Notice Board - News

Charities Commission News April 2007

Charities Commission, national

Topics include:

• Registration update,
• Exactly what do we mean by advocacy?
• Registration update,
• Exactly what do we mean by advocacy?
• Iwi / Māori organisations and the Charities Act,
• Charitable purpose and sport,
• Guidance material.

Registration update

We continued to receive a constant flow of applications from charitable organisations over the past month. As at 18 April, 172 charities were successfully registered and a further 500 completed applications had been received.

A quick analysis of the sectors of operation among registered charities shows the majority work in education, training and research (96 charities), followed closely by health (55 charities) and social services (53 charities). The largest group of beneficiaries from these services are children/young people (88 charities) and the general public (73 charities).

Search the Charities Register for more information about charities registered under the Charities Act.

Exactly what do we mean by advocacy?

The Commission’s approach to advocacy and registration is set out in a new fact sheet on the topic. Fact Sheet 19: “Advocacy” and the Charities Act tackles the big questions, including:

• “Is advocacy charitable or non-charitable?”
• “Will advocacy stop our organisation from qualifying to register?”
• “How will the Commission assess advocacy activities?”

Call our free information line 0508 242 748 to request a copy by post.

Iwi/Māori organisations and the Charities Act

The Charities Act has some implications for Māori, in particular:

• organisations that provide benefits to a group with common ancestry, such as hapu or iwi, may be considered charitable
• marae may be accepted as having a charitable purpose if the marae is physically located on land that is a Māori reservation and other requirements are met.

Read our new Fact Sheet 13: Iwi / Māori organisations and the Charities Act for more information relating to marae and charitable purpose, trusts under Te Ture Whenua Māori Act and the Māori Trust Boards Act 1955. Please call us on 0508 242 748 to request a copy by post if you prefer.

Charitable purpose and sport

The Commission is currently considering its approach to applications for registration under the Charities Act from amateur sporting bodies.

A paper setting out our view of the law of charitable purpose as it applies to amateur sporting bodies will be released at the end of May. If you would like to receive a copy of this paper when it becomes available, please send your contact details, outlining your request, to info@charities.govt.nz or call us on freephone 0508 242 748. We’ll also post it on our website.

Guidance material

Our registration information packs contain all the relevant fact sheets and forms to consider and begin an application.

There are special information packs for group registration under the Charities Act, if you would like to consider this option for your organisation.

Call our free information line 0508 242 748 to request a copy by post.

Source: Charities Commission Update 20 — April 2007.

Contact person
Postal address
Phone	0508 242 748
Website address	http://www.charities.govt.nz/news/updates/april-2007.htm
Submitted by	Mz