Family First and the New Zealand Government are arguing over the group’s charitable status at the Supreme Court in Wellington this week. The Government is appealing a recent Court of Appeal decision which upheld Family First as a charity. Bob McCoskrie, Family First’s National Director says the case is not about his group. “The attempt Read more
Entities that are registered charities are eligible to receive money from the government’s seven billion dollar wage subsidy scheme. Stuff reports that churches in New Zealand have received “more than $1.5 million”. Among other Catholic entities that have received money, the Catholic Diocese of Auckland received $618,338 for 94 staff. The Catholic Diocese of Hamilton Read more
Two charities under Destiny Church have been allowed to operate again, including having tax exemptions, after earlier having their charitable status removed. The High Court on Tuesday ordered that both charities – the Destiny International Trust and Te Hāhi o Ngā Mātāmua Holdings – be reinstated their charitable status. They were taken off the Charities Read more
Ampleforth Abbey has lost its responsibility for managing pupil welfare. The UK Charities Commission said the Abbey had lost its pupil welfare responsibilities “as a result of continued concerns about the extent to which current safeguarding risks to pupils at the schools run by the [Ampleforth] charities are being adequately managed”. The Charities Commission is Read more
According to Department of Internal Affairs documents, a total of 15 Destiny Church-associated charities have been sent 49 notices over the last two years – which include reminders to file annual returns and also overdue notices. Department of Internal Affairs Spokesperson Steve Corbett said the are now considering whether there is a need to change Read more
Funding consultant Thea Mickell said dozens of charities had told her they could not afford the increased cost of meeting the reporting requirement of New Zealand’s Charities Committee “One of the groups we work with, their annual audit fee would’ve been $3000 to $4000 and this year it leapt up to $9000.” Ms Mickell said Read more
Many charities, particularly smaller ones, are being stressed and overwhelmed by the reporting standards introduced in 2015 says a charity law specialist Sue Barker. Last year an audit of about 1000 charities over six months by the Department of Internal Affairs has found only 59 percent have complied. In a RNZ report last year Barker Read more
Charities Services has confirmed it will analyse the Destiny Church’s tax-free status and see if its guilty of breaching the Charities Act. If anything is uncovered a full investigation will then be carried out. But stripping Destiny Church of its charity status risks turning Charities Services into a censor, a charity law expert says. To Read more
An amendment before parliament “represents another slice at a community sector that is facing death by a thousand cuts.” says Marianne Elliott co-founder of independent charity advocacy group, Action Station. “If each of these changes is small enough, they can each fly below the radar, and happen without public scrutiny, ” she says. The amendment Read more
Family First NZ has received notification that Charities Services, previously called the Charities Commission, intends to continue its attempts to deregister the charity. Family First is appealing the decision and it will be heard in the High Court at Wellington early next year. The group was advised in 2013 the Charities Commission intended to deregister the Read more