Notes from the Volunteering New Zealand conference
A few days in Rotorua with the people who make volunteering happen across Aotearoa.
Published October 2026
We were in Rotorua recently for the Volunteering New Zealand conference. We met a lot of organisations doing great work with volunteers, and came away with plenty to think about.
The number that stayed with us
One stat from Shamubeel Eaqub's talk: the share of Kiwis who often feel isolated went from 1% in 2010 to 14% in 2025. People who get involved in a group feel more connected, so making volunteering easier to start matters more than ever.
For anyone building for volunteers, that's the job in a sentence. Every extra field on a sign-up form, every unclear next step and every slow reply is a reason someone doesn't make it to their first shift. Getting people from “I'd like to help” to turning up should be as short as we can make it.
Thank you
Big thanks to Michelle Kitney and the Volunteering New Zealand | Tūao Aotearoa team for bringing the sector together, and to Eddie Rakanui for a great job as MC.
2026 is the International Year of Volunteers. If you're thinking about volunteering, there's no better year to start: find something near you at Volunteering New Zealand.
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