Over August-September 2023, Christian Savings hosted their annual Church and Charities Conference. We have gathered some insights and resources from this for your governance kete-toolbox.

Link to Part 2 of this article

We have a full transcript of both articles attached below.

See also https://www.calledsouth.org.nz/diocesan-resources/ 

This year the governance theme was 'Fruitful Stewardship', looking at some of the key stewardship issues our churches and charities are facing and shared some resources for faith communities and faith based organisations. 

Please note – if you are on a Vestry or Committee and have signed the Anglican Church declaration of adherence, you are essentially an Officer of the Church – anything below that relates to Boards and Trustees includes you as well.  

Charities Health Checks

This year in our Diocese we have been encouraging Boards and Vestries to have a look at the Good Governance Code produced by Community Governance Aotearoa. The Charities conference shared some more resources produced by Parry Field Lawyers in Christchurch, who are very active in providing resources and supports for charities, particularly those operating in faith sectors (see documents attached below) 

Stephen Moe from Parry Field is one of the main players in developing these resources... and encouraging any and all of us to have a health check  on what we are doing. Some of what follows is taken from Stephen's and other's presentations at a Governance Masterclass. 

Board Skills and Succession Planning

It's always useful for Boards and Vestries to have a skills matrix i.e. knowing what range of skills you have represented by your board, but what you are missing. How is your Board planning for succession, and do you have a rotation of board members... or the same people who have been there for years?

If you are considering joining a Board, the following questions are worth asking:

• Who is on the Board?
• What is the Chair like?
• How do the Board make decisions?
• Can I sit in on a Board meeting to see what happens before I say "yes" to joining?
• Why me? (what skills-attributes are you looking for?)
• Are there any significant issues that you are dealing with right now that I need to know about? (rather than finding you arrive in the middle of something very complex and messy)
• Do you set time limits for your meetings? 

Good Governance Practices

If we think of our organisations like cars, how many of us would spend all of our time looking in the rear view mirror when we need to be looking through the windscreen? We need to be looking ahead at what is coming at us, not just looking back.

In saying this, there are some matters which help Boards to look back as well as into the future. How do you measure up with the following?

• Do you ever check if anything has gone wrong... is there anything that you need to ask about?
• What about safeguarding - is this on your agenda, do you have policies in place around this, bullying etc, to ensure that the organisation is a safe place?
• Are you able to change your mind or a decision you have made (or do you insist that once something has been decided, that's it)?
• Do you ever pause for prayer? It's a great way to slow things down, refocus and get a much needed bigger perspective.
• How much do questions get asked... and if there is a disagreement, do you minute it?
• What would happen if you put "our honour" at the end of your sentence? (i.e,. what would happen if a particular matter ended up in a court of law?)
• Trust Law has been updated over the past few years - when did you last update your rules?
• New Trustees have superpowers - they can ask "Why do you do this"?
• Do you review conflicts of interest at every meeting?

The best practice for attendance is for trustees to be there at every meeting, to have Board papers circulated one week before and to have accurate minutes that would be understood 5 years from now. The ultimate card any Trustee can play is their resignation - if the Board and you are not a good fit, there is no point in staying on. 

Seeds Podcasts - Telling Good Stories

Steven Moe has developed a resource hub with podcasts, videos, articles and books that with help inform and inspire your governance space: "stories of people living lives of purpose and making an impact on our world". 

Have a look at are recent series of podcasts with senior directors who give their insights into Governance by way of "If I was to write a book, what would the title ?"

What could we do with information on this page?

Resources and links on this page make great discussion starters for Boards, Vestries and other leadership groups. How much time do you spend at meetings: reflecting on what you are doing; asking some hard questions; learning about different aspects of your governance role, and; genuinely evaluating what you do and making positive changes? 

Link to Part 2 of this article