Charities Commission Registers 10,000th Charity
Wednesday 6 August 2008
The Charities Commission announced today the registration of the 10,000th charity under the Charities Act, which aims to provide more information about the purposes and activities of charities in New Zealand and increase confidence in the charitable sector.
The 10,000th charity to be registered is the Papakura Marae Society Incorporated, which has the unique charities registration number CC28589. Amongst its charitable purposes, the Marae Society provides work and educational programmes in the health, social and educational sectors, and provides advice, information and advocacy.
The Marae was keen to register with the Commission because credibility was very important to them, according to its CEO Brian Joyce. "It took us years to establish our credibility, and we protect our credibility with all diligence. Recognition from the Commission as a registered charity helps us when it comes to applying for funding and grants," he said.
To be eligible for registration with the Charities Commission, an organisation must be established and maintained for charitable purposes – meaning they must have a purpose that advances religion, advances education, relieves poverty, or is otherwise beneficial to the community. Other criteria, such as having officers who are qualified to be officers under the Charities Act, also apply.
The Commission received just over 26,000 applications before the 1 July change to income tax laws, which means that only charities registered with the Commission are now eligible for a charitable-purpose tax exemption. However, the Commission can backdate registration to the date on which a properly-completed application was received.
"We are working through the remaining applications as efficiently as possible," Charities Commission CEO Trevor Garrett says. "Straightforward applications are generally registered within a couple of weeks of reaching the front of our queue. However, applications that raise more complex issues take longer.
"We encourage people whose applications are in our queue to be patient and wait to hear from us, so we can focus on resolving any issues as quickly as possible. They can check our website each week for overall progress, or login to their account to see where their application is up to."
Mr Garrett emphasised it is still important for charitable organisations to apply as soon as possible, if they haven’t already applied.
He says the Register is also becoming a useful source of information about charities. "We encourage anyone wanting up-to-date information about charities in New Zealand to look at the Register, at www.charities.govt.nz, where information about the purposes, activities, beneficiaries and sectors of operation of registered charities, as well as the annual returns of charities who have filed them, is available to the public."