decorated, and brought to life by local schoolchildren.
The Buddies are designed to raise awareness, start conversations and drive change about the role every adult plays in the lives of kids – from preventing child abuse to providing great environments for children to flourish.
On the morning of the day there will be a special breakfast event in each participating city – Hamilton, Auckland, Tauranga and Wellington. The breakfast is a great kick-off to the day where participants can pick up their Buddies. There will be some short speeches from business and community leaders talking about the purpose of the day. At the breakfast event, you will ‘adopt’ a cardboard cut-out Buddy for the day and take your Buddy with you everywhere you go – out to meetings, to your engagements, on any flights you might be taking that day, and even out for coffee and lunch.
If you are unable to be at the breakfast, you may still like to adopt a Buddy that week.
The Buddy Day messages are simple: Buddy Day is about doing altogether better for kids
• Every child deserves a great childhood
• Doing better for kids is everyone’s business
• It takes a community to look after a child
• Buddy Day is your opportunity to do better for kids
With you as an influential and respected leader by our side, we can inspire more people and do altogether better for kids in New Zealand.
I look forward to having you join me and participate in Buddy Day this year – you can register to be a carer: http://www.tfaforms.com/332773.
Raise the age of leaving foster care
Lifewise has teamed up with agencies around the country and ActionStation to create an online petition asking the Government to raise the age of leaving foster care.
www.actionstation.org.nz/wedontstopcaring
Currently in NZ, young people leave care on their 17th birthday. While most teenagers their age are worrying about things like homework, these young people are scrambling to find a place to live and how to support themselves. Our staff see the worst possible outcome for many of these young people – with no support networks, and nowhere to go, many teenagers become homeless before their 18th birthday.
With the current review of CYF, this is the perfect opportunity to ask the Government to raise the age of support from 17 to 21. We have collaborated with Youthline, Child Poverty Action Group, Wesley Community Action, Christchurch Methodist Mission, Dingwall Trust and ActionStation to create this petition. So far the Review Panel is on board and has supported lifting the age. We need to keep the pressure on however so that government follows through and takes action. Close to 7,000 New Zealanders have signed the petition so far. Please help us get to 10,000.
Experiences of parents in the CBD
Plunket and SKIP are looking for parents to interview for our CBD project – Experiences of parents living in inner city Auckland. The design team would like to gain an understanding of what parenting is like for families living in the inner city and in particular those families who have children under five.
They are looking for parents who:-
Live in inner city Auckland
Who have children under the age of five or
Who are expecting a new baby.
If you are interested in sharing your parenting story and would like further information please call Jacqui on 027 224 6268 to discuss this opportunity further.
Māpura Studios
What is an age-friendly world?
It is a place that enables people of all ages to actively participate in community activities. It is a place that treats everyone with respect, regardless of their age. It is a place that makes it easy to stay connected to those around you and those you love. It is a place that helps people stay healthy and active even at the oldest ages. And it is a place that helps those who can no longer look after themselves to live with dignity and enjoyment.
You may recognise these words from the WHO Age Friendly World website. As you know ADCOSS are actively working to encourage Auckland to become an Age Friendly City, including making a presentation at the October Community Development and Safety Committee. Find out more about what we are doing.
Past newsletter articles
You can now view some of our past newsletter articles online so you can see some of the work we are doing.