Volunteer Nelson

22/07/2026

Accessibility Expo coming up 13 September 10am-3pm, Trafalgar Centre, Nelson. Free Entry! Please share with others.

21/07/2026

🌟 Do you know an inspiring young volunteer?

Young people across Te Tauihu are making a real difference every day – supporting their communities, caring for the environment, helping others and showing that volunteering has no age limit.

The new National Youth Volunteer Awards, launched by Volunteering New Zealand with support from the Department of Internal Affairs, are celebrating rangatahi aged 12–24 whose mahi aroha, service and volunteering are creating positive change across Aotearoa.

Whether they're leading a youth group, protecting the environment, mentoring others, or quietly helping behind the scenes, there's an award category to recognise their contribution.

🏆 Award categories include:
💚 Unsung Hero
🌿 Kaitiakitanga (Environmental Action)
🤝 Future Leader / Tuakana
👥 Youth Group of the Year

At Volunteer Nelson, we're passionate about helping young people discover the value of volunteering through our Rangatahi in the Community programme. We see every day how volunteering builds confidence, develops skills, creates connections and strengthens communities.

If you know a young person or youth-led group whose volunteering deserves to be celebrated, now is the perfect time to nominate them.

📅 Nominations close 30 August 2026.

Let's celebrate the next generation of volunteers and the difference they're making across Aotearoa. 💙

Celebrate rangatahi whose mahi aroha, service or volunteering is making a difference for people, communities and the environment across Aotearoa New Zealand.

21/07/2026

🌟 Do you know an extraordinary volunteer who deserves national recognition? Every day, volunteers across Te Tauihu make our communities stronger, kinder and more connected. Now is your chance to shine a light on someone who's making a real difference.

The Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards – Ngā Tohu Pou Kōhure o Aotearoa are now accepting nominations for the 2027 Awards, including the Local Hero Award, celebrating people who make an outstanding contribution to their communities.

✨ Nominating someone takes just two minutes, and it could make a world of difference: nzawards.org.nz/nominate

📅 Nominations close 18 August 2026.

Whether it's someone who has volunteered for years, inspired positive change, or stepped up to support others, we'd love to see volunteers from our region recognised on the national stage.

Find out more, submit a nomination, and access helpful tips on writing a great nomination through the Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year Awards website: https://nzawards.org.nz/

Let's celebrate the incredible volunteers who make Nelson Tasman such a special place to live. 💙

21/07/2026

☕️🫖Come join in for a cuppa and chat at today's Wellby Talking Cafes.
Stoke (McCashins venue, 11-12.30) and Richmond (today temporarily taking place at Age Concern in Richmond, reverting back to Richmond Library for August and September) These both take place on the 4th Wednesday of each month. The cafes are for ANYONE and EVERYONE wanting or needing to connect with their community, find out what is happening in the area and region, catch up with new friends or just get out of the house and socialise! Birte looks forward to seeing you there. Find out more on www.wellby.org.nz or on our Wellby Facebook events page (for maps and more info)

Wellby is a community-led initiative that’s helping the people of Nelson Tasman to better connect to their communities, and improving their wellbeing.

30/06/2026

💙 Urgent Volunteers Needed – Warm Water Exercise Supervisor (more than one!)💙

Could you spare 1–2 Wednesdays a month to help people improve their mobility, fitness and wellbeing?

The Warm Water Exercise Group is looking for volunteer supervisors to provide occasional cover for existing volunteers. Sessions run Wednesdays from 12.15pm for around 1–1.5 hours, on an as-needed basis (not every week). The pool is closed for the long summer holidays.

This role would suit you if you are:
🏊 Confident in the water and physically able to support someone if required.
💙 Calm, observant, kind and reliable
📱 Comfortable using a mobile phone and email

✅ No first aid experience is needed – full training is provided by a hospital physiotherapist before you start, with annual refresher training.
🚗 Travel costs are reimbursed (up to $10 per session).

You'll be helping people stay active, build confidence and enjoy the social connection that the Warm Water Exercise Group provides. It is not a life-saver role and there is a team to call for help if ever needed.

Find out more and apply via the link below.

https://seekvolunteer.co.nz/volunteering/123887

18/06/2026

Big thank you to Nelson Weekly and Waimea Weekly at TSM for their continued support recognising volunteers and celebrating volunteering in Nelson Tasman each year during - in the way of a double-page spread in our local weekly papers. Over 60% of Nelson Tasman residents volunteer and our region would not function effectively without them. Nelson Mayor Hon Dr Nick Smith who helped fund - and spoke at - our Mayor's Morning Tea for Volunteers earlier this week, said at the event that if you count up all the volunteer hours and calculated it at minimum wage rate, it would add up to $181 million $ value to our community. He added that if every volunteer went home, and the council had to cover the work they do and the efforts they put in, the council would have to put the rates up by 158%.

🥰So, thank you again to all volunteers for the tremendous selfless effort you put in (no matter how big or how small), and also to all those people, media and organisations helping cheer on our volunteers and spread the word about the work they and our community organisations are doing in our community. Every little bit counts - even neighbours offering to make a cup of tea, get groceries, walk a dog, etc. Your support has a ripple effect and we would not be the connected community without you!

Read the Top South Media article here if the photo is too small! (It's the centre spread, page 16 and 17 of the 17 June 2026 issue.)
https://www.topsouthnow.co.nz/editions/672f6a80-5d8b-46fd-9990-8c233cb9ea69

18/06/2026

Thank you for visiting us yesterday, Blair Cameron for Nelson Tasman and Erica, and for sharing kai with us at Volunteer Nelson and volunteers at Habitat for Humanity Nelson and The Buzz Nelson. We appreciated your questions about the volunteer sector, what the challenges are for 1000s of volunteers and the 100s of community focused organisations they serve, and about the programmes we are running with support from funders to connect our Nelson Tasman community - Seek Volunteer (recruitment), Volunteer Drop-In information sessions at our local libraries, the Wellby Talking Cafes across Nelson Tasman and the FOUND directory (for social and community connection and wellbeing) and our youth programme, Rangatahi in the Community for youth aged 16-24. We appreciate you and all those in our community helping to spread the word!

It’s National Volunteer Week!! So I popped in to Volunteer Nelson to drop off some morning tea and have a chat with Danielle, Gordon, Sarge (the office Labrador!), and Lindsay. The Volunteer Nelson team do great work connecting people with opportunities to volunteer, and supporting the organisations that rely on volunteers every week. If you want to find out about more volunteer opportunities in our community, the team is hosting drop in sessions at Nelson Libraries, check out their page for details.

One of the things I love about Nelson Tasman is how many people give their time to help others. Whether it is through sport, charity, community groups, conservation, events, emergency services, or just helping out where help is needed, our region runs on volunteers. A huge thank you to the awesome team at Coffee On Queen Richmond for providing the morning tea, we shared it with some of the volunteers at Habitat Hub Tāhunanui to recognise the important work they and all volunteers do.

To everyone who volunteers across Nelson Tasman, thank you. You make our community a much better place.

17/06/2026

Our sincere thanks to Mayor Nick Smith and the Nelson City Council for supporting our volunteer celebration and recognition event held at Founders Heritage Park yesterday - For providing funding towards the morning tea and for taking the time to personally acknowledge and thank the volunteers represented. We thank ALL Volunteers in our Nelson Tasman region who serve all our communities - many more than were able to celebrate with us this week. Mayor Hon Dr Nick Smith seen here with Fifeshire Foundation chair Peter Verstappen and a group photo at Founders Park yesterday!

17/06/2026

Thank you to Blair Kiddey The Breeze NZ for stopping in to see us at Volunteer Nelson today and chatting to our manager, Gordon Oldfield about National Volunteer Week. You are a fantastic champion of community organisations, volunteering and the people living in our Nelson Tasman Region. We are grateful for all you do to support us.