Volunteer South is on the verge of collapse as a recently installed new board discovered it had inherited a financial mess. The discovery was made after a new board was appointed on May 19, following the resignation of the previous trustees. New trustee Alan Somerville said one of its first priorities was to gain a clear and complete picture of the organisation’s financial position, working closely with Volunteer South’s auditor. “We have two possible lines of attack. “One is either to rescue the organisation and Volunteer South will carry on, though that will be a long shot. “The other thing is we’re working to see if we can find any other agencies who might be able to take on those services in the absence of Volunteer South, so that volunteers and the organisations who depend on them don’t miss out, but it wouldn’t be Volunteer South delivering that service.” The 2025 audited accounts said it had three fulltime staff, three part-time staff and six volunteer staff. Mr Somervile said the new board’s review found the organisation’s financial position was “considerably more difficult than previously understood”, with liabilities — including grant funding received in advance of activities not yet delivered —exceeding its current cash and available assets. “On becoming aware of this, the board sought financial and legal advice, and has kept Charities Services informed as required.” Asked whether the organisation had been dysfunctional, Mr Somerville was equivocal. “When the new board was appointed at the end of May, this is certainly not what we expected to be doing a couple of months down the track. “And that is a real disappointment that that is the case.” Volunteer South is a charitable trust supporting volunteers and community organisations across Dunedin, Coastal Otago, Central Otago, Queenstown Lakes and Southland. It grew out of the Dunedin Volunteer Centre established in 1986, and Volunteering Central established in 2011. “The best outcome is that volunteers and those organisations who rely on volunteers are still provided with a service,” Mr Somerville said. “It could be that Volunteer South does manage to come through this and that would need an injection of money.” When asked how much, Mr Somerville replied, “Well, if someone came up with $80,000, that would be pretty handy”. “Or it could be that Volunteer South does wind up, but we’re able to find an agency or agencies in different parts of the region who would take on those services. “I would be pretty optimistic that that will be the case.” The new board will meet on August 24 to discuss matters further. “We met with our auditor on July 20 and at that point it became very clear what a serious position the trust was in . . . It was not long ago. Things have been moving fast.”
