Issue 129 : 21 May 2023
Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Malo E Leilei, Tena Koutou, Hello ...
... and welcome to the latest issue of “For The Love Of The Game”, the official e-zine of the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc., founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017.
If you have any feedback on this issue, ideas for future articles, or would like to contact the Editor, please click here. And, you are invited to forward the e-zine to others you know, who may be interested in reading it. An archive of earlier editions of the e-zine can be found here.
For those who follow Twitter, you can also follow the Association, @AmateurSportNZ. If you are interested in applying for membership of the Association, please click here.
2023/24 Association Board Meets ...
The incoming Board for the 2023/23 financial year met for the first time last week, (the first of six scheduled meetings for the new financial year). The Board appointed Gordon Noble-Campbell as Association Chair and Dr. Farib Sos as Association Deputy Chair. Will Caccia-Birch was appointed Association Treasurer/Financial Controller.
The Board received and discussed updates in respect of activity underway and planned in each of its three strategic pillars of “amateur advocacy”, “thought leadership” and “community engagement”. Among the areas of activity discussed by the Board were: further developments arising from the passage of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 and its associated regulations; planning for the sisth annual National Sport Club Survey, including renewed engagement with government agencies; and a focus on local authority interaction with community sport concerning the availability, use and cost of ratepayer funded facilities.
Association Heads To Southland This Week ...
The Association will be presenting seminars on the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 on behalf of Active Southland this coming week on Tuesday and Wednesday, in Invercargill (at the ILT Stadium), Winton (at the Winton Memorial Hall) and Gore (at the Multisport Complex).
The seminars will provide Southland’s sport volunteers with an update on: the benefits of incorporation and the risks of not being incorporated; the current status of the reform process and key developments that affect ICSOs (incorporated community sport organisations); and steps required to comply with the new legislation, including re-registration. To register to attend any of these informative seminars, please contact cilla@activesouthland.co.nz.
“Big Shout Out” For New Zealand's Volunteers ...
Next month, Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is launching a new social media campaign. "the big Shout Out”, to recognise and thank volunteers by giving them a “shout out” on social media or by shouting them morning tea. VNZ estimates that there are more than a million New Zealanders who volunteer across all sectors of the community.
Readers of this newsletter will be very much aware that the delivery of sport to communities throughout the country is largely in the hands of volunteers who get involved to support their children’s participation, or to be socially engaged with their local community in supporting activity which builds social cohesion, or simply “for the love of the game”.
VNZ’s vision is, “for volunteering to be valued as a vital part of society”, with the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, Priyanca Radhakrishnan recently observing that volunteers are, "the backbone of our society" and that, "90 per cent of our community organisations are entirely volunteer run."
Noting that many entities operated by volunteers are incorporated and are subject to the requirement of the recently revised Incorporated Societies Act 2002, the Association reminds government that valued sport volunteers should not be deterred through increased legislative and regulatory complexity. You can read more about the “big shout out”, here.
Update On 2023 National Sport Club Survey (NSCS) ...
Planning by the NSCS Project Team is now well advanced for the 2023 survey, which is intended to be open for responses on Friday, 18 August 2023. The 2023 comprises representatives of the Association and AUT SPRINZ, under the leadership of Dr. Michael Naylor.
The members of the Project Team are Dr. Naylor (AUT), Mel Johnston (AUT), Lisa Jones (NZASA), Cushla Tangaere-Manuel (NZASA) and Gordon Noble-Campbell (NZASA). A "Project Administrator" and a "Project Intern", both of whom are AUT Sport Leadership and Management students, also form part of the team.
We are delighted to have the support of Dynasty Sport for the sixth consecutive year of the survey as our cornerstone sponsor; the survey also comprises a section which assists Dynasty in its strategy for providing our national sport community with cost-effective, high-quality apparel.
2023/24 Membership Subscriptions Due ...
A reminder that member subscriptions for the current financial year are now due. As a member-led and funded organisation, we value and rely on our members’ financial support and thank all our members for their prompt payment, which funds our work in (and for) the community.
"Tax Matters" – A Reminder To Check Your Status ...
As readers of this newsletter may be aware, there are two ways that, under the Income Tax Act 2007, an ICSO (incorporated community sport organisation) can attain an exemption from paying income tax, either: a. under section DV 8; or b. under section CW 46.
To qualify under a., an ICSO’s Constitution must contain a clause which, “prohibits a distribution of property in any form to a member, proprietor, or shareholder” of the ICSO and, it cannot have a purpose, “of making a profit for a proprietor, member, or shareholder”.
To qualify under b., an ICSO’s income is tax-exempt if the ICSO’s main purpose is promoting an amateur game or sport for the recreation or entertainment of the general public, and if none of the ICSO's funds are used for the private profit of any member.
It’s important to note that ICSO tax exemptions aren’t automatic.
An ICSO needs to apply to the Inland Revenue Department in writing (unless the ICSO has "charitable status", in which case Charities Services at the Department of Internal Affairs will automatically notify IRD). In coming weeks, the Association will providing further resources to assist ICSOs in confirming their tax status.
Australian Club Survey Paints Grim Picture ...
Challenging economic conditions have placed additional strain on community sporting clubs, already struggling with running costs, participation numbers and volunteers after COVID-19 and extreme weather events, according to the latest survey from the Australian Sports Foundation. According to the results of the survey (released this weekend), rising costs and falling revenue are pushing almost one in five (18%) of community sporting clubs to the brink of collapse.
More than one in four (27%) clubs are reporting a decline in registrations among 15 to 19 year-olds. In the past year, smaller clubs in particular are feeling the greatest pressure, with one in four (24%) small community sporting clubs contemplating closing. Against a backdrop of rising inflation, 52% of clubs report cost of living impacts as a barrier to member registrations.
More than two in three sporting clubs across Australia (68%) have experienced increased running costs, which is a substantial increase from 47% in 2021. For these clubs, running costs have increased on average by A$20,529. The survey captured responses from almost 3,000 community sporting clubs across Australia.
From The Archives ...
LATEST LOCALS
STAR (CHRISTCHURCH), ISSUE 7199, 6 FEBRUARY 1892, PAGE 3
“There is now on view at the shop of Mr C. Ketterer, jeweller, Lyttelton, two handsome gold medals, which were presented to the Lyttelton Regatta Committee, by his Worship the Mayor of Lyttelton, Mr J. T. Brice. The trophies, which are the work of Mr Ketterer, were allotted to the Senior Pair oared race, and were won by the Lyttelton Rowing Club's representatives, Messrs J. Huston and W. Harkess.”
(Lyttelton, Canterbury, in the mid to late nineteenth century)
William Joseph Harkess was born in 1869 in Durham, England, the son of Thomas Harkess (a carpenter and shipwright) and Elizabeth Mills (a widow) Harkess (born Brown). He was reportedly one of 10 children. The family lived on Lyttelton’s Bridle Path. His father died when William was 12 years old.
Harkess lived all his life in the port, with the exception of a short period when he lived on Banks Peninsula. He attended the Lyttelton Borough School. As a young man William (following the example of his father who was a competitive whale-boat racer in the 1870s), was prominent in rowing and was a member of the Lyttelton Rowing Club's champion four which won the New Zealand championship at Christchurch and Picton, two years in succession.
(Scenes from the Lyttelton Regatta, held in February 1896)
With J. Page as his rowing partner, Harkess won eight youth races in succession, and later he was successful in senior events, in conjunction with A. Aschman and G. Simmons. In later years, he served as a member of the Lyttelton Regatta Committee. He was interested in yachting and was also a founding executive committee member of the Lyttelton Bowling Club, as well as being a committee member and team selector of the Lyttelton Football Club.
(The Lyttelton Bowling Club, founded in in 1914)
William married Elizabeth Agnes Durham (known as “Bessie”) in 1890, with whom he had four children. The family lived at various times in Dubllin, Jackson and Dudley Streets in Lyttelton and William became foreman of the Shaw, Savill, and Albion Company's woolstore. He died on 31 January 1931 at the age of 62 from heart disease and is buried in Lyttleton Public Cemetery.
The Final Word …
“Think little goals and expect little achievements."
"Think big goals and win big success.”
{David Joseph Schwartz – “The Magic Of Thinking Big”}