News and Some Blogs

The latest news and information from the social sector.

Social Investment Explainer available now

The current Government has announced its commitment to a Social Investment approach. In addition to her role as Finance Minister, Nicola Willis has also been appointed Minister for Social...

Survey Report out now: WBOP Social and Community Service Providers on Funding and Service Demand

SociaLink has observed cost of living and other social-economic and political factors are affecting the environment in which social and community sector not-for-profit organisations operate. There...

The Social Return on Investment Quandary

Many social service, health and community service providers are having conversations internally about whether they should undertake a Social Return on Investment (SROI) review to assess the impact...

Candidates front up on social issues

Candidates representing some of the major political parties presented their ideas on social issues this week to an audience of about 50 people working in the social and charities sector.The meeting was organised by SociaLink and Volunteering Services which supports...

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Kat’s volunteering for others saves her sanity

Kat Reihana’s efforts to help others in the Tauranga community have saved her mental health - and she says could help many more.Kat runs Kat’z Clothes on Wheels, a free clothing service for the homeless and those in need that she runs out of a van and a couple of...

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Fundraising Rena movie night for environmental groups

Volunteering Services and Envirohub are running a fundraiser screening of the Rena disaster movie Taking Back Our Beach next month to raise funds for two environmental groups.The screening will be held on Wednesday 11 October at 6.45pm, at United Cinemas Bayfair, and...

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What is strategic awareness

8 ways you can begin to use it in business and in life Strategic awareness rarely features in modern textbooks on management, yet is something that can fundamentally change conversations and decision-making at the Board level. In essence, strategic awareness is the...

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Volunteers care for The Blade

It’s Conservation Week this week, and all over the Western Bay of Plenty volunteers are out in all weather laying traps and ensuring native birds and flora can survive.Conservation volunteer John Rowlandson spends hours each week trapping “the baddies” - stoats,...

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A volunteering challenge for election candidates

SociaLink’s Volunteering Services is throwing down a challenge for election candidates in the Western Bay of Plenty - volunteer a couple of hours for social agencies and see what’s really going on in the city.Volunteering Services manager Angela Wallace says it’s an...

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Social Sector Commissioning

Action Plan and Reform Work is underway across government agencies (jointly led by the Ministry of Social Development and Oranga Tamariki) to improve the commissioning of social services in New Zealand. Keri Huurdeman presented to a crowd of around 40 people at the...

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SociaLink cooking kai for those in need

Staff at SociaLink and Volunteering Services turned into chefs for a couple of days last week to provide meals for Kura Kai as their contribution to National Volunteer Week.In four teams they cooked up a tuna bake, pork ragu, spaghetti carbonara and butter chicken,...

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Legal Help for Not for Profits

While Community Law Centres are often able to help charities/not-for-profits with legal advice, if they do not have the capacity or expertise to assist,  then they can refer these organisations to Te Ara Ture: an online portal that was launched in 2021 to connect...

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Government moving away from addressing child poverty

The Government’s Budget showed it was moving away from addressing the consequences of child poverty, a discussion in Tauranga heard this week.Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and SociaLink, which supports the Western Bay of Plenty social and community sector, held an...

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