Charities overshadowed by deregistration

If the line drawn by the Charities Commission means Plunket just scrapes through as a charity while the National Council of Women (NCWNZ) has been threatened with deregistration, then the law needs to be changed, the Green Party said today.

“Advocacy plays a legitimate, but not primary role for many charities. The distinction needs to be clear what is and what is not allowable,” Green Party spokesperson for the Community and Voluntary Sector Catherine Delahunty said.

Yesterday the Charities Commission announced it is seeking to deregister the NCWNZ because it is not established and maintained exclusively for charitable purpose.

“As the law stands, some charities are on tenuous ground. They should not have to operate with fear that they will be deregulated if they make a political statement,” Ms Delahunty said.

“We would like to know why Plunket is a charity, but the NCWNZ is not. The process for deciding charities is not transparent.

“NCWNZ is in a hard position. On one hand, they are contracted by the Government to provide advocacy, but on the other, they’re being punished by the Government for doing just that.

Ms Delahunty said there was a need for an open set of rules and an explanation by the Government.

“The eminent deregistration of the NCWNZ shows a harsher interpretation of the law. The Government needs to front up about the reason for this,” Ms Delahunty said.

“The law around charities needs to respect the ability of people to come together and work towards for all manner of social, economic and environmental causes

“This needs to take place without the fear of deregistration,” Ms Delahunty said.