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There is a sizeable volunteer resource dedicated to governance responsibilities in thousands of organisations across New Zealand.

Volunteers dedicated to the longevity, sustainability and commitment of their organisations to fulfilling their purpose with loving service.

These are very often the unsung heroes of volunteering, who labour in a complex layering of roles and responsibilities.

Some demanded by legislation, some by their organisational documents, and some by their own codes of practice.

They take the heat for bad press and shine the light their staff when amazing greatness happens.

They are governance volunteers and they matter.For many staff and service volunteers the identity, role and purpose of the Board can be almost invisible or not understood.“Hundreds of thousands of us volunteer in governance roles as members of committees and boards.

Volunteering here is often not very visible but without passion, expertise and skills of these volunteers our community groups could function.

Without volunteers in governance roles, there would be little sport, few church or social activities and services in our communities.

This Volunteering Week we pause to acknowledge and thank those who give of their time in governance roles”, Jo Cribb.The environment these governance volunteers work in is becoming increasingly complex and facing more and more stakeholder and public scrutiny.

The workload, and level of responsibility, of volunteers governing organisations in the volunteer and community sector has increased in conjunction with compliance expectations and public accountability.

Not to mention competition for funding, staff, volunteers and new board members in their own communities!What governance volunteers are required to carry out and the environment in which they operate is very different than direct service volunteers or micro volunteering activity.

As the peak authority on their organisations they face high expectations of their activity often without good induction practices, manuals for their processes or training for their role.

Many governance volunteers in New Zealand are serving on more than one organisational board at a time.

Often they are the go to person in their community when groups are looking for someone to offer skill, expertise or advice.

They are service oriented folk who thrive on delivering “arrangements and practices that allow an organisation to set its direction and manage its operations to achieve its outcomes and fulfil is accountability obligations”. The Four Pillars of Governance.Governance volunteers serve their organisations with dedication, time and skill (and hopefully some wisdom), in order to preserve its longevity and enable it to fulfil its purpose.

In doing so, they create a culture and environment that allows others to thrive and grow by serving in their own ways through their volunteering efforts.So celebrate your governance volunteers.

Recognise their efforts and contributions, their sense of kaitiakitanga for their organisation, community and stakeholders.

Celebrate and acknowledge them, appreciate the policy, compliance and constitutional complexity they wrestle with on your behalf!

Tania JonesVolunteering New ZealandChairperson

Governance for good resources:

• The Four Pillars of Governance for New Zealand Directors, Institute of Directors New Zealand, 2017.
• You can also check out this newly released resource from the Institute of Directors: For purpose or passion.

Volunteers grow people, open minds, open hearts and create joy. Mary-Ellen shares her volunteering story (which includes a burping kiwi!) and reflects on the benefits of volunteering.

Ever heard a kiwi burp?

Not many of us have had the chance to see a real kiwi up close, but even fewer would’ve heard a kiwi actually burp!A good old fashioned belch was how 8 year old kiwi Lala marked the end of a monthly health check at Christchurch’s Willowbank Park.Volunteer Mary-Ellen Wilson was surprised when she heard the burp.

She’s been volunteering with the Conservation Trust at Willowbank for about 10 years.From picking up kiwi poo, cleaning water bowls to weighing Lala’s food to check how much she’s eaten, Mary-Ellen couldn’t imagine life without volunteering.

The benefits of volunteering

“It goes two ways.

You get a lot back from it.

What you give you really get back!

You know you’re doing well because the numbers of kiwis are coming back”.“You meet people, you help people, you get so much back from it!”.Mary-Ellen also works at Volunteering Canterbury and she says many people don’t realise the large number of volunteering roles that are available.In the meantime, her Tuesdays are taken up looking after Lala, grinding up meat for the 8 year kiwi, who clearly appreciates it.>>Watch Mary-Ellen's volunteering storyMary-Ellen's story is part of Volunteering New Zealand’s video series, launched to celebrate National Volunteer Week (21-27 June).

This year’s theme is ‘Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi I The benefit of working together’.

This series showcases a diverse range of personal stories of mahi aroha, volunteering and social action. Volunteers grow people, open minds, open hearts and create joy.

We hope this video inspires you to connect to a community or cause you care about.#AotearoaOfKindness

Mahi aroha is central to the lives and mahi of Gary Williams and Ruth Jones.

The husband and wife team work across Canterbury to create opportunities for Māori and disabled people through whanaungatanga, hui and tautoko.

Through their kaupapa Hei Whakapiki Mauri, they aim to leave a legacy of whānau who have the confidence and leadership skills to be proudly Māori first and contribute to their community.After more than 40 years advocating and leading in the disability sector, Gary and Ruth wanted to use their skills and lived experience to pay it forward.

Their vision was a uniquely Māori space that would bring whānau with disabilities together to support and awhi one another.Gary explains that Hei Whakapiki Mauri was created to give whānau the power to lift each other up. “Disabled Māori were being overlooked in Aotearoa and we saw the opportunity to create a space where disabled Māori and their whānau could support each other to live full lives, dream big and have aspirations that would strengthen them and everybody around them,” he says.Over the past four years, Gary and Ruth have dedicated their time to growing the Hei Whakapiki Mauri whānau rōpū through regular hui around their kitchen table, reo and hauora workshops, marae noho, whānau support and Whānau Ora Navigation.

What has emerged is a culture of mahi aroha where whānau tautoko and learn from one another.

For Ruth, seeing Hei Whakapiki Mauri members supporting each other shows that the group really think of each other as one whānau. “The sum of what we achieve together is bigger than our different parts.

It’s important that whānau help each other out because we are a whānau, and for me that’s just what whānau does,” she says.Gary and Ruth encourage every whānau member to step out of their comfort zone and practise using their leadership skills to support the rōpū.

Each person is given the opportunity to contribute in their own way, from acting as the kaikaranga on the marae or setting up the sleeping arrangements, to lending items to manuhiri, or sharing recipes and ideas with whānau online.Other organisations and rūnanga also play a vital role in the kaupapa through inviting whānau onto marae, waiata lessons, dance lessons, yoga and healthy kai workshops.

Whānau Ora agency Te Pūtahitanga has supported the initiative from its inception by providing funding to support whānau aspirations.Ruth believes it’s the feeling of community and whanaungatanga that has created such a tight-knit group of whānau and supporters. “When we have a Hei Whakapiki Mauri event, it’s like coming home,” she says.

Massey Rangi is one of the more than 100 whānau members who give back through Hei Whakapiki Mauri.

He started a local walking group for people with disabilities, and throughout the Covid-19 rāhui has been sharing his rēwena bread making skills with whānau through online workshops and Facebook lessons.“I think it’s like giving a part of yourself.

You’ve got a skill and you’re sharing it with somebody else, then they’re sharing it on, so it can become intergenerational.

Giving back gives helps others to be strong within themselves,” he says.

Another whānau member who has stepped up is Andy McKee.

With the support of other whānau, she helps to organise and cook kai for whānau marae stays and events.

During the rāhui, she even learned how to build a step for a Hei Whakapiki Mauri member who needed better access in their bathroom.“I just love the fact that I can be involved, that I can awhi, and that I can use some of my skills to help people.

I’ve done volunteering in the past on other levels, but this is just a new level completely to me,” she says.Seeing whānau like Massey and Andy create opportunities for one another is what makes Gary and Ruth most proud.

Gary says that they are no longer the leaders of the kaupapa; instead whānau really are leading change for whānau.“It is no longer just us any more; it’s a bigger whānau who are really, really active.

We’ve created relationships where people don’t necessarily have to involve us.

I’m really proud of the way that people step up and do their own thing in their own way,” he says.Hei Whakapiki Mauri’s mahi aroha story shows how people, whānau and communities can mobilise kindness for the benefit of Aotearoa.

Share your stories of acts of kindness and mahi aroha with Volunteering New Zealand at #aotearoaofkindnessYou can learn the definitions for the te reo Māori kupu (words) used in this story by looking them up in the Māori Dictionary.

This is a story of some quiet, unassuming acts of kindness…in a quiet, unassuming street…in a quiet, unassuming village…in a quiet, unassuming city in Aotearoa NZ.

It’s a story of how mahi aroha, doing work just for love, contributes to people being AOK, especially when the chips are down.On a Sunday morning in the middle of Level 4 lockdown, a couple came out their front door to find an uplifting good morning message written in chalk on the footpath by one of the kids across the road.

Easter weekend, every household in that street found Easter treats in their letterbox – “Have an EGG-cellent Easter… just a little longer in your shells.” A young family started up a street email tree offering to send the kids out to help with anything that needed doing.

Non-vulnerable neighbours shopped for vulnerable neighbours, or in one case for a neighbour who had lost her job and didn’t have a car.

The local electrician dropped a packet of someone’s favourite treat—gingernuts—on their doorstep.

Texts and Facetime calls flew through the fibres.

Meat deliveries, vegetable deliveries, milk deliveries, baking, tools, garden produce, and maybe a few bottles of gin were (safely) shared and swapped around the street.

And that’s before we count all the teddy bears in windows.

All informal acts of mahi aroha helping make sure that we were all AOK, in an Aotearoa of Kindness.

But these were no random acts of kindness, they weren’t done just because Jacinda asked us to be kind.

Mahi aroha is not random—it is given with thought, care and intent because we believe in growing people, opening minds, opening hearts, creating joy.

It’s in our kindness DNA, we all have it in us.Because the mahi aroha didn’t stop there.

Within 10 minutes walk of that street are three community gardens, many parks, and beautiful bush walks and bike trails.

The village resonated all day and night with native birdsong thanks to the mahi aroha of those working in a local bird sanctuary, local park volunteers doing planting and weeding, and the Predator Free traps in gardens and bush all over the neighbourhood.

When not in lockdown, there is a school, library, scout hall, playcentre, kindergarten, community centre, all operating within a few blocks of each other—the heart of the community.

And there are sports clubs, music clubs, a weekend market, exercise and fitness classes.

All with mahi aroha at their heart, work done for love.Now, this probably sounds so idyllic it can’t possibly be a real place.

It is.

It’s in Brooklyn, Wellington.

But maybe it’s your place.

If you really look around you, where can you see that mahi aroha has touched your suburb, your street, your house?

And if it hasn’t, what are you going to do about it?Because we know very well that we’re not perfect.

And that fact, quite rightly, bothers us.

There are things that go on down under that are unsafe, that are unfair, that are unkind, that unbalance us and the environment.

So, how do we come to terms with that?

Through mahi aroha, putting in effort out of love.

We’ve proven time and again that it’s in our DNA, we know we have it in us.

Let’s not leave it up to those who we think have time.

And let’s not leave it up to chance.

This is our moment to re-think, re-prioritise, revive what we know is already in us and make sure that we’re #AotearoaOfKindness.With love from the team at Volunteering New Zealand.

#AotearoaOfKindness. Share stories of acts of kindness you know of that have contributed to an Aotearoa of Kindness.

Or print off a #AotearoaOfKindness badge to thank someone for a specific act of kindness.

Volunteers grow people, open minds, open hearts and create joy. Anne Malcolm shares her inspiring volunteering story, and 70 year old family scone recipe, as she reflects on the benefits of volunteering.

The benefits of volunteering

Kiwis love a good cheese scone and 80 year old Christchurch grandmother Anne Malcolm’s recipe might just be one of the best!

She first started making it when she was 10 years old and hasn’t changed it in 70 years.As a volunteer baker for Good Bitches Baking, Anne delivers her scones to organisations like Home and Trauma and Dementia New Zealand for care-givers mornings teas.

She credits ‘slishy sloshy’ dough that’s not too dry as a key to their success and doesn’t really measure anything.

The proof is in the glowing feedback she gets.“To know that it’s appreciated is just lovely.

You need to know you’re still of value in this world”Baking is her passion so being able to do that for other people is a joy and she highly recommends it for good mental health.Anne’s advice for people who have never considered volunteering and may find themselves with more time at home. “Get out there and volunteer!

It’s an amazingly productive thing to do because it helps other people but most of all it helps you.

You’re learning new stuff, you’re mixing with new people, making new friends and contacts.”>>DOWNLOAD 70 YEAR OLD SCONE RECIPE

Anne’s story is part of Volunteering New Zealand’s video series, launched to celebrate National Volunteer Week (21-27 June).

This series showcases a diverse range of personal stories of mahi aroha, volunteering and social action.

Volunteers grow people, open minds, open hearts and create joy.We hope this video inspires you to connect with a community or cause you care about: volunteeringnz.org.nz/finding-volunteer-roles/#AotearoaOfKindness

National Volunteer Week 2020 | Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu honours the collective energies and mana of volunteers in Aotearoa.

It also celebrates ‘Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi I The benefit of working together’.National Volunteer Week 21 - 27 June is opened with a powerful message from Minister Poto Williams - "Hapaitia te ara tika pumau ai te rangatiratanga mo nga uri whakatipu | Foster the pathway of knowledge to strength, independence and growth for future generations."Watch her full message here.

"I wanted to take the opportunity during National Volunteer Week 2020 to offer up my thanks and appreciation to each and everyone of you for giving up your time to selflessly help others during this last year.

And no more so, than during the recent lockdown period.""Gratitude to your mana in ably stepping up to support our team of 5 million get through Covid-19 and thrive.

You answered the call and stepped and contributed to the wellbeing of the community in a meaningful way." Poto Williams, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.Nearly 2.5 million of us actively support organisations and other people through volunteering, social action and mahi aroha.

This is our opportunity to recognise all volunteers – those that are volunteering currently, thinking about volunteering, or have volunteered in the past.“The power and potential of volunteering, Mahi Aroha and social action shines through at times when our communities are stretched and challenged.

New Zealand’s COVID-19 response has highlighted courage and kindness in uniting against COVID-19.

Through volunteers, we build strong, resilient and connected communities.

This year we recognise Te Hua o te Mahi Tahi I the benefit of working together.” Michelle Kitney, Chief Executive Volunteering New Zealand.

What is employee volunteering?Employee volunteering is defined as an employer’s encouragement or promotion of volunteering activities done by their employees[1].

Employee volunteering provides an opportunity for public good as well as advancing strategic objectives[2].

Various advantages have been identified from employee volunteering.For instance, Empolyee Volunteering can;

• improve motivation, commitment, and teamwork;
• provide opportunities for employee professional development;
• and organisational reputational gains among the public, investors, clients, and future employees [3].

Volunteering and individual wellbeingVolunteering has been shown to improve the well-being of employees.

It is linked to a wide range of personal benefits including enjoyment, a sense of purpose and belonging within the community[4] and higher levels of life satisfaction[5].

Volunteering improves health, subjective well-being, and social relationships[6].

Research indicates that volunteers report improved physical health and reduced stress levels[7].

Frequent volunteering has a positive and sustained impact on individual well-being[8].

Volunteering contributes to well-being through an increase in personal well-being – something that is well established in research – as well as improving the well-being of communities, and Aotearoa as a whole.Volunteering supports positive mental healthFurthermore, volunteering results in positive outcomes for mental and emotional health.

Amongst people who engage in frequent volunteering, 76% feel heathier, 94% feel it has improved their emotions, and 78% report lowered stress level[9].Volunteering is directly associated with reported levels of happiness; the more someone volunteers, the happier they are[10].

Volunteering improves self-confidence and sense of purpose which, in turn, result in expanding social networks and advancing professional careers.

Other benefits of volunteering for mental and emotional health are due to decreased stress and anxiety, and decreased risk of depression.

Therefore, volunteering, as a way to improve the well-being of employees, has been linked to the mental health well-being framework actions points: giving – tukua, connecting – Me Whakawhanaunga, taking notice – me aro tonu, keeping learning – me ako tonu – and being active – me kori tonu[11].

Dr Solmaz NazariPolicy and Research AdvisorVolunteering New ZealandRead the rest of Volunteering New Zealand's recent policy submission on the opportunity for the Public Sector to universally embrace employee volunteering as way of providing leadership in civic participation. Footnotes:[1] Anne-Laure Gatignon-Turnau, Karim Mignonac, ‘(Mis) Using employee volunteering for public relations: Implications for corporate volunteers' organizational commitment’, Journal of Business Research, 68, (2015), pp. 7-18.[2] Adam Grant, ‘Giving time, time after time: Work design an sustained employee participation in corporate volunteering’, Academic of Management Review, 37, no.4 (2012), pp. 589-615[3] Delloitte, Impact that matters, (Delloitte, 2017).

Retrieved from https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/us/Documents/about-deloitte/us-2017-deloitte-volunteerism-survey.pdf[4] Stats NZ, Volunteering and Donations by New Zealanders 2016 (StatsNZ, 2017)[5] Stats NZ, Fact sheet: New Zealand General Social Survey (StatsNZ, 2009)[6] Thomas Hansen, Marja Aartsen, Britt Slagsvold, & Christian Deindl, ‘Dynamics of volunteering and life satisfaction in middle and old age’, Social Sciences, 7, no. 5 (2018), pp.78-93[7] UnitedHealth Group, Volunteering Linked to Better Physical, Mental Health (UnitedHealth Group, 2013)[8] Martin Binder, Andreas Freytag, ‘Volunteering, subjective well-being and public policy’, Journal of Economic Psychology, 34, (2013), pp.97-119.[9] United Healthcare and VolunteerMatch, Doing Good is Good For You (United Healthcare and VolunteerMatch, 2017)[10]LSE Volunteers, Celebrating volunteering and fundraising at LSE in 2016-2017 (London School of Economics, 2016-2017)[11]The Five Ways to Wellbeing, Ētahi ara e rima ki te ngākau ora, help people stay mentally well, <https://www.mentalhealth.org.nz/home/ways-to-wellbeing/> [accessed 31 Jaunary 2020][12] State Services Commission, Public Service Workforce Data (Wellington, 2018), p.1

Connecting employees with the real world

Some organisations have employee volunteering schemes that give their employees paid time off work to do volunteer work that helps them step into the community to do charity work or experience the ‘real world’ issues that their policies impact upon.

Employee volunteering is increasingly viewed as a way for employees to get out of their offices, practice good citizenship in action, and actively participate in long-term public interest.

Employee volunteering post covid

Before Covid-19, many employers gave their employees some time off to undertake voluntary work, but it was neither universal nor consistent across companies or the public sector.

In fact, Volunteering New Zealand recently submitted on the opportunity for the Public Sector to universally embrace employee volunteering as way of providing leadership in civic participation.

Do the experiences of organisations during this crisis enable more and better employee volunteering into the future?"If we could change our working arrangements post-Covid-19 so we can continue to contribute positively to our communities, with governments and employers recognising that this has a tangible benefit to our society and to workers, then something truly wonderful and worthwhile would have emerged from the shock of this crisis." Managing Director Andrew Barnes, Perpetual Guardian.Pre-covid, staff at Perpetual Guardian, who opted into their four-day week productivity policy were required to give one of their annual 40 gifted days off to charity every quarter.

They were able to choose what cause or organisation they would support with some form of volunteer support."Though we did not plan it, the announcement of the four-day week eventually was integrated into our marketing strategy, and the independent charitable work done by staff dovetails with our company’s large-scale philanthropy services.

During the trial, our market share grew and we won more contracts, and the positive notoriety has increased alongside the global four-day-week conversation" noted Barnes.There are some other great benefits too:

• Flexible working arrangements create time savings that can be redirected to non-profit organisations and worthy causes.
• Enabling employee volunteers to decide which organisations they support and when better facilitates relationship building betweent the volunteer and the Not For Profit.
• Moving it from a transactional relationship to a transformative experience.

Michelle KitneyChief Executive,Volunteering New Zealand

It’s time to acknowledge the incredible contribution of the community and voluntary sector, alongside business and government, in the response and recovery effort.We’re a diverse bunch of people in the community, volunteer and philanthropic sector.

But whatever it is we care about and care for, we have our communities’ collective wellbeing in common.

We value generosity of spirit and embody ngākau nui, big heartedness.This has formed the foundation of our collective contribution to supporting our communities through COVID 19.

We’ve been shoring up our communities to meet both big and small challenges, to remain connected and to answer the call to unite and be kind.This survey allows us to shine a light on this collective contribution.This is our time to shine, and our time to take stock.

COVID 19 has revealed even more starkly the needs of our communities and the cracks in the system.

We knew that, before COVID 19, there was a shortfall of $630 million in Government funding to those agencies delivering services on behalf of the Government.

We also knew that there was a $200 million shortfall to meet the demand for services.

We knew that there were more agencies competing for decreasing pools of funding.

We knew there were staffing and salary pressures.

And during COVID 19 we might have identified cracks in our own operations and business continuity.This survey can give us a rich source of data to further test, quantify and collectively communicate these challenges and needs to our supporters and funders.

It can help us identify where things may have gotten worse, stayed the same or even improved for the organisations that support community wellbeing.This survey, combined with data from other surveys, can help us identify in concrete terms what is needed next.

It will help us lead confident, collective, well informed discussions around recovery and re-imagining the future state of a community that is well, flourishing and thriving.We'll be sharing the results to support the sector to have a louder voice in shaping our future.

As community needs to be at the decision making table beside central and local government and business - if we are to build back better.Click here to complete the survey. Please share the survey link in this post so as many community organisations as possible can have their say.

Now, more than ever, we need to understand and support the value of volunteering, and the infrastructure, that enables volunteers to enrich Aotearoa New Zealand.Released in February, The New Zealand Support Report, identified volunteering as a critical input into the sectors operating model within Aotearoa New Zealand.This has been further underscored by data recently released by Statistics New Zealand.

There are 115,000 community organisations and charities.

In 2018, 89 percent employed no staff at all.

More accurate measuring of NPIs

In the middle of Alert Level 4, Statistics New Zealand released the Non-profit institutions satellite account: 2018.Traditional measures of GDP do not account for the value of volunteer labour (or formal unpaid work) for non-profit institutions (NPIs).

The NPISA extends traditional GDP to include this contribution, and so includes a more accurate measure of NPIs on the economy.Key findings - Non-profit institutions satellite account: 2018:

• 115,0000 Not Profit Institutions (NPIs) contribution to GDP in 2018 was $8.1 billion, this was 2.8 percent of GDP.
• In 2013 they contributed $6.2 billion (2.9 percent).
• The value of voluntary labour (or formal unpaid work) in New Zealand’s NPIs was estimated to be $4 billion in 2018, compared with $3.5 billion in 2013.
• Volunteering hours have remained stable at 159 million per annum.
• The value of this volunteer labour is estimated at $4 billion.
• There has been a reduction in the overall number of people volunteering, from 1.2 million, to just over 1 million.
• In 2018, 89 percent of NPIs did not employ staff.

These figures do not include informal volunteering, volunteering that happens outside of an organisation.You can access the full report from our Volunteering Statistics Page.Volunteering New Zealand believes that reliable and accurate data about volunteering is essential for effective leadership, advocacy and support of the community and voluntary sector.

We are committed to advocating with and on behalf of the sector with quality data that highlights the value of volunteering in all its forms.

Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono are holding online conversations around the concepts of belonging and inclusion and they've created exclusive events for Microvolunteering Day, 15 April.Recently, the Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono began a nationwide road trip to hold conversations around the concepts of belonging and inclusion.

Its team has been talking with individuals across the country to ask what belonging feels like, what hinders this, and what needs to change.A project launched in response to the March 15 attacks in Christchurch, the objective is to hear first-hand from diverse groups of people (from all walks of life) about their own experiences and insights related to belonging and inclusion.

These insights will help inform a Strategy for Belonging and Inclusion.With Covid-19 changing the way we all now engage, Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono is taking these conversations online.

Exclusive Events for Microvolunteering Day

As part of Microvolunteering Day on 15 April, online events have been made exclusively available to Volunteering New Zealand.

Anjum Rahman – project lead and Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to ethnic communities and women – will be facilitating each event.These events are a welcoming and informal conversation via Zoom where you can talk through three key questions: When do you feel like we belong; what hinders this; and what needs to change?

Spaces are limited to 12 attendees per event – and run for 90- minutes.Book online here for 15 April events:9am – 10.30amEventbrite Link – Group 112pm – 1.30pmEventbrite Link – Group 23pm – 4.30pmEventbrite Link – Group 37pm – 8.30pmEventbrite Link – Group 4If your preferred event is booked out, please add your name to the waiting list and Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono will endeavour to accommodate you.Can’t join an event? Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono also has an online survey which poses the same three questions and can be completed at a time that works for you.

The survey is available in multiple languages and with the option to voice record answers.Take the survey here.

A note from Anjum

“We have a vision for a country where everyone has a place to belong.

The freedom to thrive, to be understood and appreciated for your individuality - and to be embraced as a valued member of New Zealand society.

These are all things we want as individuals and communities.

This initiative will focus on how we can support that.

Your insights and experiences are invaluable.

We are very grateful to you for sharing your time and thoughts with us.”

Be Inspired.

Be Involved!

New Zealand is a nation of avid volunteers, with 21.5% of New Zealanders undertaking volunteer work.

Each year they volunteer for 159 million hours, contributing $4 billion to New Zealand’s gross domestic product.Typically when we think of volunteering, we think of an opportunity that requires an ongoing commitment that can last for months or years.

But if people cite having less time to offer these days to volunteering, how can they find ways to meaningfully contribute without committing long-term?

Enter microvolunteering.‘It should be the goal of microvolunteering outlets to enable volunteers to put their idle time to use, rather than asking them to set aside some of their productive time for volunteering.’ (Michael Mersiades, October 2018).

What is microvolunteering?

Microvolunteering is a small task or project, that is convenient, quick to undertake and often (thanks to the prevalence of smartphones and access to the internet) done online.

It’s a concept that’s been around for years, and is referred to by various terms, including ‘byte-sized volunteering’, ‘episodic volunteering’ and ‘virtual volunteering.’ Any volunteer-involving organisation can incorporate microvolunteering into their organisation.For volunteers: examples of micro and virtual volunteering

• Sign a petition online.
• Check out ActionStation – New Zealand’s people powered petition platform.
• Donate computer processing time – e.g. setting up a Facebook event, designing a logo, finding content for an organisation's online newsletter.
• Promote a cause or charity on social media - share their updates and information.
• Sign up to an online pen pal service or caring caller phone service.
• Take part in Inclusive Aotearoa Collective's kaupapa of creating and building belonging and help create a more inclusive Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Contact your local Volunteer Centre or online volunteering opportunity website to support you in finding virtual volunteering roles.For organisations: micro and virtual volunteering resources and ideas

• Check out VNZ's virtual volunteering resources page.
• What is micro volunteering and how can we do it? Be inspired by Cheryll Martin from Volunteering Auckland, where she talks about 'mini moments of kindness'.
• Encourage your team to take part in Inclusive Aotearoa Collective Tāhono's survey and events - help create a more inclusive Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Contact your local Volunteer Centre or online volunteering opportunity website to support you in finding volunteers for virtual volunteering roles.

Benefits of microvolunteering for volunteers and organisations

Microvolunteering opportunities have the potential to attract a wider diversity and greater number of people, including those who would otherwise not have the time or inclination to get involved.It can give the ‘doer’ a taster of an organisation, which can serve as a pathway to longer term volunteering.

It’s also a great way to maintain the motivation of those looking to volunteer longer term, whilst waiting for formal processes (such as security or reference checks) to be completed.

Microvolunteering can also offer access to the expertise of skilled volunteers, including those who may be far away or employed full-time.

For volunteer involving organisations keen to learn more, there are some great tips online to help you set up a microvolunteering action.

Try this guide from the UK’s ‘Help from Home’ initiative here.Remember to tag Volunteering New Zealand in social media so we can see how you're taking part in Microvolunteering Day!

Also, use the international hashtag #Microday. Heidi QuinnVolunteering AdvisorVolunteering New Zealand

I was first introduced to Youthline when my cousin, an experienced helpline counsellor, mentioned it to me as someone interested in and studying psychology.

I was already interested in doing more volunteer work, so Youthline appealed to both my personal interest and my desire to help others.My current volunteer role at Youthline is as a mentor where I provide support and feedback for trainees on the helpline.

Specifically, my support involves being available to trainees for suggestions during a call, and me checking-in with a trainee after calls or when they may feel a bit off.

Be it struggles with depression or stress about leaving school, I find it highly rewarding to be able to recognise and cater to the needs of an individual.

I know that the vast majority of those who reach out to us are, at the moment when they reach out, in great need of and relying on us to support them.

I maintain a regular presence on the helpline because I am aware that without such investment from the volunteers, such a service could not be sustained.

With New Zealand’s youth suicide rates being among the highest in the OECD, combined with there being too few volunteer counsellors for Youthline to constantly cover the helpline, my personal impact and the need for it is high.My present volunteering is the culmination of two and a half years of experience with Youthline which has provided me with an array of new interpersonal skills, a warmer disposition, a greater understanding and experience with mental health, and a supportive community.

Fundamentally, volunteering with Youthline has offered me a strong sense of fulfilment from providing an essential and neglected service to many who need it.Mac JordanYouthline

Interactive Volunteer Stories Map

This story was shared as part of our interactive map of volunteer stories from across Aotearoa, which we launched during #NVW2019.

This map is filled with stories from volunteers throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand.

This map celebrates the contribution of volunteers in their communities throughout Aotearoa.

It aims to inspire people to engage in volunteering, Mahi Aroha and social action and to realise the benefits of weaving their communities together through their actions.

The power and potential of volunteering, Mahi Aroha and social action shines through at times when our communities are stretched and challenged. To help support and inspire volunteers and your community, we’ve created some social media graphics you can use!

1.

Think of others, consider your actions and be kind: People in every community will face the challenges of COVID-19 in some way – be kind, think of others and consider your actions >>DOWNLOAD

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Connect and reach out to your neighbours: We need to find new ways to stay connected and check in on one another for mental wellbeing.

Share phone numbers and stay in touch.

Keep an eye on your elderly neighbours in particular, as they’re at a greater risk of developing more serious illness as a result of the virus. >>DOWNLOAD

3.

Make the most of local online groups: Keep up to date, share information and strive to be a positive part of your local community conversations. >>DOWNLOAD

4.

Support vulnerable or isolated people: Different groups in our communities are at increased risk and social isolation and loneliness are key concerns for all ages.

There are things you can do like virtual volunteering for local support services or donating to food banks to help. >>DOWNLOAD

5.

Share accurate information and advice: Support anyone who may be anxious about COVID-19. >>DOWNLOAD

The power and potential of volunteering, Mahi Aroha and social action shines through at times when our communities are stretched and challenged.

Here are five ways we can all help out. Please note: as the COVID-19 situation rapidly evolves we encourage you to keep up-to-date with the latest advice via covid19.govt.nz.

This could mean some of the information in this blog will no longer be relevant.In addition to health benefits, volunteering gives people a sense of purpose, especially at this troubling time.

The fulfilling feeling of giving back and contributing to society is unparalleled.

Giving back is also a great way to get to know your community and its citizens and to strengthen your community as a whole.

Community response powered by volunteers

People in our communities are already responding to the impacts of COVID-19 through informal, local mutual aid groups to support one another at this time.

Help could involve activities from running errands to the shops, to making phone calls, to providing a friendly voice of reassurance.It is also taking place through the many existing local charities and community groups that are already putting in place plans to ramp up trained volunteer support and finding ways to deliver services in different ways.By working together we can reduce the curb of COVID-19 infection in New Zealand, and support each other to ensure that even if we are self-isolating, that we do not feel disconnected or isolated from our communities.Kindness and connection can be sustained or given and received even when we are practicing social distancing.

Community Action Response - five things you can do:

The best way we can all help is to ensure we follow the Ministry of Health advice on staying healthy and self-isolating if unwell and looking after ourselves first.

Once you are sure we have your own health in hand then we can look at how we support friends, whānau and neighbours to see if anyone in your local networks needs support.Here are 5 things we can do, once we have looked after ourselves.1. Think of others, consider your actions and be kind: People in every community will face the challenges of COVID-19 in some way – from needing basic provisions to help while they are unwell.>> Be inspired by how small acts of kindness create global impact in this TEDX talk2. Connect and reach out to your neighbours: As self-isolation increases, we need to find new ways to stay connected and check in on one another for our physical and mental wellbeing.

Share phone numbers and stay in touch.

Keep an eye on your elderly neighbours in particular, as they’re at a greater risk of developing more serious illness as a result of the virus.>> Learn tips and advice from Neighbourhood Support.3. Make the most of local online groups: Keep up to date, share information and strive to be a positive part of your local community conversations.>> Use platforms like Neighbourly.4. Support vulnerable or isolated people: Different groups in our communities are at increased risk and social isolation and loneliness are key concerns for all ages.

There are things you can do like volunteering for local support services or donating to food banks to help.>> Student Volunteer Army has activated its pandemic response service to assist people in need - there is great advice on their website.5. Share accurate information and advice: Support anyone who may be anxious about COVID-19.>> Sign-post them to the correct advice from Ministry of Health and encourage people to follow the correct hygiene practices.>> Share the COVID Alerts system [we are currently at level 3]We are all in this together, and the more we look out for each other, the more resilient our communities will be in facing this pandemic and its implications.

We want to hear what's happening in your communities - email us on office@volunteeringnz.org.nz and let us know.He waka eke noa – We are all in this together. #COVID19KindnessUpdated: 23/3/2020

After experiencing their own struggles with cancer, Juanita Raunatiri and her whānau wanted to help others who were fighting the disease.

Juanita explains how she and her whānau got involved and gave back to help others. We as a whānau wanted to contribute our time and energy to volunteer for many reasons: To share our journey through cancer as a whānau, our journey of hope and love, with others, to guide and help those that have fought and still fighting, and to honour our loved ones lost to cancer.We as a whānau have helped in many areas, giving our time and love to help others and try to make a difference in some way or another.

We involved ourselves in Relay for Life, Waitangi days, Daffodil Day and with support and guidance from my whānau I joined the committee for Relay for Life and took the role running survivorship afternoon tea.

For us, being involved connected us with people who are and have been on the cancer journey, which for us was quite uplifting — uplifting because we could share hope with those we met.

We love to help people, and this gave us the opportunity to give back and shed light on how we as a whānau managed.

If our journey put light on another in their darkest moments, then we are doing what we set out to do.Volunteering for the Cancer Society has helped us build relationships with staff, other volunteers, survivors, carers and fighters, which has been great.

Coming together as one to be able to share our views and perspective makes us that little bit closer to making a difference in someone’s life.To see people who we have met smiling and lighter than when we first meet them is a beautiful feeling.

To be able to help people using our experiences as a whānau is a rewarding feeling.Juanita RaunatiriCancer Society

Interactive Volunteer Stories Map

This story was shared as part of our interactive map of volunteer stories from across Aotearoa, which we launched during #NVW2019.

This map is filled with stories from volunteers throughout Aotearoa, New Zealand.

This map celebrates the contribution of volunteers in their communities throughout Aotearoa.

It aims to inspire people to engage in volunteering, Mahi Aroha and social action and to realise the benefits of weaving their communities together through their actions.