23 June 20215
Bishop welcomes Volunteer Week 2015
National List MP based in the Hutt Valley, Chris Bishop, has welcomed Volunteer Week 2015 by acknowledging the hard work
of the 15,336 volunteers in the Hutt Valley.
“Around 15 per cent of Hutt locals give their time, skills and resources to help improve our community. I am immensely
grateful for the enormous contribution that our volunteers make around the Hutt.
“Over the last few months since becoming an MP I’ve been very privileged to get to know some of the volunteer,
not-for-profit and charitable groups that operate around the Hutt. They are the heart of our wonderful community, and
it’s great that we’re able to celebrate them during a special week.
“Volunteers around the Hutt freely donate their time and energy supporting youth organisations, social services, sports,
charities and many more.
“Volunteer Hutt is a fine example of local volunteers making a real difference. It has about 110 member organisations in
a huge variety of sectors, and connects those organisations with people who want to volunteer, and vice-versa. Volunteer
Hutt provides training to member organisations on volunteer management, funding, and governance.
“Recently, Volunteer Hutt has run a specific programme dedicated to youth in the Hutt, in conjunction with the Ministry
of Youth Development and Hutt City Council. Young people from around the Valley have been involved in things like the
Birthright Children's Christmas Party, Refugee Services' Family Picnic, the HVDRT Triability Triathlon, and the
Alicetown Community Family Day. The programme has been a huge success, with a lot of young people learning more about
leadership, taking on responsibility, and contributing to the community”, says Mr Bishop.
National Volunteer Week 2015 runs from 21 – 27 June and is themed, ‘there is a place for you to volunteer’.
The National government supports volunteers with $12.5 Million through the Community Organisation Grants scheme, $1.5
million for community-led development, and $502,000 through the Support for Volunteering Fund available every year.
The latest figures from Statistics New Zealand show New Zealand has 97,000 non-profit organisations which, combined with
the volunteer labour force, contribute 4.9 per cent to our GDP.
ends