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Welcome to our free monthly e-newsletter, full of news and ideas for people involved with community groups.
Nau mai ki tā mātou ī-pānui ā-marama koreutu, kī tonu i te rongo kōrero me ētahi whakaaro mō ngā tāngata e whai wāhi ana ki ngā rōpū hapori.
Get Pānui delivered each month to your mail-box! Subscribe online here.
The CommunityNet Aotearoa monthly newsletter.
"News and views on community networking throughout Aotearoa."
In late June, the Law Commissioner released an issues paper on its review of the Incorporated Societies. Currently much of the not-for-profit sector in New Zealand is governed by the century old Incorporated Societies Act 1908 – an Act which the Law Commission argues is in need of major reform. The Commission is seeking feedback on a range of issues and options for reform raised in the paper and is also considering whether a new Incorporated Societies Act should replace the ability to incorporate under the Charitable Trusts Act. For more information visit: http://www.lawcom.govt.nz/project/review-incorporated-societies-act-1908?quicktabs_23=issues_paper#node-2091 . Submissions close on 30 September.
/communitycentre/news/national/wellbeingstudy.htm
New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) has released its 9th Vulnerability Report - June 2011. The quarterly reports monitor the level of economic and social hardship experienced by New Zealanders based on information NZCCSS accesses from government agencies and from a range of community-based organisations. The June report states: "There are too many vulnerable people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Our social services are struggling due to over-demand and funding reductions. The services are the last resort. When they close or are reduced, our poorest people are turned away." To download a PDF version of the report visit: http://www.justiceandcompassion.org.nz .
/communitycentre/news/national/vulnerabilityreport
A new online tool has been developed to bring te reo Māori learners and speakers together to learn, shop and enjoy. The mapping tool, developed by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and powered by Google Maps, allows users to quickly find te reo Māori-friendly services, learning opportunities and events nation-wide… even world-wide! Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu Toitu Te Kura Manager Charisma Rangipunga says the website is available to anyone who is te reo-friendly, be it businesses, services, providers or entertainers. "You don't need to be a fluent speaker, it's for anyone willing to give it a go." Visit: http://www.destinationreo.com .
/communitycentre/news/national/destinationreo.htm
The InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) has begun fundraising for a joint Salvation Army and IHG programme that provides holidays for families suffering dire material hardship. Last year, Give a Family a Break sent 30 disadvantaged families on holiday to various locations around New Zealand. The packages included accommodation, travel, food hampers and tickets to local attractions. Families are clients of Salvation Army welfare centres and selection is based on their need and family circumstances. Last year, the programme was funded with $26,000 raised by IHG staff at the company's InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn hotels. This year, the fund raising target is $20,000 as IHG's Christchurch hotels will not participate due to damage in the February earthquake. Fundraising for Give a Family a Break runs until 31 October.
/communitycentre/news/national/familybreak.htm
An overview of key global and New Zealand movements promoting and experimenting with being sustainable communities has been released. The movements and projects constitute a continuum from past-oriented lifeboats to future-oriented alternative communities. The aims, organisation, methods, and issues confronting each movement are discussed, and two New Zealand projects are described in detail. 'Sustainable Community Movements: a brief overview' is available from: http://www.achievingsustainablecommunities.com/resources-and-publications.html .
/communitycentre/news/national/sustainablemovements.htm
Models for a sustainable and affordable social support system for families and whānau in New Zealand already exist, they just need recognition and support, the Families Commission says. Chief Families Commissioner Carl Davidson says, "we all recognise that the Government's ability to fund services is constrained at a time when family and whānau support needs are predicted to increase. How to allocate shrinking resources in a time of increasing need will be a major challenge for the next decade." Mr Davidson says that the key learning from the Families Commission-hosted 50 Key Thinkers Forum in May was that models for sustainable, affordable, engagement with families, whānau and communities already exist. "But these pockets of excellence are often isolated and not connected to the people who make national decisions about funding and resourcing. As William Gibson said, 'the future is already here, it's just not evenly distributed'." To read the Report of the 50 Key Thinkers Forum visit: http://www.nzfamilies.org.nz/research/social-services/report-of-the-50-key-thinkers-forum .
/communitycentre/news/national/50key.htm
Home and Family Counselling's blog reinforces that counselling is a 'tool' for people in traumatic situations that helps them find ways to move forward. "While counsellors help people deal with the situation on hand, positive changes and decisions have to be made by the client themselves. The blog we have launched is in many ways an extension of our service to the larger community," says Mary Gray, Executive Director, Home and Family Counselling. Articles on the blog are geared towards self-help, cover an interesting line-up of topics and are filled with practical ideas. Subscribe to the blog at: http://www.homeandfamilycounselling.wordpress.com .
/communitycentre/news/national/selfhelpblog.htm
The Charities Commission has published their latest "snapshot" of New Zealand's Charitable Sector. The Snapshot is based on information from the Annual Returns that the 25,785 registered charities (as at 28 February 2011) file with the Commission. The profile provides a valuable picture of who is involved in the charitable sector in New Zealand, what they are doing, and who they are helping. It also provides information about charities' income, and how they are using it to make a difference. It clearly shows the significance and contribution of the New Zealand charitable sector, to our economy and to our social fabric. The report can be found at: http://www.charities.govt.nz/ .
/communitycentre/news/national/snapshot.htm
Better, sooner, more convenient primary health care relies on all types of health providers working together to streamline processes and develop integrated service pathways. With the support of the Ministry of Health, the Health and Disability NGO Working Group is undertaking a project to identify practical ways that different primary health providers work together. The project will examine a range of collaborative health experiences to determine what really makes a difference and how the benefits can be shared more widely. As a first step to help identify examples of collaboration and co-operation, we ask that you take this short ten question online survey to share your experiences: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J8266JF . (It will take about 10-15 minutes to complete).
/communitycentre/news/national/healthcaresurvey.htm
The Government has released the Green Paper for Vulnerable Children - a discussion document outlining ideas about what the Government could do to improve outcomes for vulnerable children. Every child deserves the chance to thrive, belong and achieve but not every child gets that opportunity in New Zealand. How we change that is the single most important debate this country can have. Have your say and let the Government know what you think by making a submission before 28 February 2012. For more details of the Green Paper and how to make a submission visit: http://www.childrensactionplan.govt.nz/ .
/communitycentre/news/national/greenpaper.htm
Community sector organisations are welcoming the opportunity to hold a robust discussion on how New Zealand cares for its most vulnerable children. Members of ComVoices, an independent network of community sector organisations, said the Government's Green Paper for Vulnerable Children presented some difficult choices, and that discussion about those choices must go hand-in-hand with addressing the real causes of poverty for children and their families.
/communitycentre/news/national/vulndiscussionon.htm
The New Zealand Institute has released a report detailing two proposals for addressing the inequality gap for disadvantaged young people. Youth aged 15 to 19 in New Zealand are disadvantaged compared to youth in other OECD countries in nearly every way. The report: More ladders, fewer snakes: Two proposals to reduce youth disadvantage examines whether New can Zealand reduce the disadvantages suffered by young people in a way that contributes to New Zealand becoming a successful multi-cultural society. It proposes that accelerated roll-out of e-learning to low decile schools and improving the school-to-work transition will materially reduce youth unemployment and resulting social issues. To download the full report or an executive summary visit: http://index.php/ownershipsociety/paper/more_ladders_fewer_snakes_two_proposals_to_reduce_youth_disadvantage/ .
/communitycentre/news/national/moreladders.htm
Payroll Giving donations have hit $3 million since the scheme's inception 18 months ago, Revenue Minister Peter Dunne said today as he applauded Telecom for being the first major corporate to join the scheme. "It is completely fitting that such a large and cornerstone New Zealand corporate as Telecom has decided to give its employees the chance to donate to charities directly from their pay packets,” Mr Dunne, the architect of the scheme, said. He said more than 1000 employers had now signed up for Payroll Giving. "The scheme is growing as New Zealanders become more aware of it and how simple it is." Further information on Payroll Giving can be found at: http://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax-individual/tax-credits/payroll-giving/ .
/communitycentre/news/national/telecompayroll.htm
The Mental Health Foundation - in association with the Mental Health Commission and Like Minds, Like Mine - is seeking applications for the 2011 New Zealand Mental Health Media Grants. This year, one grant of up to $6,000 is available to journalism applicants who have a project that focuses on mental health and wellbeing and helps reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. Applications for 2011 proposals close 23 September 2011. To find out more about the 2011 Media Grants, visit: http://www.mediagrants.org.nz .
/communitycentre/news/national/mediagrants.htm
Rt Hon Jim Bolger has launched nominations for the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards 2012 at a public event at Te Raukura – Wharewaka, Wellington. Awarded for outstanding service, achievement and contribution to the nation, the Awards celebrate excellence in New Zealand. Recognising people from all walks of life, the Awards seek out and honour exceptional individuals, organisations and community groups who inspire through their hard work and achievement. All New Zealanders are encouraged to nominate a fellow Kiwi whose contribution to society makes them feel proud and deserving of recognition. Nominations are open from Thursday, 28 July until Friday, 14 October 2011. Nomination forms are available online at: http://www.nzawards.org.nz or at Kiwibank, Countdown and Mitre 10 stores.
/communitycentre/news/national/nzerawards.htm
Volunteers are the backbone behind every New Zealand community, dedicating more than 270 million unpaid hours every year for non-profit organisations up and down the country. TrustPower understands that, celebrating and rewarding volunteers through its TrustPower Community Awards programme. The final rounds of the Awards are now open. Any voluntary group or volunteer-based not-for-profit organisation is eligible for the Awards, which recognise past achievements or work undertaken by volunteers over the previous 12 months. The TrustPower Community Awards are not grants. They are awards which recognise and reward voluntary groups and organisations for the valuable contribution they make to their community. To find all you need to know about the awards, including when nominations close and how to nominate a voluntary group for the Awards, visit: http://www.communityconnect.co.nz/Community-Awards.aspx .
/communitycentre/news/national/trustpowerawards.htm
Latest community news, events, jobs and ads are online at:www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/news.
Ngā rongo kōrero tino hōu, ngā whakahaerenga, ngā mahi me ngā pānuitanga kei te wātea ā-ipurangi i:www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/news.
Clubs New Zealand is the leading association for clubs in New Zealand, working to promote and safeguard the interests, rights and privileges of member clubs.
http://www.clubsnz.org.nz/
The community 'hub' in Grey Lynn, where people meet to learn skills and get to know each other, forming an integrated and supportive community. The Centre is is available for use by all members of the community.
http://www.greylynn.org.nz/
Wellington Community Trust is an independent funder making donations to community organisations in the Wellington region – Wellington, Hutt Valley, Porirua and Kapiti (including Otaki).
http://www.wct.org.nz/
Te Pūtea Whakatupu Trust promotes Māori education, training and research by holding and managing the Trust Fund made available for these purposes. The Trust also supports Māori social and economic development by providing strategic leadership in education, skills, and workforce development.
http://www.tpwt.maori.nz/
Canterbury Community Trust distributes funds for charitable, cultural, philanthropic and recreational benefits. The Trust serves Canterbury (North of the Rakaia River), the Nelson and Marlborough regions and the Chatham Islands.
http://www.commtrust.org.nz/
Progress to Health is a community organisation providing mental health support services throughout Waikato and Taranaki.
http://www.progresstohealth.org.nz/
A not-for-profit organisation providing social, educational and recreational activities for the local Ponsonby community.
http://www.ponsonbycommunity.org.nz/
Information, articles, and resources for people interested in pregnancy, birth, babies and parenting.
http://www.birthresources.org/
USave is an online shopping centre committed to supporting and raising money for the New Zealand community. Half of sales commissions are donated to NZ charities, schools and non-profit groups. Shoppers chose their favourite cause to receive the donation income.
http://www.usave.co.nz
The Sustainability Society is a Learned Society established to foster sustainability engineering. The Society provides training and fosters dialogue on sustainability through workshops, seminars, forums and international conferences.
http://www.thesustainabilitysociety.org.nz/
Kea is New Zealand's independent, non-profit, non-government global network. Kea's mission is to connect New Zealand with the rest of the world by building a network of global citizens who take an active interest in the future of our country.
http://www.keanewzealand.com/
Bookrapt (Bay of Plenty Children's Literature Association Inc.) promotes public awareness of the value of books and reading for young people and encourages an appreciation of New Zealand children's literature.
http://www.bookrapt.org.nz/
Free pregnancy and childbirth information and articles, including midwife and shopping directories.
http://www.babywebnz.org/
Global Philanthropic provides a unique, research-based fundraising consultancy service, advising clients who seek to develop or maximise their funding.
http://www.globalphilanthropic.com
You'll find these and more links at:www.community.net.nz/links.
Ka kitea ēnei i runga nei me ētahi atu hononga i: www.community.net.nz/links.
These Events are happening in the coming weeks. Find details at: www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/events.
Ka puta ēnei whakahaerenga ā ngā wiki ruarua e tū mai. Rapaina ngā taipitopito Whakahaerenga i: www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/events.
These Training events are happening in the coming weeks. Find details at: www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/training.
Ka puta ēnei whakahaerenga Whakangungu ā ngā wiki ruarua e tū mai. Rapaina ngā taipitopito Whakangungu i: www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/training.
There's a lot of talk these days about 'smart' things: smart phones, for example. But it's not always very clear what 'smart' really means. It sometimes seems as though it just means a phone you can use to also surf the web.
In reality a smartphone is only barely a phone. The 'phone' part is more of a marketing ploy than anything. After all, how many people would queue outside stores to buy a 'pocket computer'? None, I suspect.
No, 'smart' is a lot more interesting. What 'smart' really does is to take some input from somewhere, apply some 'brainpower' and take some actions.
Think about glasses, spectacles, for a moment.
Regular old glasses — you may be wearing a pair now — bend light to correct your vision. Pieces of glass or plastic are shaped in such a way as to make the world appear sharper and clearer. Some kinds of glass or plastic may perhaps change tint in sunshine. It seems clever, but it's just a physical reaction — these photochromic lenses contain molecules that react to certain kinds of light.
But add a camera and a computer to a pair of glasses and there are all kinds of things you can do. Take a look at these 'smart' developments.
Oxford University in the UK have created an early version of an ordinary looking pair of glasses for people with extremely bad vision.
Video cameras at the corners of the specs feed into a tiny pocket computer. The computer then lights up parts of an LED array in the lenses so the wearer can see objects in more detail. Although this is only a prototype so far, the real thing could include optical character recognition for reading newspaper headlines.
In this case the glasses are using cameras and software to interpret the world and essentially put zoomed in images on a screen in front of the wearer's eyes.
Meanwhile Spanish engineers have equipped a pair of sunglasses with two micro cameras and headphones in a system called EYE 21. The system makes a 3D model of the space the cameras see and represents it with sounds.
A blind person can then hear the visual space around them and their brain reconstructs its shape. This method takes advantage of the way a person with normal hearing can 'place' a sound: near or far, left or right, front or behind.
A scientist at the University of Cambridge, UK is using facial expression analysis to help people recognise the emotions of those they're talking to.
A camera and software in a pair of glasses tracks 24 feature points on a face and matches expressions to a database. An earpiece advises the wearer of the findings, while a small light inside the lens provides quick alerts. Findings can also be displayed on a computer screen. In tests the 64% accuracy of the glasses beat out the 54% accuracy of humans.
Now those are all 'smart' glasses.
I was disturbed recently to read this:
Giving money on charity websites is 7% harder than spending money on e-commerce sites. Donating physical items is even harder. For non-profit websites, social media is secondary; the top priority is to write clearer content.
The words were written by Jakob Nielsen in February 2011 as a summary of his findings after studying more than 60 non-profit and charity websites.
I didn't buy the actual report but he does explain more in his summary page.
In his study he watched representative users — people who had donated to charities in the past, along with those who had volunteered, and those who use Facebook.
Testers were asked to choose recipient charities, make donations, volunteer time or products, purchase products or use Facebook to research charities.
The research found it was harder for testers to donate money to charities through their websites than to buy products at online stores. Most charities made it quite hard for testers to donate goods.
On the other hand charity websites were good at informing testers about volunteering.
Testers were also surprised to find more information about some charities on their Facebook page than on their official site. What they expected from Facebook were personal stories, such as stories about people who had benefited from the charity.
The most important lesson though was that charities needed to make the information on their sites much clearer and much easier to find.
It's almost impossible for any of us to see our own work, our own organisation or our own website as 'outsiders' do.
You could easily and cheaply do some tests like these for yourselves.
Find some friends or neighbours who don't already know all about your organisation and give them some tasks to do on your website, such as donating money. Don't help them at all — just watch and make notes. Ask them to tell you what they're thinking as they do the task. Reassure them that there are no wrong answers and you're not testing the person in any way.
What do you discover? Can you use that new information to change your site and increase donations?
Remember too: don't just stop when they find the right place to donate. Give them $10 and ask them to go all the way through the donation process. What does that tell you? Did they give up part way through? Why?
Test, adapt and retest. You may be surprised by what happens.
Pānui tips contributed by Miraz Jordan, http://knowit.co.nz . Need help or advice about the Internet? Contact Miraz.
Past Website tips are all available on CommunityNet Aotearoa. Miraz also writes the Tech Universe column for the NZ Herald - it's published online every weekday at http://bit.ly/bGX7UY .
Nā Miraz Jordan i takoha ēnei Kupu Tohutohu, http://knowit.co.nz . Kei te pīrangi āwhina, tohutohu mō te Ipurangi? Whakapā ki a Miraz.
E wātea ana ngā kupu tohutohu i CommunityNet Aotearoa i: /links/monthlysite/ . He kaituhi hoki a Miraz i te wāhanga Tech Universe ō te NZ Herald - kei te tā ipurangitia ia rā mahi i http://bit.ly/bGX7UY .
In July, there were 58,168 visits (June 55,272).
I Hōngoingoi e 58,168 ngā manuhiri (Pipiri e 55,272).
Last month, 104 new community items were published:
I tērā marama, e 104 ngā take hapori i whakaputaina:
Send in your free community notice or advertisement at:www.community.net.nz/about/submit.
Tukua mai tō pānui hapori, pānuitanga koreutu rānei i:www.community.net.nz/about/submit.
There were 10,502 files downloaded in July (June 10,261). The most popular file download in July was the Memorandum of Understanding template from the Digital Strategy Hot Topic Archive (1,061 downloads). In June, this was also the Memorandum of Understanding template (1,033 downloads).
I tikiaketia ētahi 10,502 kōnae i Hōngoingoi (Pipiri 9,865). Ko te kōnae tikiake tino kaingākau ko te wāhanga Whakaaturanga o Ngākau mōhio (1,061 ngā tikiake). I te marama o Pipiri koia anō ko te wāhanga Whakaaturanga o Ngākau mōhio (1,033 ngā tikiake).
Find quarterly CommunityNet statistics at:www.community.net.nz/about/website/statistics.htm.
Kitea ngā tauanga CommunityNet toru marama i: www.community.net.nz/about/website/statistics.htm.
Remember: please forward the complete Pānui to others who'll find it useful. Tukua whakamua te Pānui katoa ki ētahi atu ka whiwhi painga i ana kōrero.
Nick Stanley, Web Content Writer.Nā Nick Stanley, Kaituhi Ihirangi Paetukutuku.
Subscribe (or unsubscribe) to CommunityNet Pānui at: www.community.net.nz/Pānui.
Whakauru, whakakorea te whakaurunga rānei ki te Pānui CommunityNet i: www.community.net.nz/Pānui.
Select one or more of:
Whiriwhiria kia kotahi neke atu rānei o:
Or email information@community.net.nz with the following details:
īmēra rānei:me ngā taipitopito e whai ake nei:
CommunityNet Aotearoa RSS Feed is available at: lists.community.net.nz/cna/wp-rdf.php.
E wātea ana te CommunityNet Aotearoa Whāngai RSS i: lists.community.net.nz/cna/wp-rdf.php.
Publish your news, jobs, events, training and adverts free at: www.community.net.nz/about/submit.
Pānuitia koreututia ō rongo kōrero, mahi, whakahaerenga, whakangungu me ō pānuitanga i: www.community.net.nz/about/submit.
Send Pānui articles and ideas with Subject "Pānui contribution" to: information@community.net.nz.
Tukua ngā tuhinga me ngā whakaaro mō Pānui me te Upoko "Takoha mō Pānui" ki: information@community.net.nz.
You are welcome to reproduce material from this Pānui provided you acknowledge the source, like this: "Reproduced from CommunityNet Aotearoa Pānui, August 2011, www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/Pānui".
E pai ana mātou kia tukuruatia e koe he rauemi o tēnei Pānui ki te mea ka whakaaetia e koe te mātāpuna, pēnei: "Reproduced from CommunityNet Aotearoa Pānui, August 2011, www.community.net.nz/communitycentre/Pānui".
Editorial policy for Pānui and CommunityNet Aotearoa is guided by an Advisory Group drawn from community organisations. Pānui and CommunityNet Aotearoa are published by Department of Internal Affairs, PO Box 805, Wellington 6140. Phone: 04 4957200. Email: information@community.net.nz.
Kei te whakahaeretia te kaupapa here whakatikatika mō Pānui me CommunityNet Aotearoa e tētahi Rōpū Kaitohutohu i kūmea mai i ngā whakahaere hapori. Kei te whakaputaina te Pānui me te CommunityNet Aotearoa e te Tari Taiwhenua, Pouaka Poutāpeta 805, Te Whanganui-a-Tara 6140. Waea: 04 4957200. īmēra: information@community.net.nz.
While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information in this publication, the publishers accept no liability for any errors and omissions. Views and opinions expressed are those of the authors, not the publishers.
Ahakoa te tino whakauaua ki te tirotiro kei te tika ngā pārongo i tēnei whakaputanga, e kore ngā kaiwhakaputa e whakaae ki tētahi taunaha mō tētahi hē, aweretanga rānei. Ko ngā kōrero me ngā whakaaro kua whakapuakina, nā ngā kaituhi, ehara nā ngā kaiwhakaputa.