Partnerships

Volunteer South seeks to strengthen the community through impactul volunteering. Partnering with organisations with similar values or aims, enables us to have a broader, far reaching impact within our communities.

Reconnecting Seniors Network

The Reconnecting Seniors Network (formerly Champion for Older Persons Group) is made up of representatives from local agencies (including Community Networks Wānaka/LINK Upper Clutha, Age Concern, St John, Volunteer South, Queenstown Lakes District Council and Food for Love), community members and older adults.

The RSN aims to support the wellbeing of seniors in our community, helping them stay connected and involved in their local community.

In October 2022, the RSN received funding from Te Hau Toka to deliver a 12-month Reconnecting Seniors project, creating opportunities for older residents to connect, learn, and have fun throughout the Upper Clutha. This initiative has been extended and continue to support seniors in the Upper Clutha with a range of initiatives.

The project is being delivered by Community Networks Wānaka/LINK Upper Clutha. For more information, see their Community Development page.

Love Wānaka & Love Queenstown

Lake Wānaka Tourism and Destination Queenstown have launched new funding platforms that connect our visitors and visitor industry to environmental projects in our region. Through donations, investment and volunteer opportunities, Love Wānaka and Love Queenstown give all those who visit the chance to actively protect and regenerate our rohe (region). .

Each year, funds will be allocated to charitable organisations who are tackling the climate crisis at a local level – whether that’s through native revegetation, waterway protection, biodiversity enhancement, pest control, or waste minimization.

We are working with them to share meaningful volunteer opportunities and to ensure the volunteer experience is postive.

For more information, head to Love Wānaka or Love Queenstown

Social Impact Studio | UniCrew Volunteers

Kaitūao o te Taitonga | Volunteer South and UniCrew volunteers at the University of Otago have worked together to support volunteering in Ōtepoti | Dunedin city since 2015. We continue to work closely with Social Impact Studio and UniCrew - their flagship volunteer programme.

Volunteer South and Social Impact Studio both have a focus on supporting volunteer-involving organisations and encouraging people to volunteer in their community. In 2023 we partnered with them for Futureproof - a student led initiative exploring ways for organisations to be more welcoming and appealing to young volunteers.

• If you're promoting your volunteer role with Volunteer South, you'll automatically start promoting it with UniCrew volunteers.
• We're working together to increase the awareness of volunteering in the community which means double the visibility. Your roles can be featured in communications from both organisations - all you have to do is let us know.
• Emergencies get a more cohesive community-wide response: in the event of an emergency we'll work together to support a spontaneous volunteer response.

For more information about UniCrew volunteers, check out their website here. For Social Impact Studio, check out this information on the University of Otago's website here.

Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management

Kaitūao o te Taitonga | Volunteer South, Social Impact Studio and Otago Civil Defence have worked together across the Otago region since 2018 to respond to community emergencies.

In an emergency, Volunteer South will support Civil Defence by assisting with spontaneous volunteer recruitment. These spontaneous, emergent or community volunteers can be funneled through Volunteer South who can send them to the appropriate organisations and roles. In Dunedin, Social Impact Studio and Volunteer South will ensure this is done in a coordinated way so that our university students are also well supported.

For more information about Emergency Volunteering, head to our page here. For more information on Otago Civil Defence Emergency Management, head to their website here.