Well, it’s been a tough few weeks. I’ve had conversations with community leaders, board members, and charity CEOs all asking the same thing: how do we keep going when the funding dries up?
We’re seeing contracts end, grants shrink, and the forecast for the next 12 months isn’t looking any brighter.
And yet, governance doesn’t sleep.
In fact, when times are tough, the job of governing gets heavier. Boards and executives are making hard calls — closing down, reducing staff, or just trying to keep the lights on, juggling work, life, volunteering, board roles – it’s hard. But the responsibility doesn’t go away. It grows.
At Community Governance Aotearoa, we’ve felt this too. For several years now we’ve kept our programmes free; whilst supporting hundreds of community leaders throughout Aotearoa with governance mentoring programmes, events, talks, and built a website with no joining fees, no locked content, no membership fees.
However, we too have had to put certain programmes on hold, due to funding not continuing. As we are a relatively new charity, it has taken time for us to develop new revenue streams so we aren’t so reliant upon the usual go to: grant makers, philanthropics, government agencies. Meaning, when faced with difficult economic impacts we haven’t had a pot of gold tucked away, to continue these initiatives (and like many others), we’ve faced some equally tough times and tough calls.
And with all of that in mind…
We’ve been working hard to find the right balance — how to offer governance training that’s affordable, accessible, and genuinely useful for our community. With funding pressures mounting across the sector, we knew we needed a smart solution that worked for both us and the thousands of not-for-profits we support.
That’s why we have partnered with Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) to bring high-quality, community-focused governance training to Aotearoa. This collaboration allows us to lift capability across the sector while keeping content relevant.
So while some things need to change and some of our new offerings may carry a cost, our kaupapa remains the same: to empower boards, Chairs, and community leaders with the tools they need to govern well. This new training platform is a step forward — built for our sector, backed by experience, and designed to help you lead with confidence.
I’m looking forward to sharing more with you soon!
Accompanying pic from a recent workshop in Whakatāne – working with some fantastic community people.
Ngā mihi nui
Rose Hiha-Agnew
CEO | Community Governance Aotearoa
