29 January, 2026

You can jump to the section most relevant to your work:

• Tō Tātou Rāngai | Our Sector
• TōTātou Whakauru | Our Membership
• Ōritetanga me te whakaurunga | Equity & Inclusion
• Kaumātua | Older People 
• Tamariki | Children 
• Tenancy

The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) wants to acknowledge the tragic loss of lives and devastating impacts of recent weather events. Kia kaha to those whanau and communities impacted. We also want to recognise the incredible efforts of iwi, hapū and community organisations as part of the response.

2026 will be a big year. The Prime Minister recently announced that our general election will be held on Saturday 7 November 2026. NZCCSS is looking forward to raising awareness around issues our members are seeing in their communities, in particular the hardship and challenges so many are facing. This year is an opportunity to hold our elected members of parliament to account and seek real commitments for progress.

Given the importance of this year, NZCCSS is really pleased to be partnering with Community Networks Aotearoa (CNA) to host a joint conference. This will be our first conference in many years, and we can’t wait to bring our membership together to connect, learn from each other and collaborate. Keep an eye out for more details to come soon!

Consultation Engagement Opportunity

The Ministry of Social Development is seeking our input into the newest Carers Strategy Action Plan. The plan has been developed in partnership with The Carers Alliance, of which NZCCSS is a member. It is being designed to be rolling and updateable, instead of time-bound like previous versions of the plan.

If you are part of an NZCCSS member organisation and you would like to contribute to our feedback on this strategy, please be in touch for information on engagement opportunities.

Find out more about the strategy plan here.

State of the Nation 2026 report

The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit will be launching its State of the Nation Report on 11 February 2026. This annual report provides a clear evidence-informed overview of wellbeing and social issues in Aotearoa. We look forward to hearing more on our progress as a nation.

Grief counselling and neurodiversity – webinar

Tuesday 24 February, 1pm – 3pm
This live webinar from the Grief Centre explores how neurodivergent youth and adults process the world and experience loss beyond neurotypical expectations. It covers strengths and challenges, influences on life experiences, and how to adapt counselling and support practices to be more accessible. With limited research on neurodiversity and grief, the session reviews current evidence, resources, and real-world examples to enhance your practice.

Presenter: Arletta van den Bosch
BOOK HERE   NZCCSS members receive a 10% discount.
Email [email protected] for the discount code.

Election 2026 – policies and promises for a healthy Aotearoa NZ – webinar

Monday 2 February 2026, 12:30 – 1:30 pm

This free webinar hosted by the University of Otago examines which policy choices could best support a healthy, equitable and sustainable Aotearoa NZ.

Experts in Māori health and equity, environmental and climate-related health, and income and welfare will outline evidence on where approaches fall short and which actions could improve long-term wellbeing.

For more info and to register, click here.

Getting ready to vote

With the election coming up this year, there are often a lot of questions about how the election process and voter enrolment works. There have also been recent changes to legislation around voting. (You can read our 2025 submission on this here.)

As a result of these changes, there is no longer the ability to enrol to vote immediately before the election. All voters must be enrolled by midnight on 25 October. Voters can enrol or check their enrolment details online here.

If you, or those you work, with want further information, Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) has developed some useful resources which are available on the CAB website.

Aged Cared Ministerial Advisory Group

he Aged Care Ministerial Advisory Group is due to start work by the end of this month. It was established in December 2025 to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Government about the aged care system. The advisory group will focus on responding to challenges highlighted in previous reviews such as the outdated funding model, lack of integration between services, and inconsistent and inequitable access to care across the country.

The group is made up of experts across the aged care spectrum, from home and community support to high complexity aged residential care. We are particularly pleased to see the inclusion of NZCCSS member Murray Penman, Head of Health and Community Services at Visionwest. Murray has been part of the NZCCSS Older Person’s Policy Group for several years and is a dedicated and knowledgeable leader in this space.

You can learn more about the Advisory Group and read the scope and terms of reference here.

Inquiry into harm young New Zealanders encounter online

An interim report on the harm young New Zealanders encounter online, and the roles that Government, business, and society should play in addressing those harms, was published in December.

The Education & Workforce Committee’s Interim Report summarised the information and advice the Committee received as part of this inquiry and areas that most of the Committee agreed require further consideration. 
Among these are:

• restricting access to social media platforms for under 16-year-olds
• regulatory changes
• liability of online platforms and internet service providers, and
• parental responsibilities to protect their children from online harm.

The Committee will produce a final report in early 2026 with its recommendations for addressing online harm.

You can read NZCCSS’ submission to the Committee here..

Remembering Dame Karen Poutasi

NZCCSS wish to acknowledge the passing of Dame Karen Poutasi in January this year. Among her many achievements, Dame Karen made a significant contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand’s child protection system, and this legacy remains as we advocate for child wellbeing and children’s rights to be upheld.

The findings of her 2022 report Ensuring strong and effective safety nets to prevent abuse of children have been accepted by government and are in the process of being implemented.

We wish to extend our sympathy to Dame Karen’s whānau.

There have been many changes in the tenancy space over the last few months. Many of our members support people who rent or board, and it is important to know how these changes can impact people. NZCCSS is also fortunate enough to support the Tenancy Advocate’s Network – a national network of individuals and organisations that advocate for tenants rights with landlords, at Tenancy Tribunal, and to Government.

See below for key updates in this space.

Pet rules for tenancies

Any tenancies that start after 1 December 2025, or any pets that join existing tenancies after 1 December 2025, will be subject to new pet rules:

• Landlords must now consent to a pet provided they have no valid reason to disallow a pet at the property.
• Landlords and Property Managers can now require the payment of an additional two weeks of rent to form a Pet Bond that can be used to rectify pet-related damages at the end of the tenancy.
• Additionally, any pet-related damage that occurred after 1 December 2025 is no longer subject to the damage claim process that all other rental damage is – the lesser of 4 weeks rent or the landlord’s insurance excess. Any pet-related damage that occurs after 1 December 2025 that is above ‘fair wear and tear’ will be entirely the responsibility of the tenant.

For more information on pet rules, see here.

Tribunal documentation

As of 1 January 2026, the Tenancy Tribunal has changed how documents will be managed. Where previously documents that contain personal information, such as insurance policies, were treated as ‘Court File Only’, these will now be part of the Tribunal File and provided to the other party in the form they are provided.

This means that applicants are now responsible for redacting any personal information out of files before they provide them to the Tribunal, without removing mandatory information to the claim. 

Pulse Survey

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has released a pair of surveys documenting the sentiments of landlords and renters. 1500 renters and 700 landlords were surveyed on a wide range of topics, including property management, ability to pay rent, reasons for increaing rent, reasons for moving, and the relationship between renters and landlords. This iteration of the survey included questions about changes to tenancy law, including pet rules and no-cause evictions.

You can find the results of both surveys here.

Two people who work together
    are better than one person who works alone.
    They can help each other to work well!

Ecclesiastes 4:9
(EasyEnglish Bible)