Community Services & Charities

It's been just over a year since New Zealand's first pet refuge opened, but plans are already underway for another centre to meet increasing demand

I believe that everyone has a story and that by sharing these stories, through thoughtful and captivating storytelling, we can positively impact people’s lives and the world.

Did you see the monarch butterfly has been added to the endangered list by the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature)?

The average Kiwi family throws out the equivalent of 3 shopping trolleys of food each year, so it’s no wonder groups around the country are tackling food waste.

There are so many research-based reasons for continuing education as we age, it’s hard to know where to begin.

These days, food banks are in the news on an almost daily basis, and are set to become even more prominent as grocery prices continue to rise. When they do, food bank volunteer, Jocelyn Le Petit, can only hope more volunteers step forward from the community to help out.

Pauline was drawn to the RSA and its work through her late father, a World War Two 2 veteran who fought in the Battle of Monte Cassino and was awarded a military medal for his service.

Just a few years ago, you could be forgiven for having thought Rotary clubs were for men only. That’s certainly what Christine Fraser-Wilson believed, 5 years back, when she was invited along to a meeting by a work colleague who thought she might be interested in joining.

In recent years, voluntary-run community traplines have become an effective way of controlling the predators that threaten our native animals, especially birds and bats. They are also a way of engaging with and educating the public about the threat to native wildlife from introduced predators.

When most of us decide to donate money, we go through a professional agency such as Red Cross, Save the Children, or, closer to home, Make a Wish or KidsCan. But for a group of Southland quilters that go by the name of ‘ET Patchwork Circle’, not only is the giving rather more involved, it’s also a labour of love.