12 DEC 2020
Charities Call For A Proper Review Of The Charities Act | Scoop News
13 MAY 2020
DIA Policy Group have made available an update on what is happening with the project Modernising the Charities Act 2005:
“COVID-19 has impacted the Department’s policy work programme, with new work required toward New Zealand’s response and recovery across each of the portfolios we administer. The Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector has paused work on Modernising the Charities Act for the next six months. This means no further policy work or external meetings will take place for the time being and no policy decisions will be proposed this Parliamentary term. Later in the year we will revisit how we might continue to progress this important work.
In the meantime, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and the Department are considering how issues and opportunities relating to COVID-19, which have been raised by the sector and by philanthropic funders, might be incorporated into the work programme…”
(Thanks to Dave Henderson)
31 MAY 2019
Media Comment:
- Charitable sector at risk if standards removed
- Can you turn your tropical fish fetish into a charity, and other pressing questions
14 APRIL 2019
It has been announced that public consultation on the Charities Act Review has been extended to 31 May 2019
20 NOVEMBER 2018
Your views are sought for input into the Review
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29 OCTOBER 2018
Update from DIA Policy on the Charities Act Review.
At the Charities Services Annual Meeting a couple of weeks ago, Hon Peeni Henare announced that public consultation for the Charities Act review will take place over March and April 2019.
We had initially planned for public consultation to take place at the end of this year. However, we got the message loud and clear that the end of the year is a very busy time for charities, and that it would be much better to consult after the summer break.
We are working with sector stakeholders to plan a number of community meetings around the country during the consultation phase. Details of meeting dates and locations should be made available before the end of the year.
It’s vital for the review to get good engagement with the sector through those meetings, so we’re very happy with the Minister’s announcement.
In the meantime, the team leading the review is continuing to work on preparing the public discussion document which will be released during the consultation phase.
Keep an eye out on the Charities Act review webpage for all the latest on the review.
Steve Kerr, Policy Manager, Department of Internal Affairs.
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4 OCTOBER 2018
At the Charities Services Annual Meeting held in Mangere (Auckland) today which was attended by NFP Resource, the minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector Hon Peeni Henare, said that ‘good progress [on the review of the Act] is being made’. He indicated that public consultation would likely be held in March/April 2019. This was a delay as the government had listened to input from the sector, noting that the end of the year (the previous target date) was not a good time for the community sector to be fully involved in the process.
He urged the non-profit sector to get engaged with the review as this was ‘your chance to make a meaningful contribution to [charity law]’ . The overall aim was, he said, to complete the review by the end of 2019 and present the law for consideration to parliament in 2020 with the new law in place ‘during the current parliamentary term.’
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24 MAY 2018
In February this year, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Hon Peeni Henare, announced new plans to review the Charities Act 2005. (See original post below). In a media release published 24 May, entitled “Ensuring a fit for purpose Charities Act”, the release advised that the terms of reference for the review have been approved by Cabinet. These “define the structure and scope of the review.”
The Minister will be the key decision-maker on the review, with some decisions also requiring Cabinet approval. The Department of Internal Affairs will be the lead agency. The review is expected to take 2-3 years.
“The review will cover many substantive issues. The extent to which charities can advocate for their causes, and ways to appeal the regulator’s decisions, all need looking at.
Formal consultation will begin later in the year, when stakeholders and members of the public can provide their feedback on what is working, and what is not.
The broad scope of the review will enable robust discussions on many key issues that are of interest to the sector and the public.” – media release 24 May 2018.
See also: Ensuring a fit for purpose Charities Act
Full information about the review can be found at www.dia.govt.nz/charitiesreview .
Original Post: FEBRUARY 2018
In 2010, the NZ government announced plans to review the Charities Act 2005. These plans were cancelled in 2012 when the functions of the Charities Commission were rolled into the Department of Internal Affairs. Recently, Hon.Peeni Henare, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector published “A Message from the Minister” in the DIA Charities Services Newsletter February 2018 advising of new plans to review the Charities Act 2005. In this message he wrote:
Kia ora tātou
I am delighted to confirm that initial work to review the Charities Act 2005 is well underway. As Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, reviewing this legislation is my top priority, and I hope to make good progress on the review during this parliamentary term.
The Policy Group within the Department of Internal Affairs is currently discussing initial plans, including draft terms of reference for the review, with a representative group of stakeholders. The review process will be highly consultative and I look forward to engaging with you, and the wider public, once I formally announce the review.
Your engagement and feedback on issues faced will be critical to ensure an effective and fit for purpose Act. I look forward to announcing more details in the next couple of months after discussing it with my Cabinet colleagues.
Heoi anō tāku mō nāianei
Hon Peeni Henare
See also: ‘Comprehensive’ review of Charities Act now underway, minister Peeni Henare says, as calls to change tax treatment of religious charities grow – TVNZ Wed, Mar 7
On an allied matter, a Review of Incorporated Societies legislation has been proceeding for some time. <See this post> Mark von Dadelszen, a Hastings lawyer and author of Law of Societies, 3rd Edition, 2013, has recently published a detailed and thoughtful comment on Reforming Incorporated Society and Charitable Trust Law.