12th Biennial Australian and New Zealand Third Sector Research Conference
18-20 November 2014, Otautahi/ Christchurch.
As it recovers from one of the most destructive earthquakes to hit this part of the world, Otautahi/Christchurch and its community organisations have certainly learnt alot about change and resilience.
But it is not just natural disasters that both threaten and present opportunities for the ‘Third Sector’ today. The changing policy environment, increasingly complex regulatory demands, shifting funding opportunities, diverse stakeholder expectations, new technologies, emerging population and social trends, can all buffet the sector around.
And how can the sector maintain its integrity and be a force for change in society?
For the first time ever in Christchurch, and only in NZ three times previously, this was the premier Australasian conference for bringing together researchers, academics, practitioners, activists, and policymakers with a shared interest in non-profit organisations, communities, Tangata Whenua/Indigenous organisations, volunteering and philanthropy.
We aimed to help participants make the most of the evidence available and connect the dots.
Panel sessions, workshops and papers centred :
- informing and assisting the work of activists and practitioners;
- informing and influencing public policy;
- sharing the fruits of recent research and ‘think-pieces’.
“Resilience, Change and the Third Sector” was sponsored by Australia and New Zealand Third Sector Research (ANZTSR) and Tangata Whenua, Community & Voluntary Sector Research Centre (Community Research) and hosted by Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology.