title: Relevance of corporate governance practices in charitable organisations: A case study of registered charities in New Zealand

authors: Reddy, Krishna

subjects: allocative efficiency

abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the registered charities in New Zealand have adopted the principle-based corporate governance practices similar to those adopted by the publicly-listed companies and the effect corporate governance practices have on their financial performance measured by technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and quick ratio. The paper addresses four important questions: how registered charities in New Zealand are managed and controlled; whether the funds donated to registered charities are utilised effectively; the nature of the corporate governance practiced by registered charities in New Zealand; and the nature of compliance to the Charities Act 2005. 
Design/methodology/approach – Panel data for the registered charities over the period 2008-2010 are analysed using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Tobit model regression. Technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and quick ratio are used as the dependent variables. 
Findings – The findings indicate that there is no reporting requirement for the registered charities under the Charities Act 2005 to report detailed information regarding the board make-up, board committees, board meetings, etc. and therefore, registered charities have not reported such information. The results show also that board gender diversity is an important corporate governance mechanism to mitigate agency problem in charitable organisations in New Zealand. However, large board size and large donors have potential to increase agency costs in charitable organisations in New Zealand. 
Research limitations/implications – Caution should be exercised when interpreting and generalising the paper's results, as this study is a case study of registered charities in New Zealand and data comprised only large charities that have revenue over NZ$20?m. It should also be noted that there was a small sample size, which may have had a bearing on the results. 
Practical implications – This study offers insights for policy makers and practitioners interested in adopting similar corporate governance practices within their country. 
Social implications – Within New Zealand, issues relating to management and control of charitable organisations are better understood and as a consequence, development of sector-wise standards could be initiated. 
Originality/value – This research is novel as it investigates the nature of corporate governance practices relating to the registered charities in New Zealand. The availability of data provided by Charities Commission made this research possible.

text: Relevance of corporate governance practices in charitable organisations: A case study of registered charities in New Zealand Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine whether the registered charities in New Zealand have adopted the principle-based corporate governance practices similar to those adopted by the publicly-listed companies and the effect corporate governance practices have on their financial performance measured by technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and quick ratio. The paper addresses four important questions: how registered charities in New Zealand are managed and controlled; whether the funds donated to registered charities are utilised effectively; the nature of the corporate governance practiced by registered charities in New Zealand; and the nature of compliance to the Charities Act 2005. 
Design/methodology/approach – Panel data for the registered charities over the period 2008-2010 are analysed using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and Tobit model regression. Technical efficiency, allocative efficiency and quick ratio are used as the dependent variables. 
Findings – The findings indicate that there is no reporting requirement for the registered charities under the Charities Act 2005 to report detailed information regarding the board make-up, board committees, board meetings, etc. and therefore, registered charities have not reported such information. The results show also that board gender diversity is an important corporate governance mechanism to mitigate agency problem in charitable organisations in New Zealand. However, large board size and large donors have potential to increase agency costs in charitable organisations in New Zealand. 
Research limitations/implications – Caution should be exercised when interpreting and generalising the paper's results, as this study is a case study of registered charities in New Zealand and data comprised only large charities that have revenue over NZ$20?m. It should also be noted that there was a small sample size, which may have had a bearing on the results. 
Practical implications – This study offers insights for policy makers and practitioners interested in adopting similar corporate governance practices within their country. 
Social implications – Within New Zealand, issues relating to management and control of charitable organisations are better understood and as a consequence, development of sector-wise standards could be initiated. 
Originality/value – This research is novel as it investigates the nature of corporate governance practices relating to the registered charities in New Zealand. The availability of data provided by Charities Commission made this research possible.

year: 2013

title: Life after Stroke: A Comparative Study

authors: Thomson, Kirstin Marie

subjects: Stroke

abstract: Stroke is a chronic illness and is the leading cause of disability globally in the adult population. The effects of stroke are wide ranging and impact on the stroke survivor’s daily functioning and quality of life. To date, most research has focused on short-term outcomes in a clinical setting, rather than examining the longer term consequences of stroke in those who live in the community. To address this, the current study explored daily functioning and participation in a community based stroke sample aged 55-85 years (>2 years post-stroke), compared to a control sample of the same sex and age. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, (modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EuroQol-5 Dimension, and the Short Form-36), and two brief cognitive screening tests (Mini Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment ). A semi-structure interview was also conducted with participants, and a qualitative data analysis was carried out and findings integrated with the quantitative results.

Stroke survivors reported greater disability and reduced health related quality of life across all measures, and they also demonstrated higher rates of anxiety and depression. In addition, they showed higher levels of cognitive impairment. Findings from the qualitative interview revealed that stroke survivor participated in fewer activities both inside and outside the home, and activities were less physically demanding.
The results obtained from this study demonstrated the long term effects of stroke present challenges for stroke survivors which impact on their HRQoL, significantly more than difficulties experienced from the ageing process. Finally, the MoCA is more sensitive and detecting cognitive impairment in both a stroke and non-stroke population. Implications of the research are discussed.

text: Life after Stroke: A Comparative Study Stroke is a chronic illness and is the leading cause of disability globally in the adult population. The effects of stroke are wide ranging and impact on the stroke survivor’s daily functioning and quality of life. To date, most research has focused on short-term outcomes in a clinical setting, rather than examining the longer term consequences of stroke in those who live in the community. To address this, the current study explored daily functioning and participation in a community based stroke sample aged 55-85 years (>2 years post-stroke), compared to a control sample of the same sex and age. Participants completed a battery of questionnaires, (modified Rankin Scale, Barthel Index, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, EuroQol-5 Dimension, and the Short Form-36), and two brief cognitive screening tests (Mini Mental State Examination and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment ). A semi-structure interview was also conducted with participants, and a qualitative data analysis was carried out and findings integrated with the quantitative results.

Stroke survivors reported greater disability and reduced health related quality of life across all measures, and they also demonstrated higher rates of anxiety and depression. In addition, they showed higher levels of cognitive impairment. Findings from the qualitative interview revealed that stroke survivor participated in fewer activities both inside and outside the home, and activities were less physically demanding.
The results obtained from this study demonstrated the long term effects of stroke present challenges for stroke survivors which impact on their HRQoL, significantly more than difficulties experienced from the ageing process. Finally, the MoCA is more sensitive and detecting cognitive impairment in both a stroke and non-stroke population. Implications of the research are discussed.

year: 2012

title: Understanding ‘higher’ Māori fertility in a ‘low’ fertility context: Does cultural identity make a difference?

authors: Rarere, Moana

subjects: Maori fertility

abstract: The Māori fertility transition brought an end to decades of very high fertility rates, and a convergence towards long-term fertility levels similar to Pākehā/New Zealand European women. However, important differences endure. The Māori total fertility rate (TFR) remains above replacement level, and Māori women have children earlier and over a longer period. All of this has and still is occurring in a society that facilitates and favours low fertility and small family sizes. Using births data and cultural identity markers in the New Zealand Census, this paper explores the influence of culture as a contributing factor to higher fertility outcomes amongst Māori women in a low-fertility society.

text: Understanding ‘higher’ Māori fertility in a ‘low’ fertility context: Does cultural identity make a difference? The Māori fertility transition brought an end to decades of very high fertility rates, and a convergence towards long-term fertility levels similar to Pākehā/New Zealand European women. However, important differences endure. The Māori total fertility rate (TFR) remains above replacement level, and Māori women have children earlier and over a longer period. All of this has and still is occurring in a society that facilitates and favours low fertility and small family sizes. Using births data and cultural identity markers in the New Zealand Census, this paper explores the influence of culture as a contributing factor to higher fertility outcomes amongst Māori women in a low-fertility society.

year: 2018