Information and consultation
Resources to help when communicating with MPs and Government Departments.
Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector (NZ)
www.ocvs.govt.nz
Two websites hosted by the Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector offer advice to public servants on good practice and funding when dealing with community and voluntary groups. They have information that would also be useful to community groups:
This site also has a list of principles and visions for government when dealing with the community and voluntary sector:
www.ocvs.govt.nz/about/government-intentions.html
NZ Council of Social Services
This group has studied and reported on the work of voluntary groups and local authorities, documenting good and bad experiences. This can be found and downloaded from their website.
www.nzcoss.org.nz/index.php?page=85
Treasury
These guidelines on this site offer useful information on how Government agencies should work when contracting with community and voluntary groups.
www.treasury.govt.nz/publicsector/ngo
Department of Labour (NZ)
www.dol.govt.nz
A number of departments and ministries have a consultation section on their websites offering the public the opportunity to participate, comment and consult on areas of work and changes to legislation and regulations the ministry in question is involved in. The Department of Labour is one of these.
www.dol.govt.nz/consultation/index.asp
Department of Internal Affairs (NZ)
www.dia.govt.nz
Among its many roles, the Department of Internal Affairs facilitates contact between local authorities and government through the Community Outcomes Processes (COP).
www.localcentral.govt.nz/copwebsite.nsf
It also has information about funding for community and voluntary groups through: www.cdgo.govt.nz
and information, forms, resources and the opportunity for consultation through: www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Resource-material-Index?OpenDocument.
Te Puni Kokiri (NZ)
www.tpk.govt.nz
The Te Puni Kokiri site has a section encouraging participation on legislation currently being consulted on.
www.tpk.govt.nz/government/consult/default.asp
Office for Disability Issues (NZ)
www.odi.govt.nz
This website also has consultation and development documents and information on making a submission to a Parliamentary select committee. This is also available in an Easy to Read and pictorial version.
Ministry of Health (NZ)
www.moh.govt.nz
This MOH website invites public participation on consultation documents.
www.moh.govt.nz/newsandissues
Ministry of Justice (NZ)
www.justice.govt.nz
Judicial decisions can be read online under the "courts" section of the Ministry of Justice website. It also offers information and a description of the workings of each court in New Zealand: www.justice.govt.nz/courts
and how to access criminal records with information on the "Clean Slate" Act: www.justice.govt.nz/privacy.
Child, Youth and Family (NZ)
www.cyf.govt.nz
The website also has information on how to deal with the Family and Youth Courts and information on the youth justice system.
www.cyf.govt.nz/Brochures.htm#Family%20Court
Department of Conservation (NZ)
www.doc.govt.nz
The Department of Conservation has an extensive news and consultation section and seeks participation on documents it is seeking public comment on:
www.doc.govt.nz/templates/defaultlanding.aspx?id=39111
It also has ideas on working with community initiatives and supporting volunteers.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/templates/summary.aspx?id=38741
E-Government (NZ)
www.e.govt.nz
This has online resources for public servants, but is also useful for community and voluntary groups with information on:
- the Government's broader goals to improve public management
- what New Zealanders (people and business) want from e-government
- public sector ethics, values and standards; and
- new thinking about how service delivery should be electronically enabled.
The Official Information Act
Sometimes it will be necessary to dig deep for information you may need for your organisation and making requests through the Official Information Act is one way to do it. The Ministry of Justice website offers downloads and advice in a step-by-step basis on how to make such a request.
www.justice.govt.nz/pubs/other/pamphlets/official_info/official-information.html
Conversely, your organisation may need to know how to keep information private. See how you do this look under the Privacy Commission under the heading "Crown Entities".