News and updates

It can be hard to keep up to date with everything that is going on. This page has information about all our communication channels. 

Keeping up to date

This website is the best place to keep up to date. You can:

• See our current appeals
• Find out where volunteers are needed right now
• Access tools and guidance for volunteers, including health, safety and wellbeing support
• Learn about induction and training opportunities
• Find contact details for area councils, branches and groups 
• See our fundraising events calendar
• Share our stories with your friends and whānau

We communicate regularly to all our members and volunteers via email. When you join as a member we add you to our mailing list.

• View our Privacy and Disclaimer Statement

Fundraising

Take part in Red Cross Journey 2025

See our new range of resources available for planning your next fundraising event:

Planning your fundraising event

Red Cross members, volunteers and employees can also access a branch fundraising toolkit:

Branch fundraising toolkit (PDF, 16MB)

Disaster and emergency support

Myanmar Earthquake Appeal

We’ve launched an appeal to support those affected by the devastating earthquake in Myanmar.

Donations raised will support the efforts of Red Cross Red Crescent teams through the response and recovery, helping to provide urgent relief such as temporary shelter and emergency supplies.

The damage to people’s lives and livelihoods from the 7.7 magnitude earthquake on Friday 28 March, and subsequent aftershocks, is immense. The quakes caused widespread damage, loss of life, and left many injured, and in need of food, shelter and medical assistance.

The situation is still developing, and humanitarian aid is urgently needed. Our thoughts are with all the people affected by this devastating earthquake.

Key links

• Donate via our appeal webpage: Myanmar Earthquakes Appeal
• Share this appeal webpage link: redcross.org.nz/myanmar-quake
• Create your own fundraiser: Red Cross Raisely webpage

Key resources

• Email banner/header (PNG, 730KB)
• Email signature (PNG, KMB)
  (open and right-click to 'save image' and then add to your email)

• Poster with QR code and appeal webpage link (PDF, 3.1MB)
• Poster with QR code (PDF, 3.2MB)

See all our current appeals

New Zealand Disaster Fund

See a full breakdown of how the Fund was spent and its impact, read stories on the Cyclone Gabrielle response and recovery, and find information on mental health training and caring for yourself and others during an emergency.

Visit our New Zealand Disaster Fund hub

Good and Ready Essentials – a step-by-step guide to preparedness

Disasters and emergencies can strike Aotearoa New Zealand at any time, without warning. It is important for us, as members of the New Zealand Red Cross, to be well prepared. When we are prepared we can continue to assist those in need during an emergency or disaster, and helps us and our households to cope. 

Visit the New Zealand Red Cross Good and Ready webpage:

Prepare for a disaster – get Good and Ready

We encourage you to complete all the steps on the page so that we all have a plan and know what to do when an emergency or disaster strikes. Good and Ready connects to NEMA disaster preparedness resources, which are available in a variety of languages.

We’ve switched off the Hazard App

From 2015, the Hazard App was available publicly to support communities before, during and after disasters. The app was able to issue hazard alerts.

Since then, there have been many changes in New Zealand’s approach to hazard alerting and there are now a range of ways people can stay informed during emergencies.

Find out more

Learning and development courses

DNA of the Red Cross

DNA of the Red Cross is a workshop to introduce people to the ‘building blocks of the Red Cross’ – humanitarian law, our Fundamental Principles, and the values that underpin the wider Movement. 

We hold workshops around twice a year.

Find out about these workshops

Health, safety, and wellbeing

2025 Influenza (flu) vaccinations

New Zealand Red Cross is offering of flu vaccinations for our people in 2025. Getting a flu vaccination gives you the best protection against the flu this winter.

Our Health, Safety and Wellbeing page has more information about how our members can register for a flu vaccination voucher.

Visit our Health, Safety and Wellbeing resources page 

Get involved

If you want to contribute to building a positive culture around health, safety, and wellbeing at Red Cross, then we need you!

Everyone has a role to play in making sure Red Cross is a healthy and safe place to work and participate in volunteering activities.

Expressions of interest are available for those who want to get involved and support health, safety, and wellbeing in your volunteering activity group.

Visit our health, safety and wellbeing webpage for more

Our EAP provider - TELUS Health

We changed to a new Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) provider TELUS Health on 1 November 2023 to provide a more comprehensive range of mental health and wellbeing resources to our people. For further details and how to access this support, or to find out what to do if you are currently accessing EAP through the previous provider, please visit the volunteers page on our website. 

Health, safety and wellbeing resources

Guidelines on returning to work or volunteering after injury or illness

Rehabilitation and return to work or volunteering activities guidelines Oct 2023 (PDF file, 249KB)

What's new in our Regulations

Between March and November 2024, we reviewed the Members’ Handbook and created our new Regulations document. We've put together an outline of what we heard during consultation rounds and how our Regulations have changed to reflect your feedback.

What's new in our Regulations (PDF, 137KB)

Realising 2030

Realising 2030 is our plan to deliver the changes that will make Strategy 2030 possible. One of the first visible changes is the establishment of a new area model on 1 July 2023.

Find out details of the new areas

Regular publications

Inside RED is distributed monthly by email and is for members, volunteers and staff. We email a copy to members and volunteers.  If you haven't been receiving 'Inside RED' you can sign up.

Sign up for Inside RED

IHL Champions Newsletter is prepared by international humanitarian law volunteers and our IHL Principal Advisor and distributed bimonthly by email. Sign up to get these newsletters straight into your inbox.

Get IHL Champions Newsletter

Social media channels

To make the most of keeping up-to-date with everything going on in Red Cross around Aotearoa, follow us on our social media channels – links are at the bottom of this page in the footer. 

If you're sharing our content on social media you need to be familiar with our media and social media policies.

• Media Policy, PDF
• Social Media Policy, PDF

Intranet

Branch presidents, area council chairs, and their deputies can log in to the Intranet to access updates for office holders, file committee meeting minutes, and access online dashboards that show the latest membership data.

Information about logging in to the Intranet