Our Disaster Welfare and Support Teams (DWST) respond to emergencies throughout Aotearoa New Zealand. Comprising 19 teams of highly committed, multi-skilled volunteers, DWST provides welfare support and psychological first aid to people impacted by disaster – which can be anything from earthquakes, floods and fires, to terrorist attacks.

June 2021 marks 70 years of New Zealand Red Cross Meals on Wheels service. The programme has developed in many ways over time, but the love and care from our volunteers have proven to be the lasting foundation.

Ten years have passed but Jaki George still vividly recalls 22 February 2011, the day a magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit her home in Christchurch.

There’s something magical about the 'book people' of Palmerston North, a huge team of volunteers who make the impressive Palmerston North Book Sale happen. For the last few years, they’ve been helping to give the gift of books to communities around the world as well.

The unlikeliest of friendships are often birthed out of common ground and interest. For Jenny and Dave Pullen, becoming Red Cross refugee support volunteers was in their common interest: to make new friends, both with other volunteers and the families they work with.