GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY
Build confident, effective boards that understand their legal responsibilities, make good decisions, and govern with clarity and integrity.
Carol Scholes
Strong governance matters — at every stage
Governance Matters brings together LiiFT Aotearoa’s governance-focused learning to support board members, chairs, and senior leaders to govern well in increasingly complex environments.
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Delivered as part of LiiFT Aotearoa, this curated collection of sessions helps organisations strengthen accountability, clarify roles, navigate risk, and make sound decisions — whether you’re newly established, growing, sustaining complexity, or stepping back to re-imagine what’s next.
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Governance Matters is not a separate programme. It is governance capability delivered through the LiiFT framework, aligned to real organisational challenges across the lifecycle.
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GOVERNANCE MATTERS SERIES 2026
All sessions Tuesdays, 6:30pm to 7:45pm (8pm for Deep Dive sessions).
Location: Zoom.
Cost: Standard sessions FREE; Deep Dive sessions $39.
Presenter: Carol Scholes, Overview Effect.
Carol works with community organisation boards to strengthen governance practice, clarify roles, and support effective decision-making, particularly for organisations managing growth and complexity.
A deep-dive governance session exploring practical tools for navigating challenging behaviours, power dynamics, and conflict at the board table, and strengthening healthy board culture.
A practical governance session outlining the legal duties of board and committee members, including where responsibilities sit, where they end, and how legal expectations for boards are changing.
A deep-dive session exploring how boards can recruit, induct, and retain effective board members and volunteers, and build the conditions for strong contribution from the outset.
A practical governance session helping board members understand financial statements, strengthen financial judgement, and fulfil their collective responsibility for financial oversight.
Many surveys tell us that a good board only happens if you have a good Chair. We will explore what does a good Chair do? How do you handle bad behaviour? How to conduct a good meeting that is short but effective? What is the Chair’s between board meetings? If you are a Chair or have ambitions to hold the Chair role, this workshop is for you.
A governance-focused session exploring how boards set health and safety culture, oversee risk, and meet their responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
A deep-dive session exploring board responsibilities for setting expectations, maintaining healthy boundaries, and supporting effective performance and review of the manager role.
A deep-dive session exploring board responsibilities for AI use, cybersecurity risk, data protection, and digital oversight in today’s operating environment.
A deep-dive governance session exploring the critical decisions boards need to consider to strengthen resilience, manage risk, and position their organisation for the next five years.
Who Governance Matters is for
Governance Matters is designed for:
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Board members and trustees
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Board Chairs and Deputy Chairs
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Chief Executives and senior leaders working with boards
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Governance committees and advisory boards
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New and experienced governors seeking confidence and clarity
Sessions are relevant for organisations at different stages and of different sizes.
What this governance learning covers
Governance Matters sessions focus on practical, real-world governance capability, including:
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The Incorporated Societies Act changes.
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Understanding governance roles and responsibilities.
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Legal and compliance obligations for boards.
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The board’s role in financial oversight and stewardship.
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Healthy governance culture and decision-making.
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Managing difficult dynamics at the board table.
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Effective board–management relationships.
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The role of the Chair and effective leadership at board level.
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Health and safety governance responsibilities.
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Governance implications of digital, AI, and cyber risk.
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Future-focused governance and long-term decision-making.
Sessions range from foundational learning through to deep-dive workshops for more experienced boards and Chairs.
How Governance Matters fits within LiiFT Aotearoa
Governance Matters sits within LiiFT Aotearoa’s Governance & Accountability capability area and spans all four LiiFT organisational stages:
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Foundations: Building confidence and understanding governance basics
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Strengthen: Formalising roles, systems, and decision-making
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Sustain and Scale: Governing complexity and long-term sustainability
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Renew and Reimagine: Reflecting, resetting, and future-proofing governance
You do not need to “start at the beginning” or follow a fixed pathway.
Organisations can engage with sessions that best fit their current context and needs.
“Good governance isn’t about perfection — it’s about clarity, accountability, and making good decisions together.”
Liift is designed to assist your organisation in building capability, developing and strengthening leadership, and supporting you and your team to be adaptive and resilient in a changing environment. ANCAD brings in qualified consultants to mentor your Managers, CEOs and Governance Board/Committee members in various aspects of capability building from good governance, leadership, fundraising and marketing, to financial management and strategic planning.
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CANCELLATION FOR TRAINING COURSES
Please be aware that we require two working days’ notice if you wish to cancel your registration. If you cancel after this time payment is still required. We may (at our discretion) provide a credit note to be used for other training courses within twelve months of the original course.
