This National Volunteer Week, 20 to 26 June, New Zealand Red Cross joins the whole of Aotearoa in celebrating the
contribution of volunteers to make the country a better place for everyone.
As an organisation that is driven by a network of more than 11,000 volunteers across the country, New Zealand Red Cross
recognises the value of having such selfless individuals committed to serve their community.
“Our pool of volunteers is critical to our organisation. The most recent example of this is our Red Cross volunteers
being part of the response effort, providing support to people affected by the tornado in Auckland over the weekend and
the severe weather affecting some parts of the country this week,” says New Zealand Red Cross Secretary General, Sarah
Stuart-Black.
“We are truly grateful to have passionate and compassionate volunteers helping us bring assistance to where the need is
greatest. They are the ones making it possible for us to respond to disasters, settle new Kiwis, deliver Meals on
Wheels, run our shops, and so much more,” she adds.
Over the past year, with the support of volunteers, New Zealand Red Cross has been able to:Assist nearly 13,000 people on temporary visas who were stuck in New Zealand due to COVID- 19 through our Visitor Care Manaaki Manuhiri programmeSupport 217 former refugees as they adjusted to life in New ZealandRespond to 19 calls for disaster response team activations to help people affected by crises like the Lake Ōhau fire, Canterbury floods and the tornado in AucklandReach around 2,200 people with emergency preparedness messaging through our Good and Ready programmeDeliver meals to nearly 20,000 people who rely on our Meals on Wheels serviceSupport around 6,000 households impacted by COVID-19 with Red Cross ParcelsGive some privacy and warmth to disadvantaged families in 325 homes by providing them with curtains through our Curtain BanksDivert approximately 1.8 million items from going to the landfill by giving them a new lease of life through our Red Cross ShopsReach 4,000 volunteer hours for our nationwide 2021 Red Cross Appeal street collection
This year also marks the 70th anniversary of New Zealand Red Cross’ Meals on Wheels programme. In June 1951, this
programme had its humble beginnings in North Canterbury where Red Cross volunteers started preparing and distributing
soup for people in need during a gas, coal and electricity shortage. Supporting this at the time was a local butcher who
supplied the initiative with all the bones and meat for the soup, free of charge, and a local café owner who kindly
offered his service to cook the stock.
“This milestone is one of the many testaments of the central role volunteers play within Red Cross. What started as a
simple act of kindness from a few community volunteers seven decades ago has now become one of the cornerstones of Red
Cross across Aotearoa,” says Sarah Stuart-Black.