Change for charities

Charitable sector income is on par with the value of dairy exports. A review of the Charities Act proposes change but was the scope broad enough to begin with?

Mōrena and welcome to The Bulletin for Friday, June 3, by Anna Rawhiti-Connell. Presented in partnership with Z Energy.

In today’s edition: questions about Louisa Wall’s new role; last night’s police operation; Hamilton is booming but first, a look at the review of the Charities Act.

Priyanca Radhakrishnan releases Charities Act review (Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone)

Delayed Charities Act review released

New Zealanders are known to be some of the most generous givers of both time and money to charities in the world. There are currently 28,544 registered charities in New Zealand. The government has now completed a review of the act that governs some of their obligations and empowers the Charities registration board. The Charities Act review is another review delayed by Covid but was released yesterday by minister for the community and voluntary sector, Priyanca Radhakrishnan. The review was announced in 2018 in the wake of two of Destiny Church's charities being deregistered and the Charities registration board’s inability to punish uncooperative charities.

Charities with cash or asset accumulation will need to explain them

The changes proposed by the review are detailed in this report from RNZ but include requiring charities with operating expenses over $140,000 to explain any major accumulated cash, assets and other resources. As Oliver Lewis reports, there won’t be a requirement for charities to give out a set amount of their revenue but Charities Services has said it will ask questions if a charity is clearly not advancing its purpose. The review also proposes reducing the administrative burdens on small charities, making it easier for charities to seek an appeal on decisions and increasing the powers for both the Charities Registration Board and sector regulator, Charities Services, which administers the Charities Act. 

Tax exempt status for megachurches out of scope

Out of scope for the review was considering the tax exemption for religious charities like Sanitarium (which is wholly owned by the Seventh Day Adventist church) and megachurches like Destiny Church. The government's Tax Working Group received more than 300 submissions about charities in 2019, many wanting religious bodies stripped of tax-free status. A petition to strip megachurches of their tax-exempt status gained over 50,000 signatures in late 2021. Daniel Dunkley took a look at some of the complexities behind the issue at the time for Stuff.  

Opportunity lost?

Business Desk has been running an excellent series on the business of giving for a couple of months now. As noted by the project’s editor Victoria Young, the money flowing around the charitable sector is not small change. New Zealand’s charitable sector income –at $21.19 billion –is comparable to the value of its dairy exports. The sector employs 145,000 people full-time. Charities lawyer and a member of the core reference group set up by Department of Internal Affairs as part of the review, Sue Barker, spoke to Oliver Lewis about what she feels are many missed opportunities and was urging the government to press pause on its review before it was released. She feels the scope is too narrow and the sector doesn’t need a piecemeal approach to legislation. 

Chinese Languages in Aotearoa is a project by Te Papa to highlight the complexity of cultural identity within Chinese New Zealand communities. To learn more about the project read our interview with curator Grace Gassin. In partnership with Te Papa, featured above is a panel from a new short comic created for the project by Ronia Ibrahim.

“Choosing to tell Wanwan’s story came naturally for me - we were both Taiwanese, both Newtown residents, and her passion for bilingualism in the classroom was fascinating to encounter. We bonded over Hakka and Mandarin, racism in schooling systems, diasporic guilt, and our fading mother tongues. As much as I helped bring Wanwan’s story to life in pictures, her passion, commitment and vision was also a source of inner healing for me. I have hope for future migrant and bilingual children in Aotearoa, knowing that there are mentors like Wanwan leading the way.”

To read the full comic, click here. (Sponsored)  

Concerns raised by ministry about Louisa Wall’s diplomatic role

A good investigation from Newsroom’s Sam Sachdeva here that raises questions about former Labour MP Louisa Wall’s new role. Wall was announced as a new ambassador for gender equality in the Pacific two weeks after she announced she was resigning from parliament. Documents obtained through the Official Information Act show foreign affairs officials had reservations about the role's value. Concerns were raised about managing the risk of Pacific partners viewing the appointment as a “diminution of their political access”. There was an expectation they would be able to engage with their elected counterparts –“ideally with the prime minister or the minister of foreign affairs”. There was also concern about duplication of existing work and a note that the role lent itself to be “less than full-time”. 

Large police operation in Auckland last night in search for firearms 

Armed police took 12 people into custody last night at gunpoint after a large police operation in east Auckland. Inspector Kerry Watson said those arrested were believed to be gang affiliated. The armed offenders squad were involved and residents report officers arrived on the scene in Pakuranga around 5.30pm. Earlier this week ​​Police Commissioner Andrew Coster told RNZ police were cracking down on gangs and harassing them for any wrongdoing.  Jarrod Gilbert, lecturer and author of a book about the history of gangs in New Zealand, also spoke to RNZ and said history was against the gangs.  “There's been a lot of gang conflicts in New Zealand…the police have won every single one of them” he said.

The Spinoff wouldn’t exist today without the generous support of our members.

If you want to support what we do, please consider joining up. There is no minimum to donate and you’ll not only help make local journalism happen but gain a bunch of great member-only perks, including a world version of The Bulletin, written by Peter Bale, delivered direct to your inbox every Thursday, less advertising, an RSS feed, cool merch and more. Join today!

Hamilton, where it is actually happening

Oft’ mocked for attempts at branding slogans including “Hamilton, where it’s happening” and “Hamilton, more than you’d expect”, the city has become a self-fulfilling prophecy. In a new economic report released yesterday, Hamilton is in healthier economic health than Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch based on gross domestic product growth (GDP) figures. Hamilton’s GDP grew by 4.3% in 2021. Auckland’s GDP grew by 0.4%, Christchurch’s by 3.1% and Wellington’s by 3.3%. New house builds in the city are up too. Asked about the city’s ability to weather any upcoming economic storms, Hamilton city council’s Greg Carstens said “I’m genuinely positive about Hamilton’s ability to be resilient”. I truly wish he’d said “absolutely positive” instead but nonetheless, it is indeed on in Hamilton.

Got some feedback about The Bulletin, or anything in the news? Get in touch with me at thebulletin@thespinoff.co.nz

Right now on The Spinoff:
The price of cheese has come to represent the cost-of-living crisis. So we’re tracking it. The Spinoff Cheese Index is now live on the site. Toby Manhire summarises what one expert has called a "warning shot at New Zealand" from a Beijing media mouthpiece in the wake of Jacinda Ardern's talk with Joe Biden. Reweti Kohere discovers now could be a good or at least better time to be a renter. Alex Casey meets competitive pole dancer Koko Ibaraki, who's aiming to become world champ at the age of 50. Josie Adams employs an online psychic to help find her soulmate.

Batting collapse and bowling fight back for New Zealand at Lords 

“From test champs to test chumps to contenders in the space of six and a half staggering hours” writes Ian Anderson on Stuff. That about sums up the opening day of the first test between England and New Zealand at Lords. New Zealand were all out for 132 after England’s Matthew Potts and James Anderson both took four wickets each. At close of play for the day, England were 116-7. The Bounce’s Dylan Cleaver has a write up on the 17 wicket day here. Fantastic piece here from the Guardian on the Jubilee bunting or lack thereof. 

If you’re looking for something to watch this weekend, the third episode of Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends has dropped. The episode features pole champion Ryoko (Koko) Ibaraki. I remember watching a Netflix documentary about pole and it changed my perception of it forever. This will do the same.

It’s the Friday before Queen’s birthday weekend so…

One of the things the Bulletin is here to do is celebrate journalism. Sometimes that means pointing to wonderful long reads or investigations from our award-winning own here in Aotearoa. Today, we salute the new generation being encouraged into the field by Stuff’s Kea Kids section. This story about Marty Houston, a butcher at Thorndon New World in Wellington from six-year-old Ethan Harborne, is just too energetic and charming not to include today. God Save the Mince Man. 

On that note, Happy Jubilee weekend to all who celebrate. “For Queen and corgi” from the Sydney Morning Herald is a delightful account of her most beloved companions and includes a corgi family tree. As the owner of two dogs, Albus and Coltrane (breeds: mongrel and mutt), Her Majesty has never been so relatable to me. God save the Queen, Muick and Sandy.