News

Living Standards Dashboard now includes volunteering indicators Treasury has a refreshed Living Standards Framework (LSF) Dashboard, which now includes indicators and measures relating to volunteering.In April 2022 Caralee McLiesh, Secretary to the Treasury launched the paper Trends in Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand, 2000-2020 (Wellbeing Trends Report) and a refreshed LSF Dashboard.Volunteering New Zealand is excited to see it includes new indicators relating to volunteering are now included in the LSF Dashboard.DOMAINIndicatorMeasuresWork, care and volunteering domainVolunteeringPercentage of adults who reported having done voluntary work in the previous four weeks. Source: New Zealand General Social Survey (Stats NZInvolvement in the community Definition: Proportion of young people who report helping others in the neighbourhood or community (eg, helping out on the marae or at church or belonging to a volunteer organisation). Source: WhatAboutMe surveyCivil SocietyNon-profit operating surplus Definition: Operating surplus for the non-profit sector as a proportion of income. Source: Source: Non-profit institutions satellite account (Stats NZ)One of New Zealand’s areas of strength is in the work, care and volunteering domain. We have high employment, high job satisfaction, low unemployment, and the highest rate of volunteering in the OECD.

Other key information highlighted in these reports include that volunteering appears more common among people aged 35-74 and includes both direct volunteering and volunteering for an organisation.

The Wellbeing Trends Report investigates how wellbeing in New Zealand compares to other countries, how wellbeing has changed over time, and how wellbeing is distributed across various groups of the population.The updated LSF Dashboard includes new indicators on the health of institutions, and measures that reflect child wellbeing-such as child poverty in the income domain, childhood injuries in the safety domain, and caring and support for young people in the redefined family and friends domain.The Wellbeing Trends Report and updated LSF Dashboard have informed the publication Te Tai Waiora: Wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand 2022, a new requirement under the Public Finance Act. The Treasury has drawn on the Living Standards Framework and He Ara Waiora to provide insight into a range of aspects of life that New Zealanders value. Te Tai Waiora uses these frameworks to provide a high-level overview of wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand, how it has changed over decades, and how well we are positioned to sustain our wellbeing over time.

It’s time to highlight one of our greatest resources, youth volunteers, this National Volunteer Week Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu 19-25 June. “You can cite quite a few benefits, from skill building to CV improvements, but in all honesty, I don’t volunteer because of anything as tangible as that. I volunteer because it helps me to hope,” says Dante Dawes, a Youth Working Group member.Formed in 2021 to determine how youth representation at a governance level within Volunteering New Zealand should take place, VNZ’s Youth Working Group (YWG) brings together young minds from all around the country who understand the importance of incorporating and supporting youth voices in organisations, especially at a decision-making level.How the YWG is making a differenceOur team of eight recognises there are a lot of different ways to support the youth voice in this space. We have identified a number of projects that aim to make a difference. For rangatahi keen to volunteer, it can be hard to know where to begin - we’re creating a monthly newsletter which aims to provide a convenient way to start people on their journey while recognising that volunteering can feel overwhelming to youth who feel they lack the skills. Tying into this work, we want to focus on projects which upskill our youth. We hope to do this by organising, advertising and hosting workshops aimed at teaching youth how to grow their skill-set through volunteering, and get the most out of their efforts. We want to build a community as volunteering is so much more valuable when there are others alongside you. Another project involves us reaching out to other youth councils to build a strong network of like-minded people and form a cohesive network of passionate volunteers.Importance of youth engagement and involvement “While youth are juggling everyday life and trying to find what they are passionate about, organisations and society should remember that when they have a young person on board, their voices should be heard and valued as they are a significant part of society,” Swetlana Khoo a YWG member says. And why does the youth voice matter? Because our world is going through a massive transition phase. The knowledge and experience of long term volunteers will always be of the utmost importance. But as we shift to a new age of social media, digital content and casual volunteering, organisations need a wider array of skills, some of which can only be offered by youth, as the ones born and raised in that environment. Our call to actionAotearoa New Zealand’s youth bring new ideas and diverse perspectives. We’re incredibly lucky to have so many passionate student volunteers who spend their precious free time helping our communities thrive, now let’s make sure they’re given their time to shine.This week we call on leaders who depend on young volunteers to step up and:

• Build spaces for youth representation at a decision-making level.
• Support youth volunteers balancing work, study and life commitments.

We applaud the many organisations already adding a seat to their board table for youth members. We encourage these organisations to widely promote their youth board positions.

Vaccines are free for everyone in New Zealand aged 5 and over.A lot of the advice around vaccines refers to workers. It is important to note, in regards to vaccinations, the term "Workers" includes both paid and unpaid workers.Vaccines are voluntary and individuals cannot be forced to have a vaccine. However, some work environments have mandated vaccination requirements. In some workplaces, a worker may need to be vaccinated to perform a specific role for health and safety reasons. This must be assessed by each organisation. WorkSafe have provided guidance on this.

Mandated vaccinations:

From 5 April some government vaccine mandates for workers have been removed.Workers that will still be covered by a government vaccine mandate include:

• health and disability sector workers. Roles and settings under this order are noted by the Ministry of Health.
• prison staff
• border and MIQ workers.

For a summary of things to consider in your workplace: Vaccines and employers.

My vaccine pass

From 5 April, vaccine passes are longer required. Businesses will still be able to use the system if they would like to.

Key information sources

Check out the following information sites for detailed information:

• General vaccine information - Covid-19 Vaccines
• Toolkit to help workplaces, non-profit groups and other organisations to support COVID-19 vaccinations in their communities: Tool Kit
• Worksafe: Covid-19 controls at work
• Vaccines and the workplace
• Ministry of Health vaccine resources.

This guide is for people in health, science, policy and community roles who want to talk effectively about COVID-19 vaccinations to different groups of people who may be hesitant about getting vaccinated.

Marae Guidance

This guide is designed to support marae to safely operate in accordance with the COVID-19 ProtectionFramework – commonly known as the traffic lights.Here is a one-page summary.

Volunteering Canterbury and Volunteering New Zealand hosted an online seminar on 27 May on volunteer rights and responsibilities, by Julia Yoo, Senior Legal Educator at Community Law Canterbury.

• See Volunteering New Zealand: Volunteering and the law
• See: Community Law Manual – easy to understand responses to queries. Great resource.Website: Communitylaw.org.nz

Julia's session covered:

• Who is a volunteer? Different types of volunteers & VIOs
• What are the obligations of the organisation engaging volunteers?
• When and how volunteers are covered by relevant legislation
• What are the obligations undertaken by any volunteers fulfilling such work?

Who is a volunteer?

‘Volunteer’: Not defined in most legislation; no single act, no tribunal for volunteers, to be considered in court has to be through the High Court which is expensive. Have to consider case law e.g. Gloriavale recently. Unclear processes for hiring and firing volunteers. Generally means a person who works for public benefit, community good and who is not rewarded for it, and don't expect to be. Does not include people doing on-the-job training.

Case Law:

• Campground case: Volunteer on-site manager – resident agreed to role. Given free accommodation and facilities, in return for doing some small tasks on behalf of the campsite. Court determined resident was found to be an employee, even though the person identified themselves as a volunteer. Labels less important than the role or work that they do.
• Dance case: Mr Brook expected to devote four hours per week to a cultural association. His motivation was to improve the community. Given an expense allowance of $1,500 per year. Organisation hadn't attributed this expense allowance for specific costs received. Hours worked don't impact on the assessment of a volunteer role or not. Expenses are best tackled.
• Gloriavale decision: released this month, 60-page decision. Main points: plaintiffs born in community; when they left sought declaration that they were employees. Gloriavale claimed they were volunteers. Courts determined they were employees, not volunteers. From the age of six they had to work within community; selected for specific jobs and roles, for benefit of businesses, directed by leaders. Rewards were exchanged – food, from age 16 paid close to minimum wage, but plaintiff had no access to funds. Worked eight hours/ day, like a working day. Ruled they were entitled to holiday pay, sick leave etc. Not ground-breaking decision for volunteers, but garnered media attention. Gloriavale said plaintiffs signed agreement saying they were volunteers; but even with agreement, that in itself isn’t full protection. The nature of the role determines whether people are employees or volunteers. Seek legal advice to ensure you’re doing the right thing.

Health and Safety at Work Act

Defines a volunteer as someone who is acting on a voluntary basis. Two categories – casual volunteers, and volunteer workers.Volunteer workers are those that are regularly volunteering, integral to the organisation, and organisation has consented for the work to be done by the volunteer. Volunteer workers are owed the same treatment as other staff. H&S obligations.Casual volunteers: typically are those that might sometimes do the following: fundraising, sports and recreation, helping schools and education, providing care in a volunteer’s home. Not required to undergo same training. May not be covered by the H&S requirements.

Responsibilities of the volunteer

Must take reasonable care: familiar with H&S policies, means volunteers should only do what they are trained to do, if they feel unsafe doing the work, reporting hazards and risks and giving feedback, and using PPE if required and as instructed. Major departures from reasonable care may be grounds for prosecution of the volunteers under the Act.Obligations of community organisationsDepends on the type of organisations and volunteer:

• Organisations with staff - owe duties to volunteers under the H&S at Work Act to regular and ongoing volunteers, and have same rights as employees. Casual volunteers – same rights as visitors and customers; organisation has fewer obligations.
• Volunteer associations – if organisation does not employ staff, not covered by the H&S at Work Act at all. However, volunteer associations still owe all volunteers a general duty of care under the common law. Not well defined – covers recklessness etc.

Health & Safety ObligationsA volunteer organisations must ensure as is reasonably possible that its volunteer workers are provided with:

• work environment free from H&S risks, monitoring of conditions
• information and training to do work safely
• environment with adequate accessible facilities, and safety gear as appropriate
• safe tools, protection from toxic chemicals
• monitoring worker health and workplace conditions

For volunteers:

• Workers must be involved in health and safety:
• Must be opportunities for workers to contribute and participate in the decision-making process and procedures, and that everyone is able to participate.

Responsibilities when selecting volunteers

Human Rights Act applies – cannot discriminate on basis of 13 grounds e.g. sex, religious belief, age.Can decide if someone is suitable for a role – certain requirements. Can include client needs e.g. older age group. Important how you go about advertising role.There are some exceptions:

• Age – eg if require a Drivers’ Licence
• Disability – if requires special services

If you wonder if an exception applies, check it out with Human Rights CommissionSee: Fact Sheet Volunteers and the Human Rights Act.

When is an organisation responsible for volunteers’ actions?

Liable if volunteer is acting on organisation’s behalf e.g. volunteer driver while doing delivering for an organisation, within their volunteer hours.

Responsibilities when taking on specialist volunteers

An organisation should use all reasonable care when using specialist volunteers otherwise liable for loss or damage caused by volunteer e.g. social workers, health practitioners. Ensure any health-related service your organisation provides is performed by the appropriate person.

Reimbursing volunteers for expenses.

Expenses while volunteering should be reimbursed e.g. mileage when using own car. If an organisation starts giving monetary allowances, volunteer may have misunderstanding of being paid. Affects tax, immigration, driver licensing, Work & Income benefits.

• See IRD information on Volunteer payments and expenses.
• Charities Services Koha implications
• Charities Services – Charities obligations under the law

By Megan, Team Leader, Student Volunteer Army, Victoria UniversityThis post is part of our series for Youth Week 2022My name is Megan and I am part of the Victoria Student Volunteer Army. We are a club at Te Herenga Waka that facilitates and promotes student volunteering. Our club has an executive team of 10 students who are super passionate about volunteering and work to build connections to provide volunteering opportunities and events to make student volunteering accessible and fun.Over the past two years, we have worked to build relationships with Free Store, Everybody Eats, Waikanae Estuary Care Group, UpStream, Kelburn Conservation Group, and the New Zealand Remembrance Army to make it easy for students to connect with these organisations so that they can get as much out of volunteering as we do!I have gained so much out of my volunteering experiences. Not only have I formed amazing friendships with like minded students through the club, I have felt a greater connection to the wider Wellington community and learnt a lot about myself through volunteering with people I wouldn’t usually meet in my day to day university life.Moving to a new city for university can be challenging because you leave the connections you had back home, but volunteering and connecting with community organisations has helped me form a sense of community and belonging.We can pretend that volunteering is entirely altruistic and selfless, but I know that I gain so much from my experiences volunteering in how I have grown as a person and learnt and my place in the world.

By Jason LiuFor Youth Week, 8-14 May, we’re publishing blogs by members of the Volunteering New Zealand Youth Working Group.You know what I found out recently? Whitney Wolfe was 22 when she co-founded Tinder. Then she launched Bumble when she was 24. The two most popular dating apps in the US were created by someone under the age of 25! When I first heard that, I got pretty jealous. I felt threatened and somewhat competitive even though I was never even in the running. And that’s how I felt with a lot of other young entrepreneurs: Mark Zuckerberg, Jawed Karim, three of the most successful innovators in today’s day and age did so before they even hit their middle age milestones.

Youth representation and expectation

We’re living in a world where youth representation is becoming increasingly prominent. The opinions and values of the youth are becoming more and more recognised and we’re beginning to see them being introduced as advisors, with whole boards and teams being created to focus on youth. The old adage that ‘the youth are our future’ is finally coming to life, and that’s great and exciting and it shows a great progression of our generation.But on the other hand; it can also feel really daunting. Because now, there’s a certain amount of expectation on youth. You have an internal pressure to perform at a level where you might not be yet. You might look at people like Mark Zuckerberg and Whitney Wolfe and think ‘I’m not good enough to achieve that, what’s even the point?”. Sometimes having these superstar role models can work against you, and make you disillusioned with your own abilities before you even start. But what are the effects of that? Some people feel so disillusioned that they just don’t try. They never voice their thoughts because they don’t think that they have anything of value. Another could be that they demean themselves, and only go for roles that they consider easy or comfortable, never pushing themselves beyond what they know. Or they might go in the opposite direction and build unrealistic expectations, which ultimately leads to a lot of hurt and a fear of trying again.

Our voices matter

Those issues can prevent you from capitalising on opportunities. Our voices matter, they genuinely do, and even though we may be young, that doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to be heard. If we think we have a valid opinion, then we deserve the opportunity to say so, no matter what our own self-esteem tells us. So with that in mind, how can we overcome those fears? The first thing to understand is that you should not cut out role models from your life. The problem isn’t in the fact that young people are successful, that’s actually great. The problem lies in our interpretation of said role models. So the first thing to do is be realistic with what you can do and the effect you can have. Don’t forget that as important as it is to have your voice heard, that you also have obligations to your family and friends, and your own wellbeing. So be realistic with yourself with what you can achieve. It doesn’t matter if you impact the life of one person it still makes a world of difference. Another thing you could do is volunteer. Volunteering is a good way of being lightly introduced into a more technical role. I know a lot of people volunteer because they want to put it on their CV. And that’s a perfectly valid, legitimate reason. But that reason’s only valid because volunteering builds a lot of character. It teaches you to be organised with your responsibilities, it puts you in an environment that simulates the working world. If you put yourself out there, it can also give you access to tools and opportunities that you wouldn’t be able to find elsewhere. At the end of the day, we’re lucky. We’re getting more of a say in what happens to our world, and that’s only possible because we have young people out there championing our skills. We’re being recognised and that calls for celebration and opportunity. So don’t hold yourself back by thinking that you won’t be able to do what your role models do. Think of the impact that you could have, the impact that you’ll never know you could achieve, if you don’t put yourself out there.

By Dante DawesFor Youth Week, 8-14 May, we’re publishing blogs by members of the Volunteering New Zealand Youth Working Group.The question is often asked, why volunteer? Especially as a student, why spend your time clambering round streams weeding plants, why bother collecting signatures on the street, why waste your precious few moments of freedom between study? You can cite quite a few benefits, from skill building to CV improvements, but in all honesty, I don’t volunteer because of anything as tangible as that. I volunteer because it helps me to hope. A lot of people have stopped reading the news after the last few years and I don’t blame them. All it takes is a quick glance to fill most people with some mixture of panic, dread, and absurdity. From Covid to climate change, there’s no end to the bad news stories these days, and it seems like there is nothing we can do to change that. For young people, growing up with an environmental crisis that worsens everyday, struggling to study in the midst of a pandemic, thinking about our futures as war breaks out on the other side of the globe, it can all get a bit much. In a world like this, we have to hold on to the things that let us believe in something better, the little bits of hope we can find along the way. For me, that’s volunteering. I’ve met so many incredible people through volunteering, passionate, driven, and above all hopeful people. From gardening in public parks, to wasted food collection in cafes, to teaching civics and the importance of voting to high school classes; I’ll often find this warm camaraderie that grows from volunteering with others. I once heard a story, probably from some TV show I’ve long forgotten, about a child walking along a beach, throwing starfish back into the ocean before they dry out and die. The beach is covered in these dying starfish, so the child’s parent asks “Why bother? You can’t save them all, so does it matter if one or two survive?” The child threw another starfish back and replied “It mattered to that one.”I think about those starfish often when I’m volunteering. I cannot pull out all the weeds choking the native flowers, but I can help that one. I cannot collect enough recovered food to feed everyone, but I can help one or two. I cannot teach every bored Year 9 the importance of voting, but if I can interest one, that matters. So why volunteer? Everyone has different reasons. For some it's the chance to learn new skills, for others it’s the CV benefits. For me, it’s hope. What will your reason be?

By Swetlana KhooFor Youth Week, 8-14 May, we're publishing blogs by members of the Volunteering New Zealand Youth Working Group.Youth are changemakers, people who, for the most part, are not afraid to voice out their opinions and strive for social justice. Often, they are driven by passion and their desire to see a better future. However, when it comes to engaging youth and asking for a commitment of volunteering, things become rather difficult - but are youth really to blame here? Given the increasing stress from school, work, societal standards, trying to fit some personal time into our busy lives and more, there may be little time to help others. I have narrowed down some possible limitations to youth participating in community service:

1. lack of motivation among youth or the fact that the cause being supported is not of interest to them;
2. lack of resources e.g. time constraints, transport, costs and more.
3. Volunteering can be daunting to youth, especially for those who are just starting to immerse themselves in community service - with little to no experience and while juggling work/school, meeting new people and adapting to new environments.

Breaking the barriers

So what can be done to break down these barriers? Currently, there are many opportunities that should allow everyone to find a cause that they want to support and most certainly ‘play to their strengths’. The increasing accessibility of opportunities through websites, social media and more provides more choice , and more convenience i.e. they can find opportunities close to them or, volunteer remotely. People (not just youth!) are also constantly reminded that no matter how much time or effort they put in, their efforts will have a positive impact on someone’s life and that the resources they can offer will definitely be welcomed. Perhaps the only thing that stands in the way are young people themselves and whether or not we see what we are truly able to do; maybe it’s a matter of finding what we truly love and watching as our actions positively impact society. Personally, I would not have known of volunteering if it were not a school requirement. At the start, it seemed like another tedious task on top of already existing commitments, but I soon came to realise that being a part of my community not only benefited those I helped but also myself. I was able to form connections with people and learn more about their passions. I was surrounded by people who had a certain type of energy that inspired me to further immerse myself in a variety of volunteering opportunities so that I could develop my own attributes. Volunteering played a significant role in my character development and shaping who I am, and who I want to be as a person.

Take a leap of faith

If you are on the fence about volunteering for the first time, meeting new people and being assigned a role that you have limited experience in, trust me when I say that you should definitely take a leap of faith and go for it! Who knows? A passion or two might be uncovered, friendships may be formed and you will be making the world a better place with your actions. To conclude, while youth are juggling everyday life and trying to find what they are passionate about, organisations and society should remember that when they have a young person on board, their voices should be heard and valued as they are a significant part of society; there are many ways in which youth can express their own opinions as they have the ability to change the world.

By Andy McCombsFor Youth Week, 8-14 May, we’re publishing blogs by members of the Volunteering New Zealand Youth Working Group.It’s a sunny Friday in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, you’ve spent all week locked away grinding out an assignment - now what?It can be a struggle to switch your brain out of study mode and well-deserved free time might not come around all too often. If you find yourself a bit lost in the constant scrolling and lounging but you’re not quite sure what to do with yourself, no worries! Everyone feels this way at some point. Volunteering is a great way to break out of a stagnant routine. And the best part? You can choose to lend a hand with something you actually enjoy doing while picking up some new skills and spending time with new people who appreciate the same things.I could do a better jobIt’s so easy to view current affairs through a cynical lens, gasping in despair every time a decision is made by a leader that seems absolutely counterproductive. When facing this, we can feel hopeless, or we can feel passionate that our ideas would achieve a better, more equitable outcome for the people we care about. Wondering how these industry/global/community leaders have used their power to say that *insert current topical issue* is the most crucial use of our resources and efforts can be a fruitless endeavour. Without a doubt, the majority of leaders have spent their time volunteering and contributing to their communities in some form, building connections and making their voices known. And this is the important part, we need to get involved now, in order to ensure our voices are heard as we face the challenges knocking at our door (or rising to our doorsteps).Choose your own adventureEnjoy spending time with animals? Sign up to your local shelter for a few hours a week. Prefer being in nature? I’m sure your nearby plant nursery would love to meet you! Personally, I’ve met some amazing people and visited some unique places around the motu by getting in touch with charitable groups or just saying ‘absolutely’ to a friend who’s asked for help fundraising, advocating, or another pair of hands with the odd jobs that make our communities shine.Building connections and making a differenceSome of my favourite memories of volunteering are when I got to meet passionate people who thrived off helping lift others up through their mahi - whether it was holding a bucket on a street collecting coins and smiles, helping maintain a community garden, or running a toy drive to ensure more of our tamariki have something to play, learn, and develop with - there are thousands of groups who dedicate their free time to building up our rangatahi, so joining in just feels right. The Novel CoronavirusLeaving the house can feel like the first hurdle in wanting to contribute to a great cause, but thankfully our collective response has given us a strong set of tools to prevent the spread of Covid. One of the most inspiring things to come out of this pandemic was seeing the community-driven actions of incredible volunteers who ran testing stations, assembled food packs, and kept us connected in these turbulent times.But who has the time?Between study, work, and social engagements, finding time in an already full-on schedule might seem impossible, but setting aside two hours of your week (or even fortnightly) to volunteer is an achievable goal and most groups have a set roster to ensure you won’t be caught off guard during a busy period of the year. Where to startSo next time you’re out for a walk, have a think about what you’d enjoy doing outside of study or work and get involved with a local group. There are so many great opportunities to do something that makes a difference, all it takes is a couple of clicks.

A recent study with 25 young volunteers (aged 18-30) has found It can be tough to work within established organisations.The study published in the Journal of Youth involved in-depth interviews of the experiences of volunteers for a large variety of organisations in Canterbury, Aotearoa. The emphasis on lived experiences of young volunteers counters the usual conversation of why young people don’t volunteer and how to encourage them.Volunteers in the study said while they got a lot out of the experience, they gave a lot and weren’t always recognised, and even suffered negative effects.The research findings have been framed as: ‘what they seek’ i.e. their engagement and empowerment via social connection and political voice; ‘what they give’ to organisations in terms of time, energy and financial contributions at the risk of burnout; and ‘what they fight’ within these established organisations, such as discrimination, tokenism and marginalisation.The participants said volunteering was a means to ‘change stuff up’ by pursuing causes they were passionate about or facilitating change. They can gain knowledge and may find greater personal visibility and voice. Māori and Pacific volunteers said their presence helped increase visibility to demographics missing from organisations and some involvement in decision-making.However, the workload for volunteering can be time-consuming and overwhelming for young people. Some felt their contributions weren’t always recognised or appreciated. They can incur financial costs, transport barriers, and time issues. Recurring police vetting for different organisations can be seen as time and energy consuming. The emotional toll of volunteering left some volunteers burnt-out or stressed.Young people often don’t feel listened to in organisations. They can be discriminated against by race, gender or class. Many volunteers that were not Pākehā felt they were recruited to tick diversity boxes and that it felt like a form of tokenism. There was also pressure for them to be advocates of their culture within the organisation.The study concluded that youth volunteering is a ‘conflicted participatory space to navigate’. It highlights the many ways leaders of volunteering organisations can improve the youth volunteering experience.See more research about Young People and Volunteering.

‘How can we get more youth volunteers?’ is a common cry. Some organisations are fantastic at connecting with youth volunteers; others don’t know where to start. In the lead up to Student Volunteer Week, it's a good time to challenge any ideas that young people don’t want to volunteer and consider how you can remove the barriers for them to start volunteering.Here are SEVEN tips for engaging youth volunteers – ideas drawn from a panel discussion on youth and volunteering run by Volunteering New Zealand with four young leaders working in the voluntary sector.What can youth bring to your organisation?Young people are hyper aware of what is happening in the world and have lived experience that is different to other generations. Many have a passion for social change. It’s a great opportunity to tap into that – both at a governance level, and as volunteers on the ground.Create the space for youth to volunteerWhat do you need to do to make your organisation somewhere that youth would like to come and volunteer? Have a young person as the face of engagement so that newcomers can recognise themselves and feel part of a safe and comfortable environment.Identify the barriers and overcome themWhy are young people unwilling to engage with your organisation? Are there barriers in place that discourage them? This could include expectations for the level of commitment, time, transport etc. Look for ways to co-create and design your programme with youth so it’s more attractive and accessible.New ways of workingYoung people may have different ways of working to what your organisation is used to. Consider everything from volunteer recruitment (can people apply in whatever way they’re comfortable?) to other systems and processes. Actively invite participation, encourage ideas, and try things out.Go where youth areInstead of expecting youth to come to you, go where they are! This could be in schools, universities, or other community spaces. Cultivate a relationship with youth organisations to invite young people to volunteer.Build youth leadershipCan you create a pathway for youth volunteers to become leaders of new volunteers? Once they have experience, they could be trained to lead others. This will build leadership and sustainability into your volunteering programme.Microvolunteering can bridge the gapHuge impact can be achieved by many people giving small amounts of time and energy. What aspects of your volunteer programme could suit youth microvolunteering?See further research about youth and volunteering

Studies reveal volunteering data gaps in Pacific communities

Volunteers make a significant contribution to New Zealand communities in various activities from sports, recreation, arts, culture, and heritage to emergency and social services, health, education, conservation, and environment[1]. Traditionally, (formal) volunteering was recognised as activities only coordinated through an organisation. However, informal volunteering is increasingly recognised in the volunteering landscape.Informal volunteering is defined as unpaid, voluntary work that is not coordinated by an organisation or institution; it occurs directly between individuals and communities. Helping individuals living outside one’s household, informal political participation, informal religious activity, and membership in informal mutual assistance groups are several examples of informal volunteering[2]. When both formal and informal volunteering are included, nearly 50 percent of New Zealanders regularly contribute time and labour to their communities[3].Besides informal volunteering, community-based, episodic, and spontaneous volunteering is also increasingly recognised. These activities include unpaid work done for one’s own household or other households, irregular and short-term activities that have time boundaries[4].

Measuring informal volunteering

Informal volunteering in the form of helping others, without being mediated by an organisation, is the most common type of human-helping behaviour which has not been studied. Informal volunteering is harder to measure, as people may not always identify or define helping others as volunteering. The limited available research indicates that psychological motives for informal volunteering are similar to those for formal volunteering, with the exception of income and socio-economic status not influencing informal volunteering[5]. The United Nations’ 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report highlights the importance of informal volunteering with 14.3% participation globally compared to 6.5% participation in formal volunteering via an organisation or association[6].Informal volunteering has positive effects on society and contributes to social capital[7]. Governments and non-profit organisations are increasingly realising the importance of social capital in community development and existing informal support networks are increasingly playing significant roles in development projects. However, very little is known about the contribution of informal volunteering, and there is no consensus on how to define and measure it.

Impact of COVID-19

During the COVID-19 pandemic, informal, spontaneous, people-to-people volunteering has endured. Communities have continued to respond to the crisis in significant ways, despite limited mobility and resources. While the need for volunteers has increased, pandemic-related challenges have reduced volunteer engagement in many countries. Some volunteer groups have changed their approach as the crisis has evolved. People in communities are already responding to the impacts of COVID-19 through informal, local mutual aid groups to support one another at this time[8]. Help could involve activities from delivering groceries, running errands to the shops, and making welfare phone calls to provide a friendly voice of reassurance.It is important to point out that the concept of unpaid work and volunteering are not culturally universal. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) notes differences in conceptual understandings between Western concepts of formal volunteering (conducted within an organisation or formal setting) and local, Indigenous, non-Western, culturally distinct notions of informal volunteering (practiced independently from organisations as expressions of community, cultural participation and humanitarian conscience)[9]. This is another reason for informal volunteering being harder to measure than formal volunteering.

Unpaid work and volunteering in Pacific communities

The Western definition and scope of ‘volunteering’ and decisions around the measurement of ‘unpaid work’ more generally do not apply to Pacific communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. The available administrative and survey data ‒ collected and held by Statistics New Zealand, for instance ‒ do not capture broad aspects of unpaid work in these communities. On top of the general lack of data, very little research has been conducted on Pacific peoples’ perspectives about and participation in unpaid work and volunteering; there is a significant data gap[10].In one of the very few available studies, in 2021 the Ministry for Pacific Peoples explored the concept of volunteering and unpaid work for Pacific people. This research indicated very high engagement of Pacific peoples in unpaid work; 97% of Pacific peoples spend an average of 33 hours per week per person on unpaid work and volunteering.The concept of volunteering was found to be embedded in the Pacific culture, and love was the primary reason for Pacific people to participate in unpaid work and volunteering activities. Pacific people believed that participation in unpaid and voluntary work was part of their hospitality across the community[11]. The findings also indicated participating in unpaid work and volunteering helped Pacific people to fulfil cyclical and relational connections to ancestors, present relationships, and for future generations. Unpaid work and volunteering were described as a sense of responsibility and humility to help the community without the expectation of anything in return.This study also revealed that for Pacific people, participation in unpaid work and volunteering is a blessing, is driven by faith and spirituality, and is performed with grace and gratitude. A broad range of motivations were discovered for engaging in unpaid work by Pacific people; for instance, personal roles (Turanga), and community roles (Piri’anga), professional roles, performing household chores and domestic duties, passing on cultural knowledge, looking after the wellbeing of others, sharing resources, caregiving, and providing financial assistance. The findings also revealed that the Pacific community was able to quickly move community, church, and social events to online platforms to stay connected after the COVID-19 pandemic[12].

Gaps in official data

The findings of the Ministry for Pacific Peoples’ study and Volunteering New Zealand’s environmental scans illustrate the data on unpaid work and volunteering in Aotearoa New Zealand is not capturing the contribution of different communities including the Pacific community. While official data only measures unpaid activities using time spent, ethnic communities ‒ such as Pacific peoples ‒ have different ways of providing their communities with time, logistical resources, and financial resources. This contribution is currently not being measured and accounted for; further studies are required.Footnotes[1] Jo Goodhew, Volunteer Sector worth billions to New Zealand, Volunteer Sector worth billions to New Zealand | Beehive.govt.nz[2] Einolf, Christopher, Lionel Prouteau, Tamara Nezhina, and Aigerim R. Ibrayeva. Informal, unorganized volunteering. In The Palgrave handbook of volunteering, civic participation, and non-profit associations, pp. 223-241. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2016.[3] State of Volunteering 2020, https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/F_SOV-Report2020_Single-Pages_1July.pdf[4] Melanie Randle & Samantha Reis, Episodic Volunteering: A rapid literature review https://www.volunteering.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/662629/Episodic-volunteering-A-rapid-literature-review.pdf[5] Einolf, Christopher, Lionel Prouteau, Tamara Nezhina, and Aigerim R. Ibrayeva. Informal, unorganized volunteering.[6] 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report, Building Equal and Inclusive Societies, https://swvr2022.unv.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/UNV_SWVR_2022.pdf[7] Einolf, Christopher, Lionel Prouteau, Tamara Nezhina, and Aigerim R. Ibrayeva. Informal, unorganized volunteering.[8] 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report[9] IFRC (2015). Global Review on Volunteering Report. Geneva: IFRC. Retrieved from: https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/Global-Review-on-Volunteering-Report_EN.pdf[10] Su’a Thomsen, Jaz Tavita, (2018). A Pacific Perspective on the Living Standards Framework and Wellbeing. New Zealand Treasury Discussion Papers 18/09. Retrieved from: https://www.treasury.govt.nz/publications/dp/dp-18-09[11] Pacific Economy Research Report on Unpaid Work and Volunteering in Aotearoa, https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Reports/Pacific-Economy-Research-Report-on-Unpaid-Work-and-Volunteering-in-Aotearoa.pdf[12] Ibid.

1. Request a police vetting check. Police vetting is a common way to check information held about a person on the police’s database, such as criminal convictions or a family violence report. The applicant must provide written consent for an organisation to request a police vetting check. The Police may also provide information relating to any violent or sexual behaviours of the person being vetted, which may not have resulted in a conviction, as well as information about any interactions with the Police. Note that a police vetting check is not a complete background check so you may need to use other vetting procedures. You should also be aware that under Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004, a person may be allowed to conceal their criminal record if they meet certain criteria. These criteria include requiring that the person has completed a rehabilitation period and that the person has not been given a custodial (i.e. prison) sentence. If a person is eligible under the scheme, their record is wiped “clean”. This means that they can say they do not have any convictions on their Ministry Of Justice or Police check. Find out more about Police vetting applications online.
2. Obtain a criminal record. A police vetting check is not a criminal check, so you may also want to request a criminal record. As a third party, you can seek the applicant’s permission to view their criminal record.
3. Check the applicant’s references. You may ask the applicant to provide contact details for referees (it is standard to ask for two referees). Referees should not be family members or partners of the applicant and should have known the applicant for a minimum period (e.g. two years). It may be helpful for you to establish a standardised process for carrying out reference checks and having a list of relevant questions for referees ready.
4. Check information publicly available about the applicant online. You may wish to do an Internet search on the applicant to see what information about the applicant is available online.
5. Undertake a group assessment. If necessary, it may be useful to carry out a group interview to develop an even deeper understanding of the applicant.

Designing a vetting procedureIt is important to design a vetting procedure that is appropriate for your organisation and your clients, and the type of work carried out by your volunteers. It may not be necessary for you to carry out all of the vetting procedures above. The more vulnerable your clients are, the more thorough your background check needs to be.Ensure your organisation has a systematic way of dealing with background checks of applicants. In this way, you will protect your service users and your staff, as well as the reputation of your organisation and brand.See: Vetting volunteers: why it's important and some tips for doing it.

The 2022 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report: Building Equal and Inclusive Societies has recently been released by the United Nations Volunteers.The report highlights the vital role of partnerships to address the most pressing challenges now facing countries and regions. The report explores how volunteers collaborate with people in government, 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 grounds of volunteerism and provides insights on how volunteerism is linked to human rights.

Key findings

The findings of the report show that:

• volunteerism can promote a culture of collaborative decision-making. Through shaping and prioritising issues that are important to them and their communities, volunteers contribute to outcomes that are relevant and responsive to the needs of communities.
• volunteerism can alter unequal power relations between people and government.
• volunteerism offers diverse pathways to civic participation but remains unequal which means there are limited opportunities for some groups.
• volunteers are often in the unique position of brokering relationships between service providers and service users. Volunteers act as mediators between marginalised groups and people in government.

Informal volunteering

The report highlights the importance of informal volunteering with 14.3% participation globally; while 6.5% of working-age people worldwide engage in formal volunteering via an organisation or association. Informal volunteering occurs directly between individuals and communities without being mediated by an organisation.During the COVID-19 pandemic, informal, spontaneous, people-to-people volunteering has endured. Communities have continued to respond to the crisis in significant ways, despite limited mobility and resources. While the need for volunteers has increased, pandemic-related challenges have reduced volunteer engagement in many countries. Some volunteer groups have changed their approach as the crisis has evolved.

Shift in meaning of volunteering

The report also explores a shift in the definition of volunteering and how volunteering is a complex concept that means different things to different people. Cultural and community-based values influence how volunteering is practiced and the spread of new technology has diversified the ways in which volunteers contribute and gather. Informal, community-based, episodic and spontaneous volunteering are also increasingly recognised. These forms of volunteering challenge the popular view that volunteering only happens within an organisation. This new model of volunteering takes a broad view of volunteering. Previously, the characteristics of volunteering were precisely defined. However, in the new model, volunteering is defined according to five components, each representing a dimension of volunteer action. These are not mutually exclusive.

The components of volunteer action are:

• structure (formal and/or informal)
• site (online and/or offline)
• intensity (episodic and/ or regular)
• aspiration (self-building and/or community-building)
• category (service, mutual aid, participation, campaigning and leisure).

Social contract in volunteerism

The report explores the idea of the social contract in the volunteerism domain. Social contracts are dynamic: the relationships between people and government, and the power dynamics between them, continue to shift in response to new challenges such as aging, gender inequalities and climate change.The report says that volunteerism can play a fundamental role in building and strengthening people-government relationships and help build more equal and inclusive societies.The social contract in the volunteerism domain is based on three priorities:

• ensure human rights for all by extending social contracts to marginalised sectors of the society
• be inclusive and recognise multiple inequalities that act as barriers to the engagement of certain groups
• protect the planet, ecological processes, and people’s relationship with nature.

Volunteer engagement and inclusion

Volunteering is an essential component in the co-production of services. Volunteers and people in government can leverage the partnerships for mutually beneficial outcomes.The report suggests engaging volunteers from marginalised communities (e.g. rural women, peasant farmers, indigenous groups) in decision-making can contribute to long-term and sustainable solutions and ensure ownership in development. Volunteer participation, either directly or through representatives from the volunteer-involving organisations, enables inclusion and voice in society. Volunteers can generate new ideas to solve community challenges. The innovations facilitated by volunteers can lead to social transformations by changing social norms, attitudes and values, and lead to more sustainable outcomes.Finally, the report provides several case studies from five regions: Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Arab States, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Policy recommendations

Based on this evidence, the report recommends policies to support action and collaboration between decision-makers and volunteers, volunteer-involving organisations, and their wider communities.These include the need to:

• address barriers faced by marginalised groups in volunteering
• leverage partnerships through volunteering
• address gender-related volunteering inequalities
• leverage volunteers’ expertise, knowledge and experiences
• promote social innovation
• recognise informal volunteers’ work and contributions
• invest in volunteer data collection and, research and measurement.

The Community Sector Engagement Group met with the Hon Priyanca Radhakrishnan, Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, via Zoom on 3 November 2021.Volunteering New Zealand is a representative on this sector engagement group, which meets regularly with our Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector.Based on our conversations with sector stakeholders, we shared sector-wide challenges facing operationalising vaccination mandates and other rules in a continually changing landscape. We also noted the opportunity for the language and framing used to be more inclusive of our sector, particularly for volunteers!Other discussion points from the meeting that we can share with you include:

• The Minister has asked the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) to investigate and produce options regarding the Government’s role in supporting, promoting, and recognising the value of volunteering.
• DIA recently undertook a review of the current state of community funding. Key findings included that the system lacks cohesion and is difficult to navigate, and all communities are not being supported equitably. The next step is to consider how Crown and Lottery funding could evolve to respond to these findings.
• Minister Radhakrishnan raised the fact that the Government is aware of the impacts of COVID-19 on social cohesion. The Minister is leading some work across government looking at opportunities to strengthen social cohesion.
• She noted that the COVID-19 Hauora Wellbeing Survey led by Hui E! Community Aotearoa and Volunteering NZ would be available online from early December 2021 (now released, see below).
• The issue of consultation fatigue was discussed, with government agencies looking for input from the sector across a broad range of issues. The concept of a bi-annual engagement platform was tabled. DIA undertook to investigate this.
• The Minister and sector representatives confirmed the usefulness of this engagement group and agreed to meet quarterly. The group also discussed the importance of ensuring that the group represents the diversity of the community and voluntary sector.

Hauora Wellbeing Survey released

The Hauora Wellbeing Survey research was released on Monday, 29th of November. The survey showed the sector is experiencing increased demand for its services from stressed communities. But the demand has not been met with increased funding from government and the philanthropic sector, and the challenges are starting to wear down workers and volunteers. It was a follow-up of a 2020 survey which showed similar trends, and included focus groups with organisations caring for Māori, Pasifika, migrant and refugee-background, and disabled communities. Read more here:

• Read the press release, November 29, 2021
• Read the summary report (PDF, 690kb)
• Read the full report (PDF, 2MB)

By Matthew Goldsworthy: Incoming Youth Board member, Volunteering New Zealand

Young people across the world are demanding change. From School Strike for Climate to the Black Lives Matter movement, youth have clear aspirations for our future, and feel intensely the burden of the challenges we collectively face. It is perhaps not a surprise then that youth activism and participation in social issues is on the rise. However, young people’s views and participation in activities that promote change are often seen in isolation on a news segment or at an awards ceremony, with no real pathway to systems-level change. There are also systemic barriers in place - such as risk of social conflict and self-doubt - that make it difficult for young people to contribute to these conversations if there aren’t channels in place for safe communication of their ideas. It is up to us to bring young people into all conversations about our future, because this is their future.

Valuing lived experience

I’ve often heard people say that youth don’t have enough experience when justifying why they aren’t directly involved in decision-making processes. While that might be the case in the traditional sense of the word in which wisdom directly corresponds to age and career portfolio, more work needs to be done to expand our understanding of ‘experience’. In fact, my vote is to throw out the term ‘experience’ altogether and replace it with ‘lived experience’. Lived experience is all about valuing perspectives not just because of status, but rather by diversity of thinking and unique positionality. This isn’t to discount ‘traditional’ experience and wisdom, but rather view it through a different lens that invites participation from members of society that may not hold a position of traditional power or status. This is especially important when considering youth, most of whom haven’t had the time or opportunity to pursue careers that might deem them valuable in more important discussions and situations, but who have exceptionally close connections to communities and social issues.

Young minds breed curiosity and innovation

Young people have an innate ability to advocate for a better world, free from the indoctrination of structure and hierarchies that are thrust upon us more and more as we grow older. This is where creativity thrives; a young mind is a space that breeds curiosity and innovation. Rather than thinking within the box, young people teach us how to imagine a better future beyond the boundaries we often subconsciously impose on ourselves and others. From a business perspective, today’s youth are hyper-aware of brand messaging, cultural climates and current trends, mainly due to the rapidly digestible information found on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Organisations of all forms need to understand today’s social climate - which is predominantly based in the digital world - if they are to stay relevant. Youth are perfectly positioned to advise on this due to their digital nativity, brand loyalty, consumer habits and close proximity to the fast-paced world of changing social attitudes and expectations.

By community, for community, initiatives

Here in Aotearoa, we are seeing young people more actively invited into positions where their unique lived experiences are not only valued, but prioritised. In 2019, Foundation North launched a rangatahi-led fund called the Pacific Youth Future Makers Fund, supporting projects that benefit Pacific communities in South Auckland and empower young people. More recently, ‘Hear Me See Me’ was launched - a campaign designed with and for young people to share challenges they've faced growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand and what did, or could have, helped them. These are true ‘by community, for community’ initiatives that should be modelled across other sectors as an authentic way to empower young people to make decisions and create change that impacts their own communities. By providing rangatahi with a platform to create change with resources that are often inaccessible, such as access to professional networks and funding, we are reducing inequities within often hierarchical, top-heavy systems and promoting community-led impact. This is the future of social change.

Listen with an open mind

If you’re a leader, an executive, a board member - anyone who has any form of responsibility - I encourage you to invite young people into your conversations. Whether it’s in governance or in operations, ask their opinions and listen with an open mind. Embrace the curiosity and creativity that comes from working with youth. That’s what we’re doing here at Volunteering New Zealand through our Youth Working Group and youth board positions, and we hope that this will inspire others to invite youth to participate in their important mahi. Young people are already making waves and telling us what future they want - it’s up to us to listen.I am incredibly honoured to join the Volunteering New Zealand whānau as a youth board member, and feel the responsibility that this position carries. I look forward to working with communities across the motu to advocate for rangatahi participation in all aspects of mahi aroha; from local marae, sports centres and arts events to the boardroom.Ngā mihi nui,Matthew