VNZ Applauds Increase to Support for Volunteering Fund
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) applauds the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Hon Alfred Ngaro following his announcement earlier today to double the Support for Volunteering Fund.
When the fund was established 16 years ago, it provided support to eight volunteer centres and a small national effort at VNZ. Since then, the fund had only been increased once, and now accommodates seventeen regional volunteer centres, and a very successful national body delivering national campaigns, advocacy and best practice leadership to the wider sector through Volunteering New Zealand.
Scott Miller, Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand says “like highways are the primary infrastructure for effective transportation, volunteer centres and VNZ are the primary infrastructure for more effective volunteering. This increase will mean volunteer centres creaking under sustained pressures to meet the dynamic needs of volunteer managers and volunteers will finally get the funding they need to ensure their value proposition remains relevant to the sector.”
The Government’s media release today acknowledges the $3.5 billion contribution volunteer labour contributes to New Zealand’s economy every year, and more importantly to civil society. “We are confident that greater outcomes for volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations will be achieved as a result of this decisive investment in our sector” adds Miller.
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is
an association of national volunteer-involving organisations
that have a commitment to volunteering. Their mission is to
maximise the impact of volunteering in our communities.
www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
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