Volunteering NZ Research
We work closely with people in government and decision makers to advocate for the needs of volunteers, the organisations that engage them, and the broader volunteering ecosystem. Our work includes making policy submissions matters that impact volunteering. We also research the state of volunteering, and curate insights from other relevant studies.


Volunteer Managers & Leaders Report 2024
Volunteer Managers and Leaders were surveyed in June 2024 about their roles, what training they had received, and what support they need.
Volunteer Managers are getting more support, compared to 2022, through online tools, VNZ website, and professional networks.
It was part of a broader evaluation of our Mentoring and Peer support programmes by Allen & Clarke.

State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2024
Published in September 2024, the State of Volunteering report marks the sixth edition in Volunteering New Zealand’s ongoing series.
SOV Key findings at a glance
- The state of volunteering is fairly positive, though the recent Covid-19 pandemic, and the emerging cost-of-living situation, cast a long shadow over some aspects of volunteering.
- Volunteers are re-evaluating their priorities and expect volunteering to be values-driven.
- Most volunteers enjoy their volunteering work and are treated fairly and respectfully, although there are some disparities across age and ethnic groups.
- Key motivations for volunteering include a desire to give back to the community, to make friends or form social connections, to learn new skills, and for mental health and wellbeing.
- Key barriers to volunteering include being time poor and needing to prioritise paid employment, health and safety concerns, onerous training requirements, and lack of reimbursement and recognition.
- Regional variations in volunteering statistics persist, with different turnover rates and challenges experienced across the regions.

State of Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022
The 2022 State of Volunteering report published in December 2022 is the fifth in Volunteering New Zealand’s series.
These flagship reports provide an overview of the state of volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand and recommendations for improvement.

State of Volunteering Regional Report 2023
Volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand remains strong, yet the volunteering experience can differ across regions. This report provides a finer-grained account of how volunteering practices and challenges differ across regions.
It focuses on key parameters in volunteering, including turnover rates, attitudes to the state of volunteering and volunteers’ subjective experience ratings (among other indicators), and how these differ across regions.

The Contributions of Tūao Māori report 2022
Māori are amongst the highest likely to volunteer yet their contributions are under-represented in volunteering research. This gap has been filled by this important work stemming from focus group and surveys of volunteers as part of the State of Volunteering research 2021-22.
Grouped around five themes, the report has recommendations for organisations engaging with Māori, and commitments for Volunteering New Zealand to advocate for support for Tūao Māori.

State of the World’s Volunteerism Report 2022
As countries and regions faced enormous challenges during 2021, the 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report (SWVR) highlights the vital role of partnerships to address the most pressing challenges.
The SWVR explores how volunteers collaborate with state authorities, and how volunteers play a significant and diverse role in decision making, producing services, and developing innovative solutions. The report sheds light on the new ground of volunteerism and provides insights on volunteerism are linked to human rights.
See more at UN Volunteers: https://swvr2022.unv.org/