When I first took on a chair role for a national not-for-profit I was fortunate to have the organisation put me through a governance course. This was my very first experience of governance training and I found myself sitting amongst a room full of corporate directors and chairs of major entities.
I didn’t feel out of my depth, rather I just felt out of place.
This governance course wasn’t quite pitched or developed for my needs e.g., Chair of a National Charity. I would have been the youngest by far and the only one representing a not-for-profit board. Back then it really was eye-opening as to how different the worlds of corporate and not-for-profit governance were perceived, it was more like ‘corporate’ vs ‘not-for-profit’, with a prevailing narrative that positioned our not-for-profits as ‘not real governance’.
The sentiment was that not-for-profit boards, were merely stepping stones, where one could ‘cut their teeth’ before moving on to so-called ‘proper’ governance roles.
There’s only two degrees of separation in New Zealand, you can’t share the warts and all as everyone knows each other.
I recall an interaction I had very early on in my governance career, attending a corporate governance event. A keynote speaker painted a very rosy picture of their board, he shared his interactions between the Chair and CEO and how there were challenges but all in all there were no major issues or fall outs, everything was ticking along fine and their board could solve any problem.
After his talk, I approached him and shared some of the challenges my board was facing, I was having some mainly CEO challenges. He quickly opened up, recounting all the difficulties and scandals they’d encountered, taken aback, I asked why he hadn’t shared these stories publicly, considering this was all about learning about governance and his reply was, “we’re all too close in New Zealand. everyone would know who I’m talking about”.
Fast forward to today, I’m no longer the only woman in the room during courses or board meetings. There’s real diversity now – in gender, culture, and lived experience. I feel incredibly fortunate to be part of a community that’s not only committed to governance excellence, but also grounded in kaupapa, equity, and care.
Our Partnership, Our Community
That’s exactly why I sought out this partnership with the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA). They’re like our sister organisation across the ditch – grounded in the same values, and, facing similar challenges in the not-for-profit space. Together, we’ve created a course that reflects the realities we face here in Aotearoa: the funding pressures, the governance nuances, the community-led kaupapa that shape our work.
What we know too is that many board members who serve on community organisations have limited access to professional development (if any), and access to quality governance training can be well out of financial range for many. This was a priority for us, with our new course you have options such as: pay as you go, study online and at your own pace, revisit content for up to 12 months and receive certification that’s backed by both Community Governance Aotearoa and Institute of Community Directors Australia.
Strong governance builds strong communities.
Our new Certified Community Directors Course fits what I was wanting in my not-for-profit board role (and would have loved to have had when I first started), with in-depth knowledge and addressing the nuances of serving on a charity, incorporated society, community board role, iwi, marae committees, advisory boards (we have lots of titles)! The course (and I’ve completed the Australian and our Aotearoa version) is really comprehensive, the content is interactive with video, audio, quizzes and resources that make the course engaging. And, it’s relevant to our sector, as examples used in the course are all based on what we encounter in our not-for-profit board roles.
Governance isn’t static – it evolves constantly. That’s why it’s our responsibility, as community leaders and board members, to keep learning, developing, and challenging ourselves. Sometimes we step onto a new board and the culture is unfamiliar, and other times, we’ve been in the game so long that a refresh is exactly what we need.
Note: Throughout the course you will hear from several community people in our videos (we’re not pros), but a big shout out thanks to those who contributed!
Rose Hiha-Agnew
Chief Executive, Community Governance Aotearoa
You can learn more about the Certified Community Directors Course here.
