National Volunteer Week - 18 to 24 June 2017
This year's theme is "Live, laugh, share -- Volunteer" or "Kia ringa hora: Me mahi tūao." This positive message is about celebrating what volunteers bring to their communities. It is important to recognise volunteering and the place it has in keeping our communities strong and healthy.
The benefits of being a volunteer are well-documented. There's better health and the feel-good endorphins that volunteering releases; around how volunteering can help with job prospects; and other health benefits such as extending longevity and reducing depression in many people. As poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, It is one of the beautiful compensations of life that no man can sincerely help another without helping himself.
National Volunteer Week is a great opportunity to start volunteering or, if you already volunteer, it's a great time to invite a friend to join you. The positive message for the Week celebrates the joy that volunteers bring to their communities. It also reminds us that volunteers reap the reward of a happier, more engaged life because they feel connected to their communities.
“Volunteers do not necessarily have the time; they just have the heart.” — Elizabeth Andrew
I would like to use this opportunity to recognise the huge amount of work done by just over 100 Volunteers for the Christchurch Area Citizens Advice Bureau (3 Branches and 2 satellites). There is extensive training to start with and then they commit to on going training to keep up to date. I am in awe of the service you provide with diligence, care, sympathy and empathy to help anyone who seeks out assistance.
www.nationalvolunteerweek.nz...
www.cab.org.nz...
Some Choice News!
DOC is rolling out a new tool to help figure out what to tackle first when it comes to protecting our threatened species and the things putting them at risk.
Why does this matter? As Nikki Macdonald from The Post points out, we’re a country with around 4,400 threatened species. With limited time and funding, conservation has always meant making tough calls about what gets attention first.
For the first time, DOC has put real numbers around what it would take to do everything needed to properly safeguard our unique natural environment. The new BioInvest tool shows the scale of the challenge: 310,177 actions across 28,007 sites.
Now that we can see the full picture, it brings the big question into focus: how much do we, as Kiwis, truly value protecting nature — and what are we prepared to invest to make it happen?
We hope this brings a smile!
Have you got New Zealand's best shed? Show us and win!
Once again, Resene and NZ Gardener are on the hunt for New Zealand’s best shed! Send in the photos and the stories behind your man caves, she sheds, clever upcycled spaces, potty potting sheds and colourful chicken coops. The Resene Shed of the Year 2026 winner receives $1000 Resene ColorShop voucher, a $908 large Vegepod Starter Pack and a one-year subscription to NZ Gardener. To enter, tell us in writing (no more than 500 words) why your garden shed is New Zealand’s best, and send up to five high-quality photos by email to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. Entries close February 23, 2026.
Share your favourite main crop potato recipe and win a copy of our mag!
Love potatoes? We will give away free copies of the May 2026 issue to readers whose potato recipes are used in our magazine. To be in the running, make sure you email your family's favourite way to enjoy potatoes: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, by March 1, 2026.
Loading…
