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| Hōngongoi | July Welcome to this month’s issue of Weaving Policy from the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS). We’re excited to bring you member insights, updates on our work, and opportunities to engage across the social service sector. You can jump to the section most relevant to your work: Tō Tātou Rāngai | Our Sector Ōritetanga me te whakaurunga | Equity & Inclusion Kaumātua | Older People Tamariki | Children The Church Leaders meet with the Prime Minister Last week NZCCSS and Christian Church Leaders met with the Prime Minister to raise a call to action for a more equitable and compassionate Aotearoa New Zealand. In our briefing, church leaders called for the equitable sharing of resources for tangata, protection of te taiao and the honouring and ongoing realisation of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. These key themes were reiterated in the meeting, with leaders prioritising the importance of honouring Te Tiriti as a foundation for a more inclusive and equitable Aotearoa. They reflected on what they saw in their communities and made specific calls to action for the ongoing homelessness and environmental crises impacting our nation.  Alongside NZCCSS, leaders of the following church denominations and groups were represented: Anglican, Baptist, Catholic, Methodist, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Te Runanga Whakawhanaunga I Nga Hahi O Aotearoa, and National Church Leaders of Aotearoa New Zealand. Rt. Hon. Christopher Luxon, Minister Watts and Minister Potaka attended and spoke about their portfolios.  Church leaders also met with leaders of the opposition, Rt. Hon. Chris Hipkins and Hon. Carmel Sepuloni. These hui between church leaders and our nations decision-makers highlight the power of collective voice. By uniting across denominations, this group of leaders can regularly bring community insights and experience to the halls of power on behalf of their parishes. While there are a range of denominations present, there remains a fundamental shared view of the sanctity of human life and dignity, and the wellbeing of all, particularly our most marginalised.  Enliven’s Adaptive Clothing Range Enliven, part of Presbyterian Support, sees how difficult it can become to assist people to dress as their mobility declines. Too often this results in ill-fitting, oversized clothing that sacrifices comfort and dignity for those being cared for. Partnering with Registered Nurse Sally Aydon, a professional with a history in care and innovation, Enliven is proud to bring to the market a range of adaptive clothing options that are easy to wear, stylish and dignified.    Purchasing from this adaptive clothing range is more than a solution for those with mobility issues. You are helping the work of a leading not-for-profit organisation to support the vital needs of older people across Aotearoa, expanding the range, and improving facilities. Making life better – one garment at a time. To order your Enliven Adaptive Blouse – click here. Salvation Army Speaks Out Against Rising Homelessness One in every 1000 Kiwis are now without shelter, and member organisation The Salvation Army has spoken out to call for a co-ordinated response to the growing scale of homelessness in our country. Speaking to NZ Herald, Lieutenant Colonel Ian Hutson said Aotearoa needs to work towards having enough affordable housing for everyone to live with dignity. Read more on this issue here. The Big Sleep Out – More Than One Night Lifewise returned to the streets on July 10 to bring ‘The Big Sleepout’ back to Auckland after a five-year hiatus. Business and community leaders were invited to join together, share experience and insight, and stay for a night exposed to the elements. With a fantastic response, the initial donor drive has already raised over $180,000 to support the work that Lifewise does through their Merge Cafe and Community. NZCCSS is partnering with Lifewise to bring you a webinar “The Big Sleepout – More than one night” to keep the conversation going. Featuring speakers from the night and members of the Lifewise team, this is a call to action on what we can do, individually and as a society, to bring our fellow Kiwis out of homelessness. You can find out more about The Big Sleepout here, and keep an eye on our LinkedIn for details when you can register for this engaging and action-inspiring free event.  Social Investment Webinar Last week the Social Investment Agency (SIA) hosted a webinar outlining their intended approach towards data collection and evaluation for the upcoming Social Investment Fund. There was a strong focus on proven innovative solutions, outcomes with a clear theory of change and the use of data to evaluate potential investments. As noted on their website, next steps for accessing the fund are expected in August. Welfare to work report launch NZCCSS CEO attended the recent launch of the report, “The Pipeline of Potential”, by The Institute for Democratic and Economic Analysis (IDEA). Their report highlighted flaws in Aotearoa’s welfare system and how increasing investment in welfare-to-work schemes would reduce unemployment and have massive social and economic benefits. With New Zealand currently investing half as much into welfare-to-work schemes as the average developed country, it comes as no surprise that there are significant weaknesses in our systems, hindering people’s ability to enter the workforce or find appropriate work. An overstretched welfare system also results in poor assessment of jobseekers’ needs and histories, making it difficult to provide training or adequate support. The welfare system’s lack of holistic approaches to address underlying causes of underemployment provide significant barriers to increasing workforce inclusion. This report is particularly timely given recently released data from Statistics New Zealand showing over 27,000 fewer filled jobs in New Zealand compared to last year. The IDEA report highlights 10 key recommendations that could be practically implemented, including employers and unions being funded to support their staff to find new work, and approaches like a Circuit-Breaker Job Guarantee or Launching Pad schemes which have been very successful overseas. We encourage the Government to explore these recommendations in order to better support New Zealanders into sustainable and meaningful work.  Launching the Older Persons Poverty Monitor Consultation There is currently no measure of poverty for older people in Aotearoa New Zealand. Without such a measure we cannot track the impacts of policy changes in this space. As for our Child Poverty statistics, implementation of a set of measures that can track progress across the years is critical to ensure that we can be working towards meaningful change for our most vulnerable older people.We have developed an early framework for an Older Persons Poverty Monitor which would provide an annual update on the poverty status of this demographic.We are pleased to officially launch our sector consultation on this work. We need the voices of older people and those who live and work alongside them to make this monitor work for Aotearoa.You can find the full engagement document and ways to give us your feedback here.   Reports of Concern increased in 2024 Oranga Tamariki’s most recent report highlights a significant increase in reports of concern over the past year and challenges in Oranga Tamariki’s ability to respond to increasing demand. In comparing the period July-Dec 24 with the same period in 2023, reporting shows: Critical reports – 38% increase Very Urgent reports – 39% increase Overall reports – 23% increase Of particular note in it’s latest performance report is the decrease in the proportion of reports of critical or very urgent reports of concern being met within operational timeframes, meaning tamariki were not being assessed in a timely manner. While practice changes and public awareness and reporting behaviour were thought to account for at least 27% of the increase, the remaining increase was attributed to the presence of general social and economic factors which suggest increases in actual harm and wellbeing concerns. NZCCSS continues to seek clarity regarding the impact of cuts to prevention and early intervention funding for the 24/25 year and is working closely with Oranga Tamariki to provide sector voice in relation to future investment and the introduction of the social investment approach through the Social Investment Agency (SIA). In partnership with SSPA we will continue to provide member updates and opportunities for engagement. Social Workers Registration Act Review The Social Workers Registration Board | Kāhui Whakamana Tauwhiro (SWRB) is in the process of reviewing the operation of the Social Workers Registration Act 2003 (the Act) to ensure it is still fit for purpose. NZCCSS is on the External Advisory Board to support this work and we want to encourage member and social sector engagement to help shape the next steps.This is an important opportunity to check that the Act is doing what it was designed to do – both now and into the future.We strongly support this review, and encourage you to have your say. Options for engagement include online hui, a feedback form, or email. The consultation closes on 31 August, 2025. For further information and to participate please see here. New CPAG report: ‘Below the Income Floor’ The Child Poverty Action Group’s latest report on income adequacy sought to answer the question of whether incomes are meeting basic and social needs for 39 typical low-income households. Findings demonstrate what we are hearing from our members – that many households, including working households, are struggling to cover basic costs and are unable to access an adequate standard of living. The report identifies key challenges including benefits being indexed to CPI rather than wage growth, high rents, and high food and utility costs impacting household budgets. Despite gains being made between 2018-2024, stalled progress at a policy level means the number of families facing weekly budget shortfalls is predicted to increase by 2026 to exceed that seen in 2022. NZCCSS thanks CPAG for this valuable report highlighting the challenges faced by many in our communities. We urge the government to strengthen its commitment to child poverty reduction and prioritise policies focused on ensuring an adequate standard of living for all. Read the full report here. Join our team! We are looking for a Communications and Administration Assistant to join the NZCCSS team and help drive the engine of our advocacy. Applications close on the 30th of July. Find the full role description and application portal on Do Good Jobs or contact us on [email protected] for any questions. For all our recent submissions visit our website. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.Luke 6:31 |
30 July, 2025
Te Raranga Kaupapa Here – Hōngongoi
Hōngongoi | JulyWelcome to this month's issue of Weaving Policy from the New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS). We're excited to bring you member insights, updates on our work, and opportunities to engage across the social service sector. You can jump to the section most relevant to your work:Tō Tātou Rāngai | Our SectorŌritetanga me…
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