Having a voice in a Changing Environment
By Holly Snape
One of the most powerful tools we have is our voice. Whether that voice is used to advocate for your community, influence local decision-making, or ensure your organisation is run in a way that truly reflects its values, it matters. We are heading into an election cycle, with changes to voting processes and enrolment requirements. This presents an important opportunity for the community sector. Many of us work alongside people whose voices are often underrepresented, and we may have a role to play in ensuring the people we support are enrolled and ready to vote so they can have their say at the election in November. Democracy works best when everyone has the opportunity to participate.
This edition of The Kumara Vine also looks more broadly at the power of using your voice for change. At Community Waikato, we recognise the strength of a collective voice, when organisations, communities, and networks come together around shared issues, that voice carries further and can have significant impact. At the same time, we also value the power of quieter, more humble voices. Change does not always come from being the loudest in the room; it often comes from listening deeply, sharing lived experience, and speaking with integrity and care. Whether through collective advocacy or thoughtful, steady contributions, all voices have value, and each can play an important role in
shaping meaningful and lasting change across our region.
On a different note, there is an important reminder for incorporated societies. As many of you will know, the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 represents the biggest change to incorporated societies law in more than a century. All existing incorporated societies must re-register under the new Act by April 2026, and this process involves
more than simply completing a form. It requires organisations to pause, reflect, and make deliberate choices about how they operate and how members’ voices are recognised within governance and decision-making structures.
Time is running out to complete the process of re-registration, and we are still hearing from organisations that are unsure whether this applies to them. Some entities have mistakenly assumed they are charitable trusts because they have charitable status. However, it is important to note that you can have charitable status and still be an incorporated society.
If you are unsure of your legal structure, there are easy ways to check. If you have charitable status, look your organisation up on the Charities Services register at https://register.charities.govt.nz/CharitiesRegister/Search. Open your entity page, go to Purpose and Structure, and scroll to the bottom where your legal structure is
listed. You can also check the Companies Office register at https://is-register.companiesoffice.govt.nz/.
There are some excellent online resources available, and Community Waikato is here to help if you need support navigating this change.