NGO Council Chair’s Update– January2014

Happy New Year to you all – I hope you had a relaxing break and are ready for a great 2014.

The NGO Health and Disability Network definitely has a busy start to the year, with our National Forum just two months away and five regional Good Governance workshops to run before that.

We also have a new Public Health representative on the NGO Council as Judi Clements from the Mental Health Foundation stood down from the Council just before Christmas. We have co-opted Public Health Association Chief Executive Warren Lindberg onto the Council as the second Public Health rep until the next elections in October 2014. This is in line with our Terms of Reference, which state that “The elected NGO Council will have the mandate to fill any vacancies that arise between normal election opportunities in a manner that they deem appropriate and which is consistent with their Terms of Reference.”

I take this opportunity to welcome Warren on board and thank Judi for her often enlightening contributions to the Council. Fortunately, Judi has agreed to contribute her knowledge at theNational Forumin March, so we can still share in her wisdom.

NGO National Forum on 14 March – book now

Now is the time to book for the Forum to be held in Wellington on Friday 14 March 2014. It is free to register, so go online now and secure your place:

Our focus this year is on showcasing our NGO sector and sharing our expertise with each other. This means our morning sessions will feature presentations from a range of non-profit providers that are achieving success in different ways. These will include presenters from the Smokefree Coalition, NZ Family Planning Association, NorthAble, the Haemophilia Foundation of NZ, Progress to Health and Switched On.

Our afternoon break-out sessions will be discussion-based groups on a range of topics including vulnerable children, Māori health, working effectively with DHBs, having influence through collaboration, improving quality of services and more. Each session will have some key participants from NGOs and/or the Ministry of Health to get things going, but then you’ll all have opportunities to contribute ideas and share your insights.

We will have a full detailed programme out at the end of January, once we have finalised a few more specifics around timing etc.This Forum promises to be more interactive than recent years, plus you’ll still have ample time for networking and making those important connections with fellow attendees.Any non-profit health or disability provider is welcome to attend – as are PHOs, DHBs, public servants and others who want to engage with NGOs.

The Forum kicks off at Wellington’s Westpac Stadium at 9:00am (with arrivals from 8:30am) and will finish by 3:30pm so you can book your travel accordingly.

But register now at

Good Governance workshops in February

Our five Good Governance workshops for small/medium non-profit NGOs are filling fast, so book now if you don’t want your Board members to miss out. Dates and booking details for the events in Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin are on our website, along with some links to useful resources.

The Good Governance workshops will help your Board members to increase their understanding of ‘good governance’ for not-for-profit organisations and evaluate the effectiveness of your Board.

Topics covered include:

  • Governance and management defined
  • Board members – roles, rights and responsibilities
  • Key functions of the Board
  • How Boards can add value
  • Challenges, pitfalls and dilemmas for Boards
  • Board – staff relations
  • Effective meetings

These workshops are free for non-profit health and disability providers, as part of the NGO Council’s strategy to improve sector capability. If your Board members aren’t able to attend a workshop, your NGO may still benefit from some of the links on our website or by completing the NZ Navigator online self-assessment tool.

Remember too, that if you have a contract with the Ministry of Health’s Disability Support Services, you can apply for leadership development grants or funding for National Certificate or Diploma training from TePou. See details.

Those of you who deliver social services with funding from MSD also have opportunities for assistance with capability-building through the Investing in Services for Outcomes programme. There are also some great low cost training opportunities available in various regions around the country, including those offered by Community Waikato, so make the most of these opportunities to upskill and build your capability.

Vacancy on National Health IT Board ConsumerPanel

The National Health IT Board (NHITB) ConsumerPanel is looking to fill one position and is inviting applications from interested people.

The Panel consists of 15 New Zealanders who contribute a consumer perspective to the NHITB and all governance or working groups engaged in delivering the National Health IT Plan, with particular emphasis on Shared Care initiatives.The Panel provides a range of constructive and considered input, and promotes a climate of open communication between all stakeholders. The Panel establishes priority issues and actions and monitors progress, as well as engaging at sector and public events to support informed dialogue.

You can read more about the panel online or request thePanel’s Terms of Reference, draft Consumer Expectation Document and an expression of interest application form from Panel Chair, Stephanie Fletcher: Ph 021 975 321 or e-mail: .

Expressions of interest close on 31 January 2014.Shortlisted applicants should expect to be interviewed via phone, with the aim of having the successful applicant attending the face- to-face meeting of the Panel in early March 2014.

Speaking of March, I hope to see you all at the National Forum on the 14th!

Kathryn Jones
Chair, NGO Health & Disability Council


Book NOW! NGO Network National Forum – Friday 14 March 2014