300+ positions available: Volunteering Hawke's Bay needs you

One of the biggest volunteering categories is organisations looking for drivers. Photo / Warren Buckland

Do you want to be a volunteer? There's 300 vacancies for someone like you across Hawke's Bay as the sector soars back after Covid uncertainty.

There are normally 200 to 220 positions listed on the Volunteering Hawke's Bay site, but this has grown to more than 300 in the last few weeks, manager Leanne Collins said.

While there had been a dip in the number of volunteer opportunities in the months after the nationwide lockdown, it seemed the opposite was true for the start of this year, and people with New Year's resolutions to do good are starting to take notice.

"It's turned up quite a bit," Collins said. "I think people are thinking about volunteering more since Covid-19. Their attitude is they want to do a little something this year."

A lot of new organisations were also looking for volunteers, with about 180 different groups represented by Volunteering Hawke's Bay.

Many of these volunteer roles related to board positions like secretaries and treasurers, she said.

However, the "biggest drawcard", was driving positions.

"It would be really nice to hear from people who have special skills. There are many options that may appeal to you."

Collins said there were lots of volunteering opportunities out there with options for those who wanted a "one-time thing" and others who wanted a more sociable long-term project.

She said the volunteers were as varied as the types of roles.

GT Thompson has been volunteering with the Waipawa District Lions Club and Cranford Hospice for six years.

He spends between 20 and 25 hours a week driving patients to critical appointments between the centres.

"It's very rewarding and a privilege."

He said it was an important service for the communities of Waipawa and Waipukurau, but many people didn't know about it.

The role required little training, just the basic safety aspects of how to operate the hoist and harness.

Thompson had always wanted to do something, as his father had passed away of cancer aged only 42, but he struggled to find the time while working.

"[The opportunity] popped up and I grabbed it.

"I basically started when I retired because I didn't want to stop - I like being busy."

He's now trying to get his grandson involved.

From left: GT Thompson became a volunteer driver late in life while Dave Ferguson, of The Acorn Project, has held a number of volunteering positions. Photo / Warren Buckland

Dave Ferguson has been with The Acorn Project since it launched in January 2019.

The group provides wraparound support for young people aged 12-24 years and their families who have been impacted by cancer in some way.

Prior to that he held a number of other volunteering roles across different organisations.

"I kept finding different things to be involved in."

He volunteers about five to six hours a month, usually over the course of one weekend, helping to facilitate different events and activities for the members.

For Ferguson it's seeing the difference after members "open up" and how they smile, which keeps him coming back.

"I wish I'd done it sooner."

Sinead Hegarty turned to volunteering when she moved back to New Zealand late last year.

Feeling overwhelmed by things going wrong in the world, she decided to look closer to home and start in her own community with something she's passionate about.

"That was a priority for me coming home."

With a background in genetics, she felt she didn't have many skills she could offer in a practical sense but has enjoyed her time volunteering for the Heretaunga Women's Centre, which celebrates 100 years in March.

"It's so amazing. I love the feminine energy and opportunities they create, the empowerment that goes on there."

Volunteering has helped her better understand the issues impacting women and find a sense of community, she said.

Hegarty said she wished she had known "how easy it is to get involved with something you care about".

Information about the volunteering opportunities available can be found online at volunteeringhb.org.nz or by visiting the new Volunteering Hawke's Bay site at 200 Market St, Hastings.