REimagining Relevance:
Transforming the Mid-Sized Not-for-Profit

NZ Not-For-Profit Sector Forum 2025

Wednesday, 26th November: 9.00 am - 3.30 pm
Thursday, 27 November: 9 am - 12.30 pm

AUCKLAND - Manukau Cruising Club, Onehunga

Book Forum - 26 & 27 Nov 2025

Click Here to view the NFP Forum Programme

Going from Surviving to Thriving:
A strategic convening for bold NFP leaders ready to shape a different future

Mid-sized not-for-profits in Aotearoa New Zealand are facing unprecedented pressure. Traditional models of charity, service delivery, and government contracting are no longer sufficient to ensure stability, impact, and community connection.

This 1.5-day not-for-profit sector forum brings together courageous, future-focused NFP leaders to confront structural funding and operational challenges. Through insights from guest speakers, provocations from sector thinkers, and peer-led strategic dialogue, participants will explore new models of practice grounded in:

• High income diversification

• High operational innovation

• High social impact

This forum is for mid-sized organisations across sectors, with a focus on diversity, balance, and a readiness for change!

What to Expect:

Strategic dialogue on funding, structure, and delivery
Insights from sector innovators
Tools for income resilience and operational agility
Peer connections and collaboration opportunities

Guiding Principles:

Mana Motuhake
Courageous Curiosity
Collective Wisdom
Future-Readiness
Integrity
Purpose over Preservation

It’s time to rethink how we fund, operate, and deliver impact. Expect honest kōrero at this forum for bold leaders ready to move from surviving to thriving!

We are actively seeking sponsorship to support those struggling with the registration fee. Should you require assistance, please register your details here and we will advise once funding becomes available.

Click Here to view the NFP Forum Programme

NFP Forum Programme pdf

Who Should Attend

Who Should Attend:
Leaders of mid-sized NFPs across social services, arts, Māori and Pacific-led organisations, disability, conservation, youth development, and more.

Our valued partners

Registration Information

Wednesday, 26 & Thursday, 27 November 2025 - 2 Day attendance:
$399.00 pp inc GST

Please Note:
Payment in full is required before commencement of the forum.

Payment online is by Debit or Credit Card: VISA, Mastercard or American Express only and there are 3 easy steps to complete the online booking process. Our registration platform is hosted by Lil Regie, our NZ based booking agent.

Upon completing your registration by hitting the blue 'Confirm Booking' button, you will receive an automated email from our NZ based booking platform Lil Regie confirming the booking and amount paid by credit card. This will appear on your statement as from LIL REGIE LTD WELLINGTON.

A GST Tax Invoice showing your payment in full will also be emailed to you.

If you have any issues or questions about your booking, please contact Faye Johnson

What happens if you have to cancel?
We know that sometimes your plans can change for many different reasons. Should you be unable to attend, a substitute delegate is welcome to attend at no extra cost. If a substitute delegate is not available and you need to cancel your registration, please be aware of the following:

If you cancel within 7 days of the event, you are not eligible to receive a refund. Please note: should your registration not be paid by the time of the event, you are still liable to make the payment. Unpaid accounts may be passed over to our debt collection agency and additional costs may be incurred.

Face-Face Events - up to 7 days prior to the event you will be provided a refund of your registration cost, less a $60.00 inc GST per attendee service charge.

All cancellations must be received in writing (email).

Training is cancellable by GROW with 7 days’ notice if a minimum number of attendees is not met and full refunds will be provided.

Delegates are responsible for their own travel/accommodation bookings, and no compensation will be made should the event be rescheduled or cancelled.

Please note: GROW Ltd reserves the right to make any amendments that we may deem to be in the best interest of the forum – it is however very unlikely, and we will notify you as soon as possible should this occur.

For more information see our full Terms of Trade.

Can't pay online and require an invoice?

We work hard to ensure that all workshops are cost effective by automating our systems. If your organisation requires an invoice (rather than paying by debit or credit card) there will be a $25.00 inc GST surcharge for this, and you will need to supply:

The full organisation name and postal address required to appear on the invoice.
The contact name and email of the person(s) responsible for authorising this expense and approving payment.
Any purchase order references required on vendor invoices.

Please email this information to Brian - accounts@grow.co.nz and faye@grow.co.nz , and along with the Invoice we will also send you a special booking link which will come up as free of charge. Through this link you will need to complete your registration.

PLEASE NOTE:

Payment in full is required before commencement of the training.
If you require an Invoice and you are seeking funding approval, please include this surcharge in the price you have on your application.

Our events fill quickly so if you would like to reserve a place, please contact faye@grow.co.nz

Book Forum - 26 & 27 Nov 2025

Can't pay by credit card?

Our Speakers

Dr Angela Lim

A finalist for the 2017 Young New Zealander of the Year award, Angela has developed her own definition of what it takes to be a successful leader. First completing a Bachelor of Science degree followed by a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery, Angela is currently based at Auckland’s Starship Hospital where she is specialising in paediatrics.

“My biggest learning is demystifying what’s possible. Credential inflation puts mental barriers on what we believe we are capable or allowed to do. I have found that the biggest growth and development comes from just giving things a go without preconceived expectations and learning through the process.”

Developing a strong interest in inequality and governance has led to appointments on numerous boards including the Ministry of Youth Development Partnership Fund, National Child Health Information Platform Programme Governance Group and the youth engagement collaborative Inspiring Stories.

Gael Surgenor

Gael Surgenor is a seasoned leader and social innovator with a career spanning government, philanthropy, and grassroots initiatives. She advises two philanthropic trusts focused on systems change and is an associate of The Good Shift, an Australian systems innovation enterprise. She also is on the board of two community organisations delivering social services.

From 2021–2023, Gael served on a ministerial panel reviewing the future of local governance in Aotearoa. Previously, she led community and social innovation at Auckland Council’s TSI, grappling with social and economic challenges in south Auckland. With a background in law and reflective social practice, Gael’s work is grounded in social justice and human rights. She lives in a co-housing community in Te Tauihu (top of the South Island), where she is involved in implementing new models of community governance.

Garth Nowland-Foreman

Garth’s ongoing love-affair with not-for-profit organisations is an expression of his passion to create a more just and inclusive world. Over the years he’s led a government policy unit, worked in a cabinet minister’s office, was National Director for the Australian Council of Social Service, and for 20 years developed curriculum and taught part-time in the Unitec’s programmes.

At LEAD, Garth brings extensive review and evaluation expertise, through his broad experience in strategising, coaching, government policy, and evaluation. He has facilitated workshops in New Zealand, the Pacific, Australia, and Hong Kong on a range of values-based leadership issues, including Governance, Monitoring & Outcomes, Lobbying and Influence, and Strategy and Contracting.

Garth is deeply committed to improving the not-for-profit sector and has written extensively on sector issues.

Hildy Gottlieb

Hildy Gottlieb is a futurist, a social scientist, and an asker of powerful questions. She is the co-founder of Creating the Future, a global nonprofit that teaches people how to create systems change via the questions they ask. As a student of successful social movements, the questions that have driven Hildy’s work are these: What factors lead to successful social progress? Why do some change efforts succeed while others struggle? The answer she found was simple yet profound:

Successful movements for change all have the same set of questions at the heart of their work. Hildy now shares those questions with audiences around the world. Through the Catalytic Thinking framework she developed, those questions have been infused into the mission of Creating the Future.

Holly Snape

Community wellbeing has been Holly’s driving force for more than a decade. She believes in being informed about what is impacting our community so that we can apply creative solutions to local problems.

Leading the team at Community Waikato, community development and community wellbeing are high priorities which we can enhance together by engaging in measures to address social, economic and environmental needs. Holly has a great passion for people, animals and social justice and intends to use those passions to sustain her commitment to participating effectively in our community.

Dr Ian Hyslop

Ian Hyslop was born and raised in Auckland where he still lives with his partner Jan and two aging dogs. Ian has an abiding interest in the relationship between social sevices and social inequality. He is currently an honorary lecturer at the University of Auckland. His sole author book, A Political History of Child Protection: Lessons for Reform form Aotearoa New Zealand, was published by Policy Press in 2022. A second edited book with Bob Pease, Abolition in Social Work and Human Services – Visions, Possibilities and Challenges, was published in September 2025.

Book Forum - 26 & 27 Nov 2025

Forum Dates & Location

Auckland

Wednesday, 26 November: 9 am - 3.30 pm
Thursday, 27 November: 9 am - 12.30 pm

Venue
Manukau Cruising Club
2 Orpheus Drive, Onehunga, Auckland 1061

Parking
Onsite parking available.

Catering
Registration with welcome tea & coffee from 8.30am. Wednesday - morning tea and lunch included.
Thursday - morning tea included.
*See below for further details.

Further Details

Resources will be emailed to participants prior to the forum. In line with our sustainability objectives, speaker presentations will not be distributed in hard copy, however attendees are invited to print them off and bring these with them or download them to any device they plan to take on the day.

As noted above, arrival tea and coffee, morning tea and lunch are included. Please note we only cater for gluten free, dairy free, vegan and vegetarian dietary requirements.

Commitment to Access and Equity
We are committed to access and equity and endeavour to meet the needs of all delegates. Please contact Faye - faye@grow.co.nz / 027 607 3000 if you require special assistance. In order to assist us in understanding delegate needs, please advise your access requirements as early as possible. Requests at late notice may not be able to be met.