Events
Tautoko Support Network
“Tautoko” relates to support and advocacy. Our unique Tautoko Network enables more accessible information sharing and collaboration across the local community sector. Our programme includes events within Christchurch City as well as the Hurunui, Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts.
REGIONAL TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
For a range of training opportunities throughout New Zealand, visit the Training and Development page at Volunteering New Zealand. These include a mix of face-to-face and remote training sessions to support volunteering and the community sector right across the country.
2026
February
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - February
Date: 12 Feb 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Don, Neighbourhood Trust
Venue: 64 McFaddens Road, St Albans, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.
Newcomers Volunteer Expo 2026
Date: 14 Feb 2026 - 11:00am to 1:00pmFacilitator: Volunteering Canterbury, in conjunction with Christchurch City Council, Welcoming Communities, and Multicultural Recreation and Community Centre
Venue: Multicultural Recreation and Community Centre, Hagley Avenue
Cost: Free event
Find your place. Grow your skills. Join the community. Come along to the Newcomers Volunteer Expo to explore volunteer opportunities that connect you with others and help you feel at home. Make friends, build your skills, and find your place through volunteering.
Governance Bites: Non-Profit Boards Adding Value
Date: 18 Feb 2026 - 5:00pm to 7:00pmFacilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event
What’s the secret to Governance that really makes a difference for a non-profit organisation? In this interactive session, you will learn how your Board can be less boring and achieve more than just going through the motions or check up on what others are doing. Two important tools are offered to make this possible, which provide the foundation for all the following Governance Bites in this series. Believe it or not this doesn’t involve a call for greater commitment or doing more and more work as Board members.
RSVP: Registrations essential, via email
Tautoko Workshop: Storytelling
Date: 19 Feb 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Sharon Moreham
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event
An interactive introduction to the concept of storytelling, including exploring its purpose and importance, and beginning to identify stories and their application in your context.
RSVP Via email
March
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - March
Date: 12 Mar 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Bianca, Air Force Museum
Venue:45 Harvard Avenue, Wigram, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.
Governance Bites: Board & Management - Getting the Balance Right
Date: 18 Mar 2026 - 5:00pm to 7:00pmFacilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event
This session gets down to the nitty-gritty of good governance, dealing with the most common questions and concerns that non-profit leaders have about boards. How can boards and managers work constructively together? Is there a clear dividing line between governing and day-to-day management? If not, how do we sort it out in practice? Does that change over time, and is it affected by the life-cycle stage of the non-profit organisation?
RSVP: Registrations essential, via email
Tautoko Workshop: How to Tell Your Story
Date: 20 Mar 2026 - 9:30am to 12:30pmFacilitator Sharon Moreham
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event
It’s International Volunteer Year in 2026 – get ready to tell your stories! An interactive deeper dive into storytelling to support volunteer managers to tell authentic and diverse stories about the impact of their volunteer programmes, and individual volunteer stories. Begin to identify your organisation’s stories, start working with them, and explore how you might share these to celebrate what it means to volunteer in Aotearoa in 2026.
RSVP: Via email
Tautoko Workshop: Innovative Recruitment and Onboarding
Date: 25 Mar 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Heather Ewing, Bishop Associates
Venue: Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event
In this session, we’ll explore why best-practice volunteer recruitment and onboarding matters – and how getting it right from the very beginning helps volunteers feel energised, engaged and set up for success throughout their journey with you.
The workshop is presented by Heather Ewing, Recruitment Consultant at Bishop Associates. Heather brings more than 15 years’ experience recruiting volunteers and paid staff across not-for-profits, charities and the health sector. Bishop Associates is a specialist recruitment and HR consultancy that partners with organisations to find people who genuinely align with their purpose. We’re especially proud of our long-standing work with charities and not-for-profits, supporting teams that make a meaningful impact in their communities.
RSVP: Via email
April
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - April
Date: 16 Apr 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Rosie, Canterbury Charity Hospital
Venue: 349 Harewood Road, Bishopdale, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.
Tautoko Workshop: Privacy
Date: 22 Apr 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Community Law Canterbury
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event
This session provides an introductory overview of privacy obligations under the Privacy Act. We will cover the basics of collecting and storing personal information, information sharing and consent, record-keeping expectations, and responding to privacy breaches. The aim is to build foundational understanding, so participants feel confident starting informed conversations about privacy within their organisations.
RSVP: Via email
May
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - May
Date: 14 May 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Leanne, Whareora House of Life
Venue: 8 Athelstan Street, Spreydon, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.
Tautoko Workshop: Health & Safety
Date: 20 May 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Community Law Canterbury
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event
This session introduces the core health and safety responsibilities of organisations engaging volunteers under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Topics include duty of care, hazard and risk management, reporting processes, liability considerations, and supporting volunteer wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people they work alongside. The focus is on providing clear, practical direction so participants can begin integrating health and safety requirements.
RSVP: Via email
June
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - June
Date: 11 Jun 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Ian, Ferrymead Heritage Park
Venue: 50 Ferrymead Park Drive, Ferrymead, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.
Tautoko Workshop: Introduction to Volunteer Management Software
Date: 25 Jun 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Better Impact and Rosterfy
Venue: Online
Cost Free event
Looking for a software package to enable you to use technology to support your volunteer programme and move away from spreadsheets and time logs? We will be joined online by representatives from Better Impact and Rosterfy – both of which have products to support volunteer management.
RSVP: Via email
July
Tautoko Workshop: Volunteers – Attract, Support and Celebrate
Date: 8 Jul 2026 - 11:00am to 12:30pmFacilitator: Volunteering Canterbury
Venue: West Melton Community and Recreation Centre, West Coast Road
Discover how to attract, support and celebrate volunteers while building meaningful and sustainable volunteer roles in your organisation.
RSVP: Via email
Tautoko Workshop: We Count on You
Date: 23 Jul 2026 - 1:00pm to 2:00pmFacilitator: Statistics New Zealand
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, 1049 Colombo Street, St Albans, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
Information you provide could help make sure the right services and facilities are in place for the next generation. Having access to Stats NZ demographic data allows organisations like yours to see how communities are changing – inform decisions around resources and funding.
Register: Via email
October
Coffee & Chats Peer Support - October
Date: 8 Oct 2026 - 9:00am to 10:00amHost: Jeremy, Delta Community Support Trust
Venue: 105 North Avon Road, Richmond, Christchurch
Cost: Free event
On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.
RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.