Kiwis top Australasian volunteers manager awards
New Zealanders have won the two top volunteer management titles in the 2014 Australasian Association for Managers of
Volunteers Awards.
Mary Garner, Manager Volunteer Services of Nelson Tasman Hospice won the Individual Volunteer Manager Award of
Excellence. The Team Volunteer Manager Award of Excellence went to the managers of the Read Write Plus in Upper Hutt –
Denise Johnson and Mel Tarawhiti.
Vanisa Dhiru, Chief Executive of Volunteering New Zealand says, “Mary is described as an excellent ambassador for the
hospice movement and someone who keeps giving without expectation of reward of praise.”
Mary has been described as an excellent ambassador for the hospice movement and someone who keeps giving without
expectation of reward of praise. She is known to coordinate and manager her volunteers in a caring and passionate way.”
Denise Johnson and Mel Tarawhiti of Read Write Plus honour, respect and believe that volunteers can do and make a
significant contribution to the community. Both constantly model a philosophy of continuous improvement within their
roles and the literacy programme they look after.
“It is great that Denise and Mel really believe that their volunteers believe in their volunteers. It’s with this
mindset that these great leaders have been recognised,” says Vanisa.
Volunteering New Zealand congratulates this year’s winners and recognise the outstanding contribution from volunteer
managers on International Volunteer Managers Day.
The AAMoV Awards recognise both an individual manager of volunteers and a group of managers for their outstanding
contributions to the profession of volunteer management and the promotion of volunteerism in the community.
The Australasian Association for Managers of Volunteers (AAMoV) is the professional association for individuals across
all sections of the community who are involved with managing volunteer programmes within Australia and New Zealand.
Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ) is an association of New Zealand organisations that have a commitment to volunteering,
such as volunteer centres, national and other organisations. Their mission is to promote, support and advocate for
volunteering. www.volunteeringnz.org.nz
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