NZ Freephone Do More With Less
Way back in the mid-nineties, I worked for a national youth development organisation called The Boys’ Brigade (BB). We affiliated with FONZYO, the Federation of New Zealand Youth Organisations. FONZYO was an umbrella organisation, it shared information, delivered training, and organised events. As Chair of FONZYO, and because the Governor General at the time was an ex-BB Captain, I cheekily asked Sir Michael Hardie Boys if we might host a Summit of national youth organisations at Government House in Wellington.
As it turned out, he was only too happy to oblige, and so we had a wonderful weekend sitting/lying on the lush carpet in break out groups, staring at the fine artwork on the walls and wrestling with issues affecting young people. On the Saturday evening, our bunch of humble youth workers were treated to a silver-service banquet. Aside from not having a clue as to what cutlery to use when, very few if any of us understood, let alone managed to observe the obligatory dress code.
FONZYO advocated for youth by facilitating national conferences in partnership with the Ministry of Youth Affairs. At these events the Ministry would frequently admonish that we had to ‘do more with less’.
The phrase ‘do more with less” was repeatedly employed throughout the keynote address by MFATs Deputy Secretary. Yet, since the 1990’s, civil society has significantly matured through the introduction of management disciplines; including have to run ‘lean organisations’. This has become essential for our survival. So much so, there is very little ‘fat’ left in the system for Aid and Development agencies.
The only way of ‘doing more with less’ is through collaboration. Here, there is the possibility that through synergy, (as attributed to Aristotle) the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
CWS is deeply committed to collaboration. Afterall, it’s a building block of our locally led philosophy where we will only work through international partners. At the last Board meeting Trustees agreed to enter three exciting new collaborations with 1) the Anglican Missions Board NZ, 2) UnitingWorld Australia, and 3) the Pacific Network on Globalisation based in Fiji. More about these collaborations in Spring.
For now, our newsletter features our longstanding collaboration with ACT Alliance where your recent support has helped intervene in both human and natural emergencies around the globe. Thanks for working with us through your prayers and finances.
Winter Newsletter
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