Thank you to Pat Watson of Community Waitakere for that kind introduction.
I want to firstly share my excitement that when the panui was sent throughout the country, hundreds of people immediately put up their hand and responded to the call.
I'm not at all surprised. In this room is the heart of Aotearoa - the people who give our nation the reputation of being a country that cares.
Last week was Volunteer Awareness Week; a time to celebrate the mass movement of 1.2 million volunteers aged ten and over; who give so much of your time to health, social services, sports and arts, education, the environment, faith based organisations and the like.
You are people who literally get on your bike and travel.
Bikes are very much on mind at the moment. Bikes were the reason I had a couple of visitors in my office yesterday literally beaming with enthusiasm about the major challenge they have set for themselves.
Bike On New Zealand is a not-for profit organisation whose sole aim is to help New Zealanders experience the joy of biking. They are doing this by launching a series of non-profit projects that get people to bike more, including kitting out three schools in the Hawkes Bay with a bike for every child.
But they're not just stopping there. They're also developing a project called Marae on Bikes; there's Teens on Bikes; the police on bikes and a community bike centre; as well as investing some forty bikes into the Flaxmere community.
The brains behind the project - Paul McCardle and Meg Frater had a great idea; they were inspired by the difference they believed biking could make on many fronts - education, health and wellbeing, the environment - and they just got on their bike and did it.
And now the results are visibly clear wherever they look - whether it is stronger leg muscles in our kids; a well worn cycle track; or a community that is healthier and thriving. I think one of the great stories is the confidence that has been built. It not only leads to better wellbeing in our communities, but the confidence enhances educational performance amongst our kids.
In the time that I have today, there is no way that I can bring to the stage, the stories and successes of the 24,640 organisations who have registered with the Charities Commission - but in many respects that is exactly the challenge that I am wanting to bring to you today.
As we gather here today, at the dawning of the new financial year - and in the first weeks of Matariki, the Maori New Year - it is appropriate to look critically at the charitable and wider non-profit sector; and to reflect on the often unseen contribution that you all make to the wellbeing of our country.
I believe that as you look back, the moments that stand out, will be the moments when you have done things for others.
In the annual reports that you all submit to the Charities Commission we know that around 1, 212, 505 hours of voluntary work were gifted to this nation from around 400,000 volunteers.
Indeed one of the greatest achievements of the Charities Commission is the fact that we are now in a much better position to understand what exactly the unseen heroes and community champions do.
Through the work you have all done in collecting information from registrations and annual returns we have built a much stronger base for knowing who you are and what you do.
But if this last year has shown us anything it is that there is a growing expectation amongst New Zealanders that those who receive and control public monies - those organisations in whom we invest - must be both transparent and accountable. And I think that includes government.
This is a good thing - that we are all reminded of the need to ensure we use our limited resources in the best way to achieve the best outcomes for the collective good. This transparency will in itself, play an important role in building greater levels of public trust and confidence in charities.
I was thinking about this notion of transparency and accountability in relation to the amazing efforts we as whanau witness every day on the marae.
Whenever I go home to Whangaehu marae I am always struck by that sense of ‘coming home'. The amazing thing about marae is that everyone has a role, everyone comes together for the common good, and event management on a massive scale just falls into place. There would be no other situation with such large numbers of people, where you start out with no money and no knowledge of how many people will show up. I believe that marae breeds the best event managers.
My daughter might become immersed in baking; one son taking up the cultural protocols and traditions that keep our spirit alive. Others of the whanau will take over the shopping; sorting out the mattresses; cleaning the basins and bathrooms.
No-one is left alone without support; and everyone is always watching out. It is the ultimate accountability - the fiercest critics will be our own families and our own relatives who come home for the occasion. Are our cutlery laid out the right way? Is our kai too sweet, too bland; are our manuhiri being cared for?
My message to us all is that while we must remember that the information published on the Charities Commission register is available to the public; the importance of telling our own story can not be understated.
This forum today is all about telling your story - engaging the imaginations of your external stakeholders, funders, staff.
Your financial information tells only a limited view of what you actually do. It doesn't tell us what you have achieved, whose lives you have changed; what is different about your community.
This forum is a perfect opportunity to reflect on how your organisation has succeeded - or indeed what it needs to do, to be able to earn that respect from the community.
One of the most important messages from today is to collaborate, cooperate and connect.
The Charities Commission, government departments and regional agencies all provide assistance and support for charities.
They have come together to host these forums - not only to share information but, more importantly, to give you an opportunity to ask questions and provide direct feedback on the issues facing the sector.
This feedback will then be collated and action plans developed in conjunction with regional agencies as the basis for further engagement, but also to provide really good information back into our offices.
Through coming together we hope you can share best practice about how to best navigate the system as you determine your own pathway forward.
And as you shape your direction, I hope it will become easier for people to give through some of the initiatives we have been doing at Government level.
We have changed the way in which volunteer expenses are dealt with under tax law; we have made some recent changes in the tax for donations; and we've introduced payroll giving to allow employees to give directly to donee organisations and immediately receive the tax benefit rather than having to wait until the end of the year.
These are all initiatives that we hope will make a difference - but -to state a well-known truth - the greatest difference will come from you.
And this is where I come back to getting on your bike - getting out there, doing the miles and letting your story be known.
The numbers are only ever one source of evidence about what you do, with the dollars that come your way. The tangible, meaningful difference is all about the painting that you create, to show the world all the difference you have made to the people you are working with.
Finally, I want to congratulate Trevor Garrett, Chief Executive, Charities Commission and Sid Ashton, the Chairperson of the Charities Commission Board, for the good news story they can tell too. And to all those who work at the Charities Commission, thank you for all the work you have put in since I have become Minister.
They have effectively swept the backlog of applications out of the way; they have made good progress into moving into their education and monitoring role, and the next challenge upon them is considering how to be more effective for Māori, Pacific and ethnic communities.
This is going to be a great day - and I wish you all a year which builds success upon success.
In that spirit I want to finish with the words of the philosopher and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson - with perhaps the greatest challenge upon us all.
To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, THIS is to have succeeded."