Relationship building

The NGO Council is committed to building strong effective relationships with key stakeholders through the following activity:

• regular meetings to discuss issues affecting the NGO Sector with the Ministry of Health's Director-General, Deputy-Directors General, and other Ministry officials
• contribution to Ministry work on the Primary Health Care Strategy and in particular the relationship between NGOs and PHOs
• discussions with District Health Boards
• periodic relationship surveys to measure perceptions about the relationships between government and health and disability sector NGOs
• reaching out to some of the other peak bodies and NGO networks to maximise our collective strength and influence

• NGO Relationships with Ministry of Health and DHBs (September 2007) (pdf, 144.86 KB)
• Report on NGOs Relationships with the Ministry of Health (October 2004) (pdf, 363.07KB)
• Survey of NGO Relationships with DHBs (November 2003) (pdf, 23.48 KB)

A major influencer on these relationships is the Kia Tutahi Standing Together, The Relationship Accord between the Communities of Aotearoa New Zealand and the Government of New Zealand. This was signed by Prime Minister, the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector and various community and government representatives in August 2011.

The Foundations of Kia Tutahi are: The work of communities and government together is integral to the fabric of our society. At the heart of our relationship, are the aspirations and well-being of whanau and individuals within our communities.

The Accord states that we, as communities and government:

• acknowledge the special relationship between the Crown and tangata whenua through Te Tiriti o Waitangi
• acknowledge our history and the past work achieved by communities and government to strengthen relationships
• respect and value the many cultures and diversity of the communities of Aotearoa New Zealand
• respect and value the contribution of tangata whenua, community and voluntary sector organisations; whether large or small, structured or informal
• respect and value the contributions of everyone who dedicates their time and energy voluntarily for the benefit of their communities
• recognise the role of government in setting policy and managing public resources and the importance of communities contributing to the development of policy.

The Ministry of Health is one of the champion agencies for the Kia Tutahi Accord.

The Framework for Relations between the Ministry of Health and Health/Disability Non-Government Organisations (2002) is a statement of the commitment of the Ministry of Health and health/disability non-government organisations to putting the shared vision into practice.