New Zealand spent the week of 14-20 June 2026 celebrating National Volunteer Week under the theme "Your Year to Volunteer — Tōu tau ki te tūao." It's a fitting message for the International Year of Volunteers, only the second the United Nations has ever declared.
The point of a year like this isn't a week of recognition and then back to normal. It's to convert goodwill into something durable — more people giving time, more often, to causes that need it.
From moment to habit
Awareness weeks are good at inspiring people and less good at keeping them. The volunteers who stick around are usually the ones who found a role that fit their life, not the ones who signed up to the biggest campaign.
That's the gap we're trying to close. Browse by region, by cause, or by how much time you can give. Start with one thing. See how it feels.
A year of small commitments
You don't have to overhaul your life to mark IVY 2026. A single beach cleanup. A morning at a food bank. One street appeal shift. Done a few times across the year, those small commitments add up to more than a grand gesture ever would.
This is your year to volunteer. We've built the place to start.