Recently Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti launched their Shared Services Pilot.
The aim of the Shared Services initiative is to provide a fit-for-purpose entity that offers a range of services for the sporting community and not-for-profit sector.
The initiative hopes to create economies of scale, share best practices, automate or improve information and financial management, and ultimately free up volunteer or core staff time so that organisations can create, sustain and manage high quality, consistent service delivery now, and into the future.
The launch was well attended with representatives from Trust Tairāwhiti, the Shared Services team, Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti staff and board members, and the groups who are involved in the start-up phase of the pilot. These groups are Parafed, Swim For Life, Gisborne Boardriders, Gisborne Basketball Association, Tairāwhiti Softball Association, Horouta Waka Hoe and three other groups to be confirmed from the East Coast.
A common theme among the groups was the aspiration to continue to provide quality sport experiences for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau in the community but limitations on capability created barriers in some organisational areas.
“Our Organisation is so excited to be part of the pilot. As a purely volunteer driven organisation, our participation numbers have grown to a point where we need to increase our structure to build now and into the future. Support for our governance team, systems and administrative needs will free up our Committee to do more of the development and future focussed work – learning alongside the other groups will be invaluable.” Said Gisborne Basketball Association Chairperson Kylie Turuwhenua-Tapsell.
The groups are selected based on a range of criteria which included their support needs, their responsiveness to a survey circulated to the sporting sector in late March 2021, and to ensure there was a representative range of organisational structures and sizes. The insights from the survey highlighted the demand for a shared services model in Tairāwhiti.
The project has been funded $75,000 from Trust Tairāwhiti and $50,000 from the Provisional Growth Fund for the first year of the pilot.
“The pilot wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partner, Trust Tairāwhiti or without the funding from the Provincial Growth Fund. Trust Tairāwhiti and PGF have invested with Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti in making this pilot project a reality.” Said Sport Gisborne Tairāwhiti Chief Executive Stefan Pishief. “We also need to say a massive thank you to the sporting clubs and community groups who have come on board and are willing to share their experiences. We appreciate some groups have missed out for now, but certainly our intention is to include more as the pilot progresses.”
Systems and templates are currently being developed that focus on providing a tailor-made package of support which can include financial management, administration and information management, and communications, marketing and branding.
Once systems are established the aim is to expand the services to other organisations as well as expand the range of services in other areas of priorities for groups including fundraising strategies, retention/succession planning, and Governance and policy.
“Supporting our not-for-profit sector is investing in the people of this region. When you listen to the stories from organisations such as Horouta Waka Hoe Board Chair Walton Walker, which is run completely by volunteers, you can understand the impact a service like this can have. For a lot of the organisations involved it’s not just about the sport or service they offer, it’s about being part of a wider whānau. This is why we are so passionate about where this pilot will take Te Tairāwhiti” Said Shared Services Pilot Manager Leanne Harrison.
Nāu te rourou, nāku te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi
With your basket and my basket together, the people will thrive!
