Hon Jo Goodhew
Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector
11 October 2016 Media Statement

Social Enterprise growth report welcomed

Community and Voluntary Sector Minister Jo Goodhew has today launched the new report ‘Social Enterprise and Social Finance: A Path to Growth’, which shows that social enterprises have significant potential to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes for New Zealand.

Social enterprises are organisations that trade as a business to support their social or environmental mission. The new report, commissioned by the Government and authored by a Strategic Group, proposes a range of actions to enable social enterprises to grow and unlock new sources of capital.

“I am pleased to release this forward-looking report. It outlines a range of actions for the Government and other sectors to consider, in order to build the capability and contribution of social enterprise,” says Mrs Goodhew.

“The report is an important step, spelling out the potential role of social enterprises in innovation, entrepreneurship, and regional economic development.

“The 2014 Government Position Statement on Social Enterprise, outlined the Government’s commitment to facilitate further growth of the social enterprise sector, and that commitment has taken another step forward today,” Mrs Goodhew says.

The report will also provide a useful basis for conversations between social enterprises and their supporters about how to further grow this sector in the lead up to the Social Enterprise World Forum 2017, to be held in Christchurch next September.

The Strategic Group, convened by the Department of Internal Affairs, comprises members from philanthropic and non-government organisations, with academic, iwi and local government representation.

The Government is currently considering the report, and will release its response soon.

Copies of the report can be found HERE.

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