Tissue donation numbers increased 54 per cent last year, new figures show.
Fifty-seven people donated their eyes, heart valves and skin, up from 37 in 2012, Organ Donation New Zealand reported.
The organisation's clinical director Dr Stephen Streat said the increase was possible due to additional funding from the Ministry of Health, which was used to employ an additional donor coordinator.
"There are now four donor coordinators and they visit Auckland City Hospital on a regular basis offering the option of tissue donation to patients, and to the families of those patients, as part of end-of-life care. They also visit rest homes and hospices educating staff," Dr Stephen Streat said.
The organisation launched a school education program in 2013 to raise students' awareness of organ donation and encouraged them to discuss their thoughts and wishes with friends and whanau.
