Our 2011 election manifesto - Labour Party

Tools to engage with the sector
Labour has a long history of engaging with the community and voluntary sector and is
committed to building this strong relationship into the future.
In Government, Labour signed the Statement of Government Intentions for an Improved
Community-Government Relationship in 2001. The current Government has signed the Kia
Tutahi Standing Together Relationship Accord which builds on Labour‟s previous work of
building stronger community-government relationships.
Labour will review the effectiveness of the Kia Tutahi Standing Together Relationship
Accord in facilitating whole of government engagement with the community and
voluntary sector.
The Office for the Community and Voluntary Sector, which was established under Labour,
has been charged with leading the engagement between the government and the sector.
The Office which was previously been split between Department of Internal Affairs and the
Ministry of Social Development has recently been moved into the Department of Internal
Affairs.
Labour will evaluate, in consultation with the community and voluntary sector,
whether the recent move has enhanced the relationship and improved inter-agency
responsiveness to the sector.
Labour is committed to better service delivery to children and their families. This involves
connecting thinking and action across agencies, services, communities and organisations.
Barriers put up by agencies, a lack of communication and information sharing, and separate
assessment processes mean people often fall through the gaps.
In our last year in Government we announced a significant investment in contracting
community and voluntary sector groups to deliver essential services. The Pathway to
Partnership was a multi-year plan to build strong, sustainable and more effective communitybased
services for families, children and young people.
Labour will work with the community and voluntary sector to establish long-term
funding cycles so that the sector has more certainty around planning and delivering
its programmes.
Integrated service delivery is not a new idea, however over the years we have seen many
different projects being started and funded only to be taken over by the next good idea. The
latest is Whānau Ora, which is about integrating services for the most vulnerable whānau,
however it is at a fledgling stage.
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