Looking to volunteer in Christchurch?
Collaborate helps match volunteers with the organisations that matches their specific skills, interests and time they have available.
Collaborate makes it easier to find where you can do good in your community today.
Meet our Christchurch team
“I volunteer because it’s a part of who I am and it’s a great way to live in to my values of generosity and growth. Volunteering takes me out of my own head and situation and reminds me that I’m part of a community. Serving brings me joy, allows me to build new skills and connects me with people who I might never have met otherwise. Above all, it’s awesome to be able to support volunteer organisations who are doing great work in our world - from nurturing our environment, to providing safe spaces for our rangatahi, to lobbying the government for positive change. ”
“In 2020 one of the biggest things our Ōtautahi team is focusing on is recognising that so many people already give to their communities, whether through volunteering or through a culture of service within their existing networks. We want to make volunteering and community service part of the culture of Christchurch so that we grow an inclusive and sustainable new city ☀️”
Get to know the community organisations you can volunteer for in christchurch
Live Life is a pioneering community focused programme, designed to assist young people (18 to 35 years of age), who have low self-esteem and are socially isolated, identify their unique strengths and talents, gain new experiences and build confidence to enable them to begin further training and/or obtain suitable employment or education.
One of the most important things we do as part of Live Life is match the young person with an older mentor who volunteers an hour or two a week to provide them with support and a guiding hand to achieve their training/employment goals. We do this because we firmly believe that each generation has so much to offer the other, for the older mentor they gain a greater sense of purpose and accomplishment and have the satisfaction of making a real difference for the next generation.
The society owns a small block of native trees in the Parlane, Poulson, Spencer Streets area of Addington, Christchurch.
To nurture the growth and development of the creative arts in Selwyn and Canterbury by promoting, connecting, and resourcing a community of artists, creative groups and organisations in order to positively impact upon the social wellbeing of the wider community.
Manuka Cottage is a Community Development Hub and a physical base for the Addington community to gather. The Cottage runs activities and groups that encourage participation and connection as part of a strategy to develop a sense of identity for the local Addington community, help break down barriers and isolation and encourage healthy connections.
Manuka Cottage has 6 main projects:
Manuka Cottage as a Community House
Addington OSCAR After School and Holiday Programs
Addington TimeBank
Addington Times
Addington Well-being
Manuka Fruit & Vege Co-op
Cycling in Christchurch was launched in May 2012 to promote, encourage and support cycling as a means of getting from A to B within the greater Christchurch area. The aim of Cycling in Christchurch is to grow the number of people biking by sharing ‘on the street’ knowledge about cycling, encouraging ‘almost cyclists’ to take that next step, and providing invaluable guidance to those who are new to cycling for transport. Cycling in Christchurch is written by a diverse group of volunteers with different perspectives on cycling based on their own experiences of riding a bicycle.
A planned hub for Young People aged 10-25 years to have fun, get help and have some temporary accommodation.
Cycle Advocacy Group based in Christchurch.
“More people on bike more often”
Organiser of Biketober. A month long festival of cycling events held annually.
Te Mapua children translates to "the precious children". Precious young lives that need support, love, nurture guidance and care right here in Aotearoa. We are a Christian organisation that believe in bringing this value to light in schools, communities and homes and seeing children overcome hardship, disadvantage and obstacles to their social, emotional, physical, educational and spiritual health. At Te Mapua we care, love, nurture, guide, teach, mentor, encourage, clothe, feed, comfort, and pray for each child we are fortunate to share life with, through a range of programmes.
We are a 50 strong group of volunteers who operate under the national CPNZ banner. We work closely with the police as their additional eyes and ears. Our mobile patrols are out day and night five days a week. Our focus area is south/east Christchurch.
Bread & Circus World Buskers Festival is looking for enthusiastic and dedicated Volunteers to help bring the streets and venues of Christchurch to life this January 2019!
Volunteering with Bread & Circus World Buskers Festival will not only get you amongst the community, it will provide a platform to develop existing skills knowledge and experience in the events and arts industry, make new friends and partnerships, give you industry networking experience, a sense of accomplishment and of course a whole lot of fun!
We are looking for volunteers who can contribute to the atmosphere and keep our Festival visitors happy and safe, whilst also enabling them to enjoy their visit. If you are reliable, personable, enthusiastic and have a positive attitude we would like to hear from you!
Youthline CSI is about young people supporting young people. We provide a helpline, mentoring, and training to help young people make it through their life, and build their strengths.
CEA has existed for nearly 25 years, offering energy efficient solutions to help people in our community create healthy homes. We provide insulation subsidies, free, recycled curtains through our curtain bank (the largest in New Zealand!), a free energy advice hotline on 0800 GET WARM, and other means to help low-income, vulnerable people live and work in healthy environments.
We are a health support and awareness organisation for the global pandemic of Lyme disease and its Coinfections.
Unfortunately it is not recognised here in NZ but we have sufferers and some have never left NZ and have it.
There is no cure, it's congenital, and one of the most cruelest debilitating diseases you can get, but is known as the invisible illness as many put on good fronts in public and society never sees them at home afterwards trying to cope with numerous symptoms.
We are collaborating with other worldwide organisations and advocates to spread awareness and support sufferers.
The Graffiti Programme has a goal to "reduce the impact of graffiti vandalism on residents of and visitors to Christchurch city".
Rekindle is a social enterprise based in Ōtautahi/Christchurch. Rekindle creates opportunities for resourcefulness. We focus on transforming undervalued resources through care, connection and craft; this being the opposite of wastefulness. Being resourceful is both good for us and good for the earth upon whose finite resources we depend. Resourcefulness requires us to utilise and value our inner resources and our ability to access to what we need for lives we value. Being truly resourceful connects us within communities as we share the resources we have.
Rekindle runs the Festival of Necessary Traditions.
Trees for Canterbury is a Not-for-profit Community organisation.
Our mission is as follows:
Employ; establishing a sense of involvement in the community for disadvantaged people (physically, intellectually, socially and at risk youth) and providing an environment of acceptance as well as support and training for self-development – instilling self-esteem and work habit.
Educate; working with educational institutions, providing assistance in the teaching of environmental awareness.
Regenerate; cultivating native plants for community planting’s and our own revegetation projects using plant material eco-sourced from local areas.
The Christchurch Youth Council (Rūnaka Taiohi o Ōtautahi) is dedicated to advocating for a strong youth voice in Christchurch. We aim to provide young people with the avenue to have their say. We aim to create a community where the youth voice is as valued as all others in the community. Imagine every big conversation about Christchurch's future having a young person around the table: that's our dream!
Our kaupapa:
1) Advocate, support and strive for a stronger voice for young people.
2) Engage and promote the ideas of active citizenship and participation in order to encourage young people to contribute to their communities.
3) Create space and a positive environment to allow young people to speak about, and be involved with issues affecting them.
4) Foster networks and build relationships with decision makers in order to influence change for young people.
The Christchurch Aunties is a network of people helping women and children in Christchurch who have experienced domestic violence.
We mobilise and coordinate people to provide practical donations for families at Battered Women's Trust, Te Whare Hauora, West Christchurch Women's Refuge, and Shakti Womens' Refuge.
The Canterbury Folk Music Festival is an annual event, held for the wider Canterbury communities and designed as a family orientated music festival promoting family relaxation, music, education and the arts. Our aim is to provide a safe, friendly family environment and a wide range of music, concerts, educational workshops and artistic entertainment for the whole family. Open to the public, for Cantabrians to come along, relax, share, perform and enjoy a festival of acoustic music.
Suffrage 125 Christchurch celebrates the 125 year achievement of women gaining the right to vote by increasing the awareness of women’s contributions to life and community in the greater Christchurch area and recognising accomplishments by acknowledging those who have served as past role models and look forward to those who will be so in the future.
Visibility matters, reflecting on the social investment of women will proactively create a more positive climate for all. ‘Her Story’ will highlight women who have channelled their passion in to action and purpose. Expanding on those in the public realm as well as learning of those unsung heroines that keep our community going in roles that are much less known.
We will keep up-to-date with the events happening in Christchurch to celebrate Suffrage 125.
The YWCA Christchurch is a part of a national and global mission to empower and support women. Here in Christchurch we offer emergency and transitional accommodation for women and women with children.
We also offer the Y’s Options programme. Y’s Options is a programme available to the women who stay with us. This programme involves mentoring, up skilling, sharing skills, tutoring and peer teaching.
With lots of new friendships and supports, those who have experienced stressful and difficult times have found this to be an encouraging and comforting experience.
A community garden based around sustainability gardening. We endeavor to inspire and educated the community in healthy lifestyles.
Tiptree Cottage Trust exists to preserve Tiptree Cottage and grounds, a site of national significance, for the benefit of current and future generations. Built in c. 1862, Tiptree is one of the oldest remaining buildings and is the most intact cob cottage in Canterbury. The significance of Tiptree Cottage is recognised by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I listed building, the highest rating possible.
We are currently strengthening and repairing the cottage which survived the Christchurch earthquakes.
Once restored, Tiptree will provide enduring benefit to the community as a place for family and community to belong and as a rare historic example of pioneering architecture, as a living museum, containing many historic artifacts.
People who are struggling to cope with a family member with a serious mental illness or have lost someone to suicide need caring, confidential help and support.
Supporting Families in Mental Illness have highly trained and experienced Fieldworkers who are able to help people to understand mental illness, the mental health services and suicide bereavement. They are also able to advocate to health and other agencies, to provide information, educational courses and groups for people with similar experiences to get together.
Environmental and Ecological Monitoring and Care in the STYX River Catchment North West Christchurch.
Volunteers provide care, comfort and play for children in hospital.
Our volunteers are operating in Starship, Kidz First, Whangarei, Waitakere and Christchurch hospitals from 6-8pm several evenings per week.
We are a residential facility for people who have brain injuries and physical disabilities.
Can Do Catering is a Social Enterprise business which provides paid employment for people who live with brain injuries and physical disabilities.
Honesty | Respect | Responsibility | Caring
The YMCA of Christchurch is invested in the next generation. By this we mean that we are always thinking of how we can develop young people today, so that they will be great members of society tomorrow. We do this through a range of programmes, but also by empowering others in our community to be involved with our cause – because ultimately the future is all about making sure we raise our children and young people in the best way we can.
Surrogate Grandparents is a New Zealand based Charitable Trust (CC54933) who connects families with surrogate grandparents in order to forge lasting friendships and family bonds.
What problems are we helping to solve?
Social isolation and loneliness are much more serious than just uncomfortable feelings... Research has shown that social isolation and loneliness has been linked with increased mortality, depression, high blood pressure and dementia. These are serious issues in New Zealand and not just for our older generations. Social isolation and loneliness are problems that people struggle with right across New Zealand's social demographics on a daily basis.
How can surrogate grandparents help?
Surrogate Grandparents is the bridge that connects generations. By connecting families with surrogate grandparents and grandparents with our children; we can fight social isolation and loneliness in New Zealand. Working together, we can make New Zealand a more caring and connected nation.