This research project was conducted for the Ministry of Social Development by as a University of Canterbury 2012-2013 Summer Scholarship project within the Department of Accounting and Information Systems. "Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are a fundamental part of most communities providing a variety of services that may not otherwise be available. NGOs are synonymous with not-for-profit, often charging little or nothing for their services, and there
fore requiring funds from either government, philanthropic funds or public donations in order to fund the provision of those services. There is a limited pool of money available from any of these sources and it is to the benefit of funders, NGOs and service recipients to make the best possible use of the limited resources available. One potential way of increasing efficiency and/or effectiveness of NGOs is through collaboration. The events of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury Earthquakes put huge pressure on an already strained NGO sector. This report will investigate the NGO sector and the circumstances of these
organisations before during and after these events. Specifically, we look at collaboration between members of the NGO sector
in general and then during the response, recovery and rebuild of the Canterbury region. The report will explore how these
organisations have worked together in order to continue to deliver their services in an environment where resources are scarce. Furthermore it will explore how these organisations operated in a turbulent environment unique to Canterbury, which produced circumstances and thus, solutions, no one
could have foreseen. This research will provide insights into how resilient the NGO sector in Canterbury is and how coll
aboration has and may enhance this further." (From the Introduction). Record #5124