The 2025 Symposium is being held on Wednesday 7th & Thursday 8th May
at Sudima Airport Hotel in Christchurch
2025 Symposium Details
The theme of this year’s Symposium is strengthening Learning Centre committees, navigating legislation, empowering volunteer teams, and building strong, effective governance. You will hear from our own people and external experts versed in supporting not-for-profit organisations across NZ.
This event provides you with a wonderful opportunity to network. You will benefit from hearing how other Learning Centres are working to deliver services to their members. and how they are addressing challenges that many of you are facing. You will be able to share your ideas and experience. This is often cited as a major benefit attendees get from coming to the Symposium.
Why attend?
- Learn from sector experts
- Network with Learning Centre
members - Discover new strategies and tools
- Share and exchange ideas
Click here for a Symposium Flyer you can print or store on your device
Day One – Wednesday 7th May
09:30am Tea and coffee, and a chance to mingle
The Annual General Meeting
11:00am The Federation Annual General Meeting, followed by a lunch for registered Symposium attendees. This is a great time to network.
The Symposium 2025
1:00pm You’ve adopted a new constitution, have you reregistered?
Our resident expert on Incorporated Societies, Margie Hamilton (SN Hamilton), will give a brief overview of next steps with Incorporated Societies and Charities Services, and answer questions.
1:30pm Charities Services
The majority of Learning Centres are registered charities. New reporting requirements recently came into effect. For example, the requirement to undertake a governance review and the changes to tier 4 reporting. A Capability Advisor from Charities Services will discuss the practical implications of the new Act and what this means for Learning Centres.
2:30pm Empowering committees and growing great volunteer teams
A mix of presentation and workshops led by Megan Thorn, a professional facilitator, will provide Learning Centres with the tools and knowledge they need to effectively organise and manage their committee.
3:15pm Afternoon Tea
15:30 Empowering committees and growing great volunteer teams continued
Megan Thorn – Keynote speaker
Megan Thorn is the Director of Exult, one of New Zealand’s leading training providers for the community sector. Megan is passionate about supporting non-profit organisations at the business end of what they do and has nearly 25 years’ experience in facilitation, as well as developing, designing and delivering training programmes. Megan’s passion is working with people who make a real difference in their communities.
Megan is particularly skilled at facilitating problem solving or planning discussions and knows how to cut through the ‘yeah buts’ that often stop an organisation from moving forward.
5:00 Symposium drinks and dinner
At the end of the day attendees can get together to renew and build new relationships across the network of Learning Centres.
The Symposium Dinner starts at 7:00pm and is open to Symposium attendees and their guests.
Day Two – Thursday 8th May
9:00am Committee health
Building on the discussion and knowledge gained on day one, the first session will provide Learning Centres with the opportunity to consider and discuss what a healthy committee look like. The audience will form into groups and share their experiences to identify the attributes of a healthy Learning Centre committee.
10:30am Service delivery
Following morning tea, a panel discussion will take place to highlight the different ways Learning Centres are delivering service to their members. For example, open help clinic versus classroom. This will include discussion on the use of online tools to support members and how this has benefited those Learning Centres that are supporting remote members. The audience will form into discussion groups, providing the opportunity to share experience etc.
12:30pm Light lunch
1:30pm Volunteering
After lunch, Glenda Martin, Volunteering Canterbury, will share some of the insights from the World Volunteer Conference she attended in South Korea towards the end of last year and the information gathered in research for the Volunteering New Zealand State of Volunteering Report. Alongside this, Glenda will share some of the practical challenges associated around recruitment and retention.
Glenda Martin – Keynote speaker
Glenda is the ‘face’ of Volunteering Canterbury. She is often out and about presenting and advocating for volunteering, with her encyclopaedic knowledge of local for-purpose organisations and the wider volunteering environment. Glenda coordinates Group Volunteering projects linking all sorts of groups, businesses, schools and service groups, with local community organisations. Glenda also manages their unique Tautoko Network support group, as well as coordinating Student Volunteer Expos, and other community events.
Join by Zoom
The Symposium will be streamed via a closed Zoom meeting. Access is available to all members of the Learning Centres who have registered for this access. Contact your Learning Centre to find out how to attend remotely
Click here for a Symposium Flyer you can print or store on your device
