Volunteer

Join Our Volunteer Community

Good Neighbour relies on a dedicated crew of over 300 volunteers who help us pursue our goal of transforming communities in the Bay of Plenty.

Our volunteer teams lovingly help hand-sort rescued food, pick fruit, tackle overgrown backyards, grow food in the Bethlehem Community Gardens, chop firewood and do other much appreciated tasks. We have volunteer opportunities in all of our departments and for all levels of abilities and commitments.

Our usual slots are either a morning or afternoon during the week.

Our Food Rescue department runs a roster and there are always various slots available.

Individuals, schools and businesses can all pitch in.

Food rescue

Hand-sorting rescued food and distributing to community organisations
Truck driving to pick up rescued food
Bulk food sorting
Clean-up and organisation
Fruit-picking

Projects

Backyard clean-ups
Small house moves
Street revamps

Firewood

Processing firewood, using modern equipment
Delivering firewood
Equipment maintenance

Kitchen

Preparing community meals and food for volunteers
Teaching cooking classes

Gardens

Growing food in bulk
Garden maintenance
Propagating

Other

Administrative tasks (digital & physical)
Social media, events and marketing
Care Team Support
Cleaning
Hosting
Anything else you have a talent for and are willing to share with us

Do you work or live in the Bay of Plenty?

Corporate Volunteering Opportunities

Does your organisation want to give back to the community? Partner with Good Neighbour to:

Contribute to the community in a way that aligns with your organisational values.
Offer your people volunteer opportunities for team building and culture, and for connecting people into the community. Volunteering with us will leave your team re-energised and inspired, while also giving them a different perspective.
Join our network of businesses who all care about giving back to the community.

We can offer you various volunteer opportunities:

Half-day, including drinks and snacks
Full day, including drinks, snacks and lunch
After hours (weekends and evenings)
Weekly, regular slots for corporate volunteer partners

Would you like to learn more? Fill in the volunteer form below as a representative of your team and we’ll get in touch.

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award

Good Neighbour is in an Accredited Activity Provider for the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award, providing an exciting and transformative volunteering opportunity for all levels of the Award.

Sign up as a Good Neighbour volunteer and achieve your Voluntary Service section. We align with the Kākāriki pathway and the He Aratūtahi pathway within the Award options.

We work with an army of over 300 dedicated volunteers. Become one of them and together form an immense network of people who are committed to helping others thrive not just survive.

Find out more…

Three reasons why you should sign up as a volunteer

With volunteering you can make an immediate impact, make new connections, learn new skills, and create a sense of purpose and belonging.

You can also use volunteering as a step to find a job. It helps you to develop skills, gain work experiences, grow personal confidence and build your network.

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections maybe once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.