Volunteer Centre's new manager a "coastie at heart"

Ruby Walker, the new manager at the Gisborne Volunteer Centre. She is enjoying getting to know the community and is keen to widen the volunteer base, saying many people don’t see the value in the voluntary work they do . Picture by Liam Clayton

New Gisborne Volunteer Centre manager Ruby Walker brings to the job a background in business but with a strong affiliation to the not-for-profit sector.

She started at the centre in September as volunteer service coordinator but with the retirement of long-serving manager Jenny Greaves, applied for the top job.

Her new employment has not come without its challenges. First she had a nasty bout of  flu and then the closure of Tiniroto Road turned her usual 40-minute commute to work from Hangaroa into a two-hour trip.

Ruby was born and grew up in New Plymouth and after high school she left for university in Wellington, where she studied art history, marketing, accountancy and commerce.

Her chosen corporate career path saw her take up employment in Auckland, which is where she met her partner Paul Kahaki, born and bred in Tairawhiti, a “coastie at heart” of Ngati Porou descent. With a strong calling to come home to whanau, the couple made their move in 2018 and have since had two tamariki — a daughter aged 3 years and a son aged 10 months.

Although Ruby’s employment history has involved corporate positions, she has always had an affiliation to the voluntary and community sector with a strong involvement in event-organising and team-building. This has included participating in Pink Ribbon events and running up the 51 flights of steps in the Sky Tower to raise funds for Leukaemia  and Blood Cancer New Zealand.

Ruby is enjoying settling into her new job, networking with different community groups and liaising with registered and potential volunteers.

“I have a strong interest in IT and business and at the moment we are reviewing and updating our technology systems so they are more user-friendly. People who might be interested to register as a volunteer are able to do this online and we want to streamline that process,”  Ruby said.

The volunteer base has a large component of retired people  ith time to give back to the community, but Ruby also recognises the youth volunteers in the community as well as the stay-at-home parents who might be connected to playcentres, kohanga reo, kindergartens or marae.

“A lot of people don’t see the value in what they are doing. If you are doing the dishes or mowing lawns at a community organisation then you are volunteering your time. There is such a natural, strong culture of giving back to the community in Aotearoa and to recognise and support that is really important to me.”

Ruby’s first community event as manager of the Volunteer Centre is the ‘Two Minutes of Good Stuff” film festival.

The festival celebrates how volunteers build communities by showcasing aspects of volunteering in short two-minute films. Eleven different organisations are involved and the winners will be announced and awards presented as part of the evening. Ticket holders will also have the opportunity on the night to vote for the People’s Choice award.

The film festival was originally scheduled to take place in June but bad weather and a bleak forecast led to the decision to postpone.  It turned out to be the right call for former manager Jenny Greaves as the road to the Bushmere Arms, where the event was to be held, was closed due to flooding.

Ruby is excited about the  festival that will feature celebrity guest speaker Hilary Barry, from TVNZ’s Seven Sharp, who will also present the awards.

She has acknowledged the planning and hard work her predecessors Jenny Greaves and volunteer service coordinator Ros Faulkner put in to make it all  possible.

The rescheduled festival is on next Friday,  November 17, at the Lawson Field Theatre. It starts at 6pm and tickets are still available from the volunteer centre in Treble Court.

¦  The Gisborne Volunteer Centre welcomes visitors to Shop 2, Treble Court, 25 Peel Street.Office hours are 9am – 3pm Monday to Friday