New Zealand Blood Service urgently seeking more donors ahead of busy festive season

Fifty-one people rolled up their sleeves and donated a total of 25.5 litres of blood at the Bayleys Tauranga and Mount Maunganui drive. Photo / Jahl Marshall

More than 100 more eligible people are needed to donate blood and plasma in about a week to meet demand over the holiday season and next month.

It comes as Bayleys Tauranga and Mount Maunganui recently had a blood drive with 51 people rolling up their sleeves – 16 first-time donors – and potentially saving the lives of up to 151 people.

Last year, 53,537 units of blood, plasma and platelets were issued across the country between December and February, New Zealand Blood Service marketing and communications manager Asuka Burge said.

“This summer we’re forecasting a 4 per cent increase in demand over the same period due to general increased usage we’ve seen over the course of 2022.

“Our donors do a remarkable thing, donating blood and plasma is one of the most altruistic things a person can do. We are asking everyone to consider their plans for the next few weeks, and please find time to donate.

“Give blood, give plasma, give hope to a fellow Kiwi and their whānau this Christmas. For someone, it will represent the best gift they ever receive.”

Burge suggested downloading the NZBlood Donor app where people could check their eligibility, search for a donation location and check available bookings.

“One of the awesome features of our app is not only does it make booking an appointment super easy, but donors actually get a notification when their blood is used to save a life.

“You can be doing something really mundane; your phone will buzz and say you’ve helped save a life. We know our donors don’t do it for the kudos, but it’s a pretty cool feeling to know you’ve made a difference.”

The service had 464 total appointments to fill in the Bay of Plenty between December 7 and 23, made up of 332 plasma and 132 blood. As of Thursday, it had 121 appointments left to fill.

Bayleys Tauranga and Mount Maunganui sponsorship and events manager Vicki Semple organised the drive to honour a former colleague and school friend who received blood transfusions and two plasma transfusions almost daily during parts of his leukaemia treatment.

Bayleys Tauranga and Mount Maunganui sponsorship and events manager Vicki Semple. Photo / Jahl Marshall

“We thought it would be amazing to set up a blood drive and promote the importance of donating blood and the importance of having campaigns of raising awareness of becoming a blood donor,” Semple said.

“We potentially saved 151 lives on the day of our drive and everyone felt really good. The office vibe was really good because everyone knew that they were contributing to making a difference.

“I think for other companies, I really strongly recommend they get behind it because it’s such an important cause and a great way for people to give back.”