Update on consultation: March 2024
Mā mua ka kite a muri, mā muri ka ora a mua.
Those who lead give sight to those who follow,
those who follow give life to those who lead.
Kia ora koutou
In September last year, we let you know about some important work that we have underway to make sure CCS Disability Action is set up well to serve disabled people and whānau hauā.
I wanted to update you on this project and to thank those of you that have been involved so far.
Background
The updated Incorporated Societies Act requires that we meet some new requirements and to re-register by April 2026. This is a good time for us to look at whether our governance arrangements will allow us to deliver our strategic priorities, Te Aronui, in future.
I want to reiterate that this isn't a review of services we provide or the roles that staff hold. CCS Disability Action's services for people we support, and staff employment are not affected by this work.
To ensure independence in exploring our governance structure, last year we engaged MartinJenkins to help us work though this important project.
Consultation with governance members
The first stage was to talk to a wide range of people across our governance groups. They shared their experiences of our current arrangements and their views on how we can improve them.
Thank you to those many people that generously participated in these conversations. Your input gave us insight into what is working well, what could be improved and what's important that we focus on.
As a result, a range of possible options on future governance arrangements have been developed based on four goals:
Raising up the voices of disabled people – a strong connection to local disabled communities, who are empowered and energised to influence and support action.
Governing efficiently – an organisation that spends its time and effort serving disabled people, while doing less business with ourselves.
Effective management of assets and investments – we have the right expertise to govern and manage the organisation's assets and investments for national and local benefit.
Fit-for-purpose legal structure – a legal structure that supports the governance model and supports what CCS Disability Action has become as a tier 1 national service provider.
We want to hear your thoughts
We are planning a series of workshops across the motu and online. We will share the themes of the conversation to date and seek your thoughts on the possible options for our future governance structure.
The dates and locations for these sessions are being finalised but will be held between April and June. Invitations to these sessions will be sent shortly.
We hope that you will be able to join us at one of the sessions.
Noho ora mai,
Mā te wā. Stay safe, stay well and stay in touch.
Dairne Kirton
National President, CCS Disability Action
Mel Smith
Chief Executive, CCS Disability Action