Thinking about Governance A workshop for Executive Council of Multicultural New Zealand 9 August 2015 Nicola Sutton

What is governance? Defines the purpose and vision Establishes the goals and objectives Continually reviews effectiveness of services, legal compliance, relevance, Exec Committee performance Approves and reviews policies Appoints and supports Executive Director Monitors the processes, finances, targets and results

What is management? Translates purpose and vision into action Contributes to and implements plans of the Executive Committee Continually reviews services for improvement Implements policies and assists policy development and review Appoints, supports and monitors other staff and volunteers Manages day-to-day service and finance functions to achieve goals

What are your legal duties? Act in good faith and in the best interests of the organisation Act within the rules of the constitution and the organisation’s purpose Use powers to further the organisation’s purpose, not own personal purposes Avoid major risks to the organisation and its creditors Avoid taking on obligations that the organisation cannot reasonably fulfil Exercise reasonable care (e.g. Get sound information to base decisions on) Avoid any personal gain – either financially or through use of information

What can we do to improve our governance? What information from the Executive Director do you need to govern well? What information from the Executive Committee does the Executive Director need to manage effectively? How might your meetings be different so that governance and management issues are clearer? What particular responsibilities does the chairperson have in helping communication and maintaining agreed role boundaries?