Volunteering Auckland

Franchise Feasibility Study

2012-01-20T11:29:00.001+13:00

Are you an individual or small team looking for a community project where you can really add value to a community organisation? Are you interested in issues relating to older people? This Not for Profit organisation is wanting to explore the possibilities of establishing a franchise business to supplement the grants and donations they currently receive.

If you have good commercial analytical skills, accounting knowledge, have written business plans and carried out swot analysis then your skills would be greatly appreciated.

Volunteers: 1 - 3
Dates: Flexible
Location: Flexible

Community Path and Cafe Promotion

2012-01-20T11:09:00.001+13:00

Are your team committed to helping young people in the community? Youthline Manukau has recently finished building a new youth centre and cafe. The centre is a focal point in the community for youth services. The attached community Cafe is a key part of the success of the centre.

Youthline also envisage building a ‘donors’ pathway and want to get local businesses involved.
They are currently looking for a team to help promote the centre and pathway through a mail box drop.

Volunteers: 5 - 20
Dates: March
Location: Manukau

Pine Cones for Primates

2012-01-20T10:46:00.001+13:00

Can your team help out and collect pine cones for the Zoo’s enrichment programme for primates. The Zoo needs your support to collect pine cones as part of their primate enrichment programme. The pinecones are stuffed with different sorts of food and provided as an activity for the animals to complete. These activities add immensely to the quality of life of the primates at the zoo

Only open pine cones are useful for this programme. The bags of pine cones would need to be brought to the Zoo either in bags or in a trailer where teams would get a demonstration of how and where they are used.

Volunteers: 3-10
Dates: Flexible
Venue: Woodhill Forest or other area wooded area with pine cones and then Auckland Zoo.

Red Cross Annual Street Appeal

2011-12-12T07:34:00.001+13:00

The Red Cross is a well established organisation supporting thousands of kiwis in need each year. Programmes in Auckland include Breakfasts in School, Meals on Wheels as well as teaching first aid.

They are currently looking for volunteers to assist with their street collections in March 2012. The funds collected from the appeal will go toward the continued help that the Red Cross provides to people in need.

Volunteers: 2 - 50
Dates: 16th March 2012
Area: Greater Auckland

Texting for Seniors

2011-12-09T08:02:00.000+13:00

Age Concern Counties Manukau is a not for profit NGO that promotes the rights and well being of older people in Counties Manukau. Mobile Madness is the latest service.The land line phones are running hot with older people keen to learn how to use that small but frustrating (to them!), little electronic device, known as a mobile phone.

'Texting for Seniors' is a basic workshop to help seniors join the text generation. They receive 1 on 1 tutoring with a buddy, who helps them explore how to use their cell phone, from the basics to texting to using the camera - if their phone has that feature. You need to have patience and a sense of humour! The older people are very appreciative of the time that the youngsters give them and are thrilled to learn a new skill. The is a very relaxed and laid back session. Morning tea is provided and all buddies receive a laminated certificate of appreciation that can be used in a CV.

Volunteers: 5 -15
Dates: March 8th
March 15th
Location: Papatoetoe

Ko Te Pukaki Project

2011-12-09T07:35:00.001+13:00

Is your team keen to volunteer outdoors, close to the city, in a fantastic historical and natural environment? Then Ngati Whatua o Orakei invite you to come and help them return 35 hectares of their land at Bastion Point back to ngahere (its original state of forest).

Ngati Whatua o Orakei are a hapu of the wider Ngati Whatua iwi located in and around Tamaki isthmus and New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland. For the last 10 years they have been working toward re-establishing lush native bush for everyone in the community to enjoy. More than 140,000 trees have been planted to date. Come and contribute to the vision.

Volunteers: 5 - 50
Dates: Flexible
Area: Orakei

Project Fence It

2011-11-02T19:20:00.000+13:00

Are your team interested in mucking in to help a school? Ohehunga Primary School aspires to provide for the highest quality learning in a safe, caring environment which values diversity and prepares students for an ever changing world.

This project provides an opportunity for a team to get out and do some physical labour, have fun and provide a valuable service in the community. The school needs a team to help build a fence around part of their garden. You would be digging holes and putting in posts and/or putting up fencing.

Volunteers: 6 - 12
Dates: Flexible
Area: Onehunga

One on One Microsoft Up-skilling

2011-10-26T12:01:00.000+13:00

An organisation who works to support the rights of older people needs help training staff in Microsoft Office. This would be a one day project where a team would assist staff in becoming more familiar with Microsoft – in particular Office Outlook and Excel. Providing training would greatly enhance the organisations capacity to provide services to older people.

Date: Flexible
Time: 9am – 4pm
Number of Volunteers: 2 - 4
Location: Papatoetoe

A Brush with Kindness

2011-10-17T13:13:00.004+13:00

This is a home renovation and essential repair project for families who currently own their own homes but are struggling to maintain them through unfortunate circumstance and hardship. Some of these projects can be completed in a day or two and are good if you wish a beginning, middle and end to your build day. Jobs will include fencing to secure sight, clearing of trees to allow light into the home, roof and guttering repairs, demolition of unsafe structures etc. These projects are subject to availability.

For A Brush with Kindness projects we request that teams contribute to the materials they will be using for the day, such as paint, timber etc. This is never a huge amount but helps keep these projects sustainable.

Volunteers: 3 - 30
Dates: Flexible
Venue: Varied

Whau River Plant Care

2011-06-20T20:10:00.006+12:00

Volunteers are needed to help care for native plants that are struggling to fend off the weeds along the banks of the Whau River. These plants will help to stabilise the river bank and reduce water temperatures for native fish. They will also provide food and shelter for birds. Without weeding these plants will be swamped by exotic weeds such as kikuyu and bindweed.

Can your team help enhance the ecology of the urban environment while having a fun day out?

Volunteers: 6 – 30

Dates: Flexible
Area: Avondale/Kelston or New Lynn

Motuihe Restoration

2011-06-20T12:01:00.006+12:00

Does your team want to contribute to the restoration of a unique ecological environment in the Hauraki Gulf? Then come and spend the day volunteering on Motuihe Island.

At this time of year the programme has a primary focus on controlling highly evasive non native plants and clearing areas which will be planted with native trees. The volunteer coordinators are very knowledgeable and teams gain an insight into the ongoing work which aims to return New Zealand’s unique flora and fauna to the island.

Volunteers: 5-20
Dates: Flexible
Venue: Hauraki Gulf

Help Build a House

2011-06-20T11:51:00.004+12:00

Habitat for Humanity is a Christian, not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with people in need and others of goodwill to combine resources to achieve positive housing outcomes by building, renovating etc to provide decent, affordable places to live.

Teams would be assisting with the building of houses eg hammering, painting, digging. No experience is needed as full on site supervision is given. This project is a full day of fun and contribution away from the office.

Volunteers: 5 - 10
Dates: Flexible - 2 weeks notice required.
Area: South Auckland

Ecological Restoration - Kaipatiki Project

2011-06-20T11:35:00.002+12:00

Kaipatiki project is a community based organisation providing environmental education and nature restoration services. Located on the North Shore, Auckland they offer a wide range of environmental talks, workshops and support for the public, and education programs for schools and groups.

Come and get your hands dirty weeding, proporgating or feeding - all materials, training and fun provided!

Number of Volunteers: 5-70
Dates: Flexible, 2-4 weeks notice required
Area: Birkdale, North Shore

Forest Trails

2011-05-10T12:29:00.004+12:00

YMCA is looking for volunteers to assist with the maintenance of Woodhill Forest Equestrian Park. This work would include clearing tracks and trails of weeds and tree branches. The park provides opportunities for Pony Clubs, schools, families and individuals to enjoy an outdoor experience on horse back. This is a unique facility which contributes to community enjoyment of the natural environment.

Volunteers: 5-10
Dates: Fairly flexible - Monday to Friday (ongoing)
Area: Woodhill Forest

What are "Head, Hand and Heart" Projects?

2010-01-31T12:09:00.002+13:00

Types of Projects

“Head” Projects
E.g. – capacity building projects eg development of administrative and financial systems; development of measurement tools to measure impacts and quality of projects eg training workshops, etc; development of profiles for organisations to better market themselves including identifying and designing specific marketing tools and content eg development and design of community organization’s brochures, posters, display stands, etc; development of risk management evaluation tools; evaluating risks across community organisations eg funding, environmental, volunteers, contracts, finances, events, services, etc; development of risk management policies, etc.

“Hand” Projects
E.g. – spring and autumn planting, weeding, garden maintenance, painting – internal and external, animals [eg assisting with horses and people with disabilities], beach clean-ups, rubbish clean ups, walking track maintenance, spring cleaning, garage sale preparation, furniture bank – sorting and boxing household items, building houses, conservation projects, environmental restoration projects; marshals and assistants at one day community events, etc.

“Heart” Projects
E.g.– social activities with people eg having a ‘cuppa and a chat’, reading the newspaper, assisting with exercises, art & craft activities; going on day trips with clients; collecting on appeal days and awareness weeks; assisting with games days with people with disabilities or elderly, etc.

Areas Volunteering Auckland covers:
From Franklin [limited projects down here] to Rodney [limited projects up here] including the Gulf Islands and everywhere in between [lots of projects here!].

Volunteer Day at CanTeen

2009-09-30T10:03:00.001+13:00

On Wednesday 30 September 2009, the Human Capital team spent the day volunteering for CanTeen – an extraordinary organisation that exists to support young people and their families who are living with cancer. We were there to support their National Bandanna Challenge by helping to dispatch orders of bandanas and accompanying collateral to distributors around the country (so if you see a bandanna for sale, buy it, knowing that you’re supporting a great cause and that it could have been packed by H.C!)

The plan was dubious: we had two teams, a team of 9 to do the morning shift (9-12), and a team of 8 to do the afternoon shift (1-4), with an onsite meeting in the middle to have a shared lunch of pizza (which CanTeen kindly provided). But it worked….just! In the pouring rain, at 8.55am, the Morning Team made the obligatory “where the %$$@ are we?” call back to HQ. The intended destination was located on an industrial estate in Onehunga, concealed in a building called “Seamart”…obviously! Once inside they were greeted by the ever-cheerful Jenny Yee, the CanTeen coordinator, who, we learned, had been working with volunteer groups for the previous two weeks packing bandannas – amazing! During the day, she shared lots of inspiring stories with us of her experiences with young people living with cancer, which motivated us to investigate other ways we could support CanTeen through other volunteering activities in the future.

The afternoon group sauntered in just in time for lunch to a group of very serious-looking packers, looking super stylish in fluorescent orange vests. With a belly full of pizza, the afternoon group donned the sexy vests and set out to surpass the packing efforts of the morning group, which, by their accounts, they succeeded at doing! It was a great day overall and we enjoyed contributing to such a great cause.

PricewaterhouseCoopers - PCS Auckland gets physical

2009-02-26T10:19:00.001+13:00

After a few months of discussions, decisions and organising the Auckland PCS team (53 staff) headed off to Motuihe (pronounced Mo-to-he) Island for a day of volunteering on 26 February 2009.

As a bit of background, Motuihe Island is a recreation reserve in the Hauraki Gulf where a project is underway to restore the island to its natural environment complete with New Zealand flora and fauna. Volunteering on the island involves activities such as tree planting, weed control and nursery work.

The day was hot and sunny as the PCS team piled onto the ferry, wearing our volunteering t-shirts and carrying large chilly bins filled with the absolute necessities (bbq makings and liquid refreshments), and settled in for the trip to the island.

Arriving on the island we were met with fantastic scenery and beautiful beaches, however before we could sit down and enjoy these, we needed to put in some hard work. We were given two options; we could either walk to the other end of the island to plant some trees or we could work in the nursery transplanting seedlings. Surprisingly, when you consider the hot sunny day and the fact that we are all accustomed to office work, the majority of the team opted for the hard manual labour of planting trees.

While the nursery team busied themselves in the cool shade of an old wool shed filling bags with potting soil and transferring seedlings into them, the planting team spent the morning traipsing over the island, digging holes and carrying and replanting trees.

After a long morning planting a record number of 1,500 trees and re-homing 800 seedlings, it was finally time for a late lunch. With the partners in charge of the bbq, the teams were finally able to get some relief from the heat by heading for the water and the still cold drinks in the chilly bins.

With spontaneous games of frisbie, touch and cricket starting up and some team members taking to the hills to collect seeds, we enjoyed a relaxing lunch before heading back along the beach to catch the ferry home.

Tired bodies, red faces and lagging feet made their way to the ferry for the trip back to Auckland with everyone remarking that it had been a really good day and that they would gladly go back to do it again.

It just goes to show, that contrary to popular belief accountants are able to get out there and do some hard labour in the great outdoors, especially if rewarded with some chilled drinks, a cooling swim and a sense of having helped the community.

Staff and partners from PricewaterhouseCoopers Auckland office have been volunteering at Motuihe Island for the last 2 years, starting with teams from Assurance. In 2008, teams from tax joined the restoration project and now in 2009, our colleagues in Advisory have also joined in. Collectively, we estimate PwC people have planted close to 4,000 trees!

The work at Motuihe Island is guided by the Motuihe Trust, a charitable trust working closely with the Department of Conservation. The project was established in 2000 and its aim is to restore the ecosystem of Motuihe by the reintroduction of native plants and birds to create a recreation reserve which is freely accessible by visitors, such as ourselves. Other island reserves in the region such as Little Barrier and Tiritiri Matangi have restricted access, so Motuihe will be quite special in this respect.

This is a long term project and our work is contributing to a wonderful legacy for ourselves and future generations of Aucklanders. We should all be proud to be part of this project. For more information on the Motuihe Island Project visit http://www.motuihe.org.nz/motuihe/content.aspx?pageid=1