Media Release
21 June

Volunteers Speeding for Community Support

Volunteer managers converged on Wellington Zoo on Wednesday for a speed meeting event as part of Volunteer Awareness Week.

Wellington Zoo, Volunteer Wellington, Cancer Society Wellington, and the Wellington SPCA hosted 20 participants from 16 different volunteer organisations from the central and south eastern suburbs of Wellington to discuss how they can work together to build communities through volunteering.

“We invited people who manage volunteers and rely on their support to help their organisations,” explained Gemma Stewart, Volunteer Manager at Wellington Zoo. “The idea was that we could match people up with a mentor, with someone who can help them out with challenges they face in their role and help to share resources.”

“Volunteers build resilient communities,” said Julie Thompson, Volunteer Wellington’s Co-manager. “With over 1.4 million New Zealanders donating their time to help others, it is essential that we have good volunteer management to ensure that time is used in the most effective way.”

After a welcoming morning tea, the group got to work – mixing, mingling, and meeting their peers to discover what their roles covered, and where they could help one another out.

“We want to build a community of support among volunteer managers, so that they have the best tools to build their communities through volunteers,” said Gemma. “This forum is a great way to establish peer support, and help develop new ideas and knowledge within the field.”

The participants were buzzing, and found it a great way to understand more about the experiences their peers have in the volunteer world.

“We definitely got the result we were after, with feedback that it was really encouraging and energising,” shared Gemma. “It’s rewarding to see how getting this group together is creating strong bonds for future collaborations together.”

Volunteer Awareness Week is an annual event coordinated nationally by Volunteering New Zealand, celebrating volunteers, volunteerism and civic participation.

Wellington Zoo is a charitable trust principally funded by the Wellington City Council

ENDS