Red Cross stories
Red Cross stories
Read our stories filled with humanity, resilience and the spirit of volunteering. They show how your support is helping vulnerable people in New Zealand and around the world.
19 March 2024
Variety the secret to a great meal
For a man in his 90th year, Ron Donnelly is committed to keeping active. He still has his driver’s licence, talks or texts his two children nearly every day and retains a sharp wit. And through Meals on Wheels, Ron gets something he deems just as important – “variety”.
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19 March 2024
Baghdad to Baldwin Street – the Imran family journey
As Jaafar Imran recalls this chilling warning, it is hard to imagine the struggles the family went through to begin a new life in New Zealand. Along with his wife, Ghusoon Khasmir, and four children – Sajjad, Mustafa, Murtadha and Fatimah – Jaafar recently celebrated his one year Kiwi anniversary, settling into their new lives in Dunedin.
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15 March 2024
Helping generations
Many of the homes in the small Hawke’s Bay community of Waiohiki have stayed in the same family for generations. Kiriana Laison is the fourth generation of her family to live in her home – her children are the fifth. The night flooding from Cyclone Gabrielle arrived, Kiriana was worried she had not only lost her home but her entire community – and her family.
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9 February 2024
A year on: Full $28.5 million committed to community disaster relief
Update 15: A year after Cyclone Gabrielle and other severe weather events in early 2023 we’ve committed the entire New Zealand Disaster Fund to helping people and communities affected.
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30 January 2024
National Awards recognise exceptional service in Cyclone Gabrielle response
It’s pretty hard to mobilise the power of humanity without human beings. That’s why every year we recognise the service of our people through national honours and awards.
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