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New Zealand Police Adult Diversion Scheme donationsThe application process to determine the approved groups for the 2009/10 year has closed. You can register to be notified about the application process for 2010/11 by completing the form at the bottom of this page. Information about the diversion scheme can be found in our brochure [pdf 22kb] or on this website's FAQs about the scheme. Approved GroupsDonations to be provided to approved organisations only The Police Executive have agreed that donations should be targeted at organisations that contributed to the strategic goals of crime and crash reduction. From 1 January 2008 approved groups have received diversion donations through this process. Targeting donations made through diversion at strategic goals of crime and crash reduction will help build and maintain confidence in the diversion process that donations are contributing to the scheme's overall goals of rehabilitation and reparation. What are the strategic goals? The New Zealand Police's document "Policing with Confidence, the New Zealand Way: Strategic Plan to 2010" and the Police's Statement of Intent 2008/09 - 2010/11 provide guidance on the Police's vision of Safer Communities together and our mission: "To be a world class Police service working in partnership with citizens and communities to prevent crime and road trauma, enhance public safety and maintain law and order." The keys to achieving a reduction in crime and road trauma include:
These are the areas Police are seeking from applicants to enable Police to assess the organisation/group's contribution to crime and crash reduction at a local level. How many organisations will be able to be approved groups for donations? Each district will consider applications received from organisations that provide services or programmes within their district. The district will choose, up to a maximum number, the organisations that will be approved groups to receive diversion donations in their district for the financial year (1 July to 30 June). Some organisations may be national bodies represented in several districts lists. The Police Executive has approved two umbrella organisations to be approved groups in all Police districts because of the recognised contribution they make to crime and crash reduction goals. These organisations are:
In addition there will be additional organisations approved in each district by Police based on consideration of applications submitted. Application ProcessApproved groups will be approved to receive donations from 1 July until 30 June. The application round commences in approximately April each year to consider which organisations will be approved groups for the following financial year. Why apply? Only groups that apply using the official application form will be considered by Police in determining who will be the approved groups to receive diversion donations for the relevant financial year. Diversion donations will only be given to groups approved using this annual application process. Who can apply? Any not-for-profit organisation who believes that they contribute to the Police's crime and crash reduction goals (outlined above) can apply to be considered by Police to be an approved group to receive diversion donations. Education and childcare providers, hospitals, and sports groups are not considered to contribute to the goals directly. Local groups that have a national body which they are administered by are encouraged to communicate with the national body. This is to ensure that there is only one relevant application put forth for the organisation within each district. What does our organisation's application need to cover? It is important that as much information about your organisation is provided to enable it to be thoroughly considered by the local Prosecution Manager and District Commander against the criteria of the goals of crime and crash reduction. An original copy of the application plus two copies for each district the application relates to must be provided. This ensures administrative efficiency in providing applications copies to the District Prosecution Manager and District Commander (or their delegate) for their consideration. Two additional copies of any supporting material (e.g. pamphlets, annual reports) must also be provided for each district the application relates to. It is important that as much information about your organisation is provided to enable it to be thoroughly considered by the local Prosecution Manager and District Commander against the criteria of the goals of crime and crash reduction. The organisation should also outline what they would use the money for, if they were to obtain approval to receive diversion donations. What are the criteria? Organisations must be able to demonstrate how they contribute to achieving the strategic goals of crime and crash reduction at a local level. The key areas to be able to address are:
How do I apply? An organisation must complete an application form [pdf 117kb]. All questions in the form must be completed. Failure to complete the form correctly or adequately may mean that it does not receive the appropriate consideration by the panel. Completed application forms must be sent to: Applications for the 2009/10 financial year must be received by the close of business on Friday 1 May 2009. No late applications will be considered. There is no cost to apply. What happens to our organisation's application after I send it in? After the closing date all applications that have been received at Police National Headquarters will be forwarded to the District Prosecution Manager(s) and the District Commander (or their representative) for the District. The District Prosecution Manager and District Commander will meet and consider which groups they consider best meet the criteria and provide the best services and/or programmes within their district based on the material supplied in the file, local knowledge, or information obtained through further inquiries. The decisions of the district will then be forwarded to Police National Headquarters for checking and confirmation to ensure there is consistency in the way the criteria are applied across districts. How will I know if the application was successful? All organisations that make an application will receive a decision in the mail regarding the outcome of their application in late June. The decisions are final. However, unsuccessful groups will be able to seek feedback in writing about reasons why their application was not successful, which may assist with future applications. Approved groups will then be asked for further information about setting up a local arrangement for offenders to make diversion donation payments. If my organisation filed an application for 2009/10, will I need to apply for 10/11? Yes, a new application must be completed each year. All groups that applied in 2009/10 will need to complete the application form [pdf 117kb] for 2010/11. Will my application be kept? The application forms for organisations that are delegated as approved groups will be retained on file for the duration that they are approved groups. All unsuccessful applications will be destroyed once decisions have been made and communicated to the contacts for the organisations. Approved groups will be notified when fresh applications are being called for for 2010/11. Information for Approved GroupsIf our group is an approved group, how will offenders make donations? Organisations approved to receive diversion donations will be invited to indicate how they wish to receive donation money from offenders. This information is provided to Police Prosecution Service Diversion Officers so they can administer the donations. Police staff must not handle cash. The preferred payment method is by bank deposit. Approved organisations will be asked to provide the local District Prosecution Manager with a bank deposit form for their organisation. This form can be copied and held by diversion officers to provide to offenders who will make donations through a bank and provide the diversion officer with the completed deposit butt. The option of last resort is for a bank cheque (made out to the approved group) to be provided to the diversion officer for forwarding to the approved group. Unfortunately internet banking is not available for diversion donations due to the difficulty in tracking compliance with donations. Can approved groups be guaranteed a certain amount of money? No. While diversion donations are a regularly used condition of diversion, there is no certainty on the amount of money an approved organisation may receive, as the amount of the donation made varies based on the offence type and the offender's circumstances. Diversion donation money should not be factored in to your budget for the year and renewal of your status as an approved group for donations is not guaranteed for the next year. Diversion donations should be seen as an added bonus to existing funding streams that can be used for special projects. Can approved groups advertise that they are a police approved group? Approved groups must not advertise that they are Police approved. The approval for the group is only to the extent that the group can receive donations for their group to assist with programme or service delivery that is considered to contribute to Police's goals in the district. Will Police provide details of our approved group status publicly? All applicants must agree that Police can publish, or announce publicly, the names of the groups approved for each District. This is an important part of the process to ensure openness and transparency in the approval process. Can approved groups apply every year? Yes, there is no bar to applying in most circumstances. Each year new applications will be considered afresh and considered on their merits. Delegation as an approved group does not automatically mean that the group will be approved the next year. Another application must be made for consideration. What if, after being approved, the organisation ceases to exist or there are significant changes in what is offered? Organisations will be expected to notify the District Prosecution Manager if certain information about their organisation changes. Police reserve the right to remove any approved group from the list of approved groups for the relevant period if:
Police will notify the group ahead of taking this action. How do I get updates? Any organisation that wishes to be notified about the annual application round should provide the name and contact details of the organisation to Police using the form below. Register for updates on Diversion Scheme Applications securely via email.
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