Speech: Volunteer Wellington Annual General Meeting, 27 July 2009
Volunteer Wellington Annual General Meeting, Monday 27 July 2009; 6pm
Speech by Rahui Katene, MP for Te Tai Tonga
On behalf of Hon Tariana Turia,
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
I bring with me the regrets of the Minister of the Community and Voluntary Sector Minister, Hon Tariana Turia, who is unable to be with us tonight.
When she asked me if I would be able to attend on her behalf, I jumped at the chance. It is not every day, as Member of Parliament for Te Tai Tonga, that I am in front of an umbrella organisation for some 380 groups registered across the Wellington region.
It is a bit of a case of ‘do you want the good news or the bad news’. The bad news I bring, is definitely the good news for me!
Without further ado, let me share with you, Tariana’s thoughts.
One of the reasons I love my role as the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector is that it puts me in contact with astonishing heroes and heroines, disguised as ordinary people living ordinary lives.
In coming to this AGM of Volunteer Wellington I found a stunning cast of thousands who literally fill this role.
I found:
§ 1949 people registered who are seeking a volunteer role;
§ 1248 employee team volunteers engaged in community activity
§ 436 people who attended training programmes;
§ and 51 new member organisations registered.
What is even more incredible, particularly in the context of recession, is that the numbers of people registered; and those attending training, represent more than a 20 percent increase on previous years.
Volunteer Wellington – take a bow.
With all of these people walking in the doors of Volunteer Wellington, there has been an associated increase in community projects to ensure the people throughout this region are strong, secure and enthusiastically supported.
In fact the Employees in the Community coordinator, I am told, managed more than 100 community projects during the last year.
I think it’s really important to add all these numbers up, and to take time to celebrate these achievements, because all too often, the context of recession is painted as a picture of doom and gloom and it is hard to see a way out of the grim circumstances.
And yet what these numbers represent is an extraordinary increase in the numbers of volunteer seekers that are choosing to come to Volunteer Wellington. Many of these seekers are people who have become redundant, and have turned to volunteering to keep themselves motivated and upskilled while in transition back to work.
In the process, they have developed new friendships and networks, a sense of belonging, and a renewed sense of self-worth to people.
It reminds me of a reflection by Alexander Graham Bell
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.”
Bell’s mother and his wife were both profoundly deaf. In his pursuit to investigate hearing devices to make life better for his family, he experimented with techniques which eventually led to the invention of the telephone.
Much the same can be said about the incredible dedication and spirit of optimism shown by the increase in volunteers. They have turned away from the closed door, and instead are looking for positive ways to make contributions to their communities through volunteering.
These people bring skills, knowledge and fresh perspectives into our community organisations which can only be beneficial for our whanau and communities.
There can be no better example of this then Te Ariki Mamaku.
Te Ariki, of Tuhoe, Ngati Awa and Nga Puhi whakapapa, found himself laid off at the end of last year, joined the job queue, and 50 rejected job applications later, started to lose hope. Rather than sit at home going spare, Te Ariki decided to make a call to Volunteer Wellington.
This was a young man with amazing potential and talents - he had been a successful dancer with a dance company in North America; had had a very fast and active life, and quite frankly, unemployment wasn’t on his life plan.
Te Ariki took on a role with Volunteer Wellington which involved planning a calendar of multi-ethnic festivals with the idea of sharing the knowledge and stories of the different cultures represented in the organisation's diverse staff team.
This was the beginning of a whole new direction in his life. Not long after, Te Papa employed Te Ariki as a member of the administration staff organising the re-patriation of Maori remains and Moriori ancestral remains.
I want to really congratulate Volunteer Wellington for the difference you are making in working with job seekers.
The arrangement that you have negotiated with Work and Income enabling job seekers to develop their skills through volunteering is a great model for how volunteer centres can respond to the needs of their communities and changing circumstances.
A particularly distinctive feature – and one I wholeheartedly endorse - is the way in which you have attracted so many young people to the role of volunteering. The majority of people interviewed are between the ages of 20 to 30 years; while the 14-20 year old age group has had an astounding 51% increase.
While the challenge of precarious economic conditions is undoubtedly part of the reason why, I do think we should be proud of our young people, who are choosing to contribute time and expertise to making strong communities.
Another key achievement over the last year for Volunteer Wellington is the connections you have made for businesses with employee volunteering community projects.
They often say that volunteers don't get paid, not because they're worthless, but because they're priceless.
I regret to say that I can’t come tonight with an announcement that the Government has been able to set aside an additional $3.3 billion which is approximately the amount we’d need to get anywhere near the value of the contribution over one million volunteers make to the economy each year.
But I do bring good news.
There is currently a Bill before Parliament – the Taxation (International Taxation, Life Insurance, and Remedial Matters) Bill, which will provide our employers with another avenue to get in behind their employees and our communities through a before-tax payroll giving system.
A before-tax payroll giving system enables employees to make regular financial contributions from their gross pay to philanthropic and charitable causes and receive an immediate tax benefit on their donations at each payday.
With such a system in place, it basically makes giving a whole lot easier as employees won’t be required to retain receipts and file end of year rebate claim forms.
It’s a voluntary scheme for both employers and employees but there’s nothing to stop you all spreading the word, to encourage everyone you know to consider taking it up.
This same Bill will also clarify the law relating to the tax treatment of honoraria for voluntary work and the reimbursement of volunteers’ expenses.
We hope that this will make life much easier for both volunteers and community organisations who often incur unnecessary compliance costs in trying to understand their tax obligations.
I’m probably the last person to say that tax reform is exciting, but I am really pleased that these changes will do a lot to strengthen our culture of generosity in New Zealand.
I want to warmly congratulate everyone here at Volunteer Wellington for the distinctive and diverse difference you are making to our communities.
Your work proves that age-old truth - those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer.
You are doing more by connecting those that don’t already have strong networks into the community and voluntary sector such as our youth and our refugee and migrant populations.
You are doing more, by encouraging cooperation and collaboration not just between non-profits, but also with central and local government, and the corporate sector.
Successful collaboration requires commitment, good relationship skills, flexibility and a smile. I am told that Volunteer Wellington is well known for doing all of this – and that is what has led to such a growth in your activities over 2008/09.
Finally, you are doing more for our communities, by promoting generosity, by involving local people in determining local solutions and in everything you do, promoting the ultimate aspiration of strong, creative, forward-looking communities.
Thank you for everything you do, to open doors for so many people. You inspire me, just as you inspire all those you work with.
Na reira, tena koutou katoa.