I am still doing homework. I like this Charities Commission! The more I read, the more I agree with it’s purpose. The basic purpose of the Commission is to build up a transparency around charitable groups (I LIKE that!) & therefore promote public confidence in charities because they are being monitored and made accountable. Things like annual reports must be filed and these will be available to the public - online. If you don’t file one you can be deregistered (probably after a few “warnings”).
Another nice touch is what must be contained in the annual report. It is not just financial info they need but info like how many voluntary staff are working for your charity and how much are they paid! I LOVE that! Also info like how much a membership costs, how many members, etc.
This info is required so that a statistical picture can be built about the charity sector in NZ. Scientology will not like having to report their statistics to the government which the public can actually SEE. When I read the press release for the 2002 tax exemption “wow aren’t we great” thing, Mr Mike Ferriss said that NZ had 8,000 members. NOT TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I nearly swallowed the whole apple I was eating when I read that. 8,000 members! I think not!
Okay back to the homework project…
I have checked the Companies Office database for all and every scientology related groups that is registered as either an incorporated society or a trust.
- The Church of Scientology NZ Inc.
- Criminon Aotearoa Trust (established April 2001). Nil annual reports filed.
- Narconon Inc – not active. Registered 1976. Nothing ever filed.
- Narconon Aotearoa Trust. Registered 1998. Not active – nothing ever filed.
- Youth for Human Rights (NZ) Inc. Registered Feb 2006. Active. Annual report filed for 2007.
- Applied Scholastics NZ Trust. Registered Jan. 2006. Nothing filed since.
- Citizens Commission on Human Rights Inc. Active. 2007 annual report filed.
That Trust you asked about – Ngati Arohanui Trust (Hopetoun St, Ponsonby) was registered 1992. Last activity on file is 2006. I don’t think this is connected to scientology. There may have been some former association but not sure on this. If you know otherwise let us know.
There are some other scientology connected groups that have been struck off the register. Best guess on reason why – people left & there was no one to file anything to companies office. Simple. No one sticks around when they are being treated badly.
I then ran a full search through the Charities Commission database. None of the above societies or trusts are on their database nor any other variants I played around with. The Commission’s database is a key part of their duties and there would be no reason to doubt that if a group is registered with them it would not be on their database. All in the name of transparency.
I’m working on heaps of background info here. Weighing up the possibilities contained in the Charities Act 2005. Meanwhile everything else that is happening is great.
I’ll keep at the homework.
Wishing you all a great weekend.
p.s. if anyone is short of exciting things to do tonight, it's the annual L Ron Hubbard birthday celebrations gig tonight - being held at the newly purchased-for-ten-million-dollars building in Grafton (old White Chapel Art School).