Celebrating Excellence: NZ Volunteering Awards 2025 presented by Rosterfy
The NZ Volunteering Awards 2025, presented in partnership with Rosterfy, are new national awards to recognise and celebrate outstanding leadership and impact in volunteer engagement.
Volunteers play a vital role in shaping strong, resilient communities—and behind every great volunteer initiative is a well-designed, inclusive, and inspiring engagement programme. These awards acknowledge the people and programmes that are leading the way.
Awards Categories
The NZ Volunteering Awards honour both individuals and teams who are elevating the volunteer experience through innovation, structure, and best practice.
These awards go beyond celebrating the act of volunteering. They focus on how volunteers are supported, recognised, and developed—key components that reflect the quality and sustainability of volunteer involvement in Aotearoa.
There are two categories for these inaugural awards:
· Volunteer Programme of the Year
· Emerging Leader in Volunteer Engagement
Unsure where to start with a nomination? Here are some quick tips on writing a stellar nomination by Marian Casey[1]
1. Focus on the actions and impact of the last 12 months
Give details on what you have achieved recently – what did you do, and what impact did it have for volunteers and the community.
2. Ask your manager or colleagues for a quote
A quote can help with not only supporting a nomination, it helps build the picture as to the impact of the project or person.
3. Use the STAR method
Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This helps tell the story of the issue, what you did and the outcome.
Ready to Nominate?
If you lead a programme or are an emerging leader making a difference in the volunteer sector, we encourage you to submit a nomination. We’d love to hear from a wide variety of volunteer-involving organisations and leaders.
Start Your Nomination
[1] Marian Casey is a volunteer thought leader with over 30 years of service experience, combining a passion for community, leadership in volunteer engagement, and a career spanning education, healthcare, and partnerships.