Volunteer South has formed a new partnership with Invercargill Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) to support volunteering in the area.

Isabel Murray will lead the new volunteer centre team in Southland.

Earlier this year, the two organisations Volunteering Otago and Volunteering Central formally became one - Volunteer South. 

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Volunteer South is part of the National Volunteer Centre Network, which has 17 volunteer sites around the country. It is also a member of Volunteering New Zealand.

Volunteer South spokeswoman Gillian White said the team had been operating out of Dunedin and the Central Lakes and was looking to expand services further south and into Invercargill, when it learnt the CAB was considering a move into the volunteer space.

“The far south is unique in that there hasn’t been a Volunteer Centre present for many years and when we learnt that the CAB team were keen to support volunteering in the area, rather than work in competition, we saw a fantastic opportunity to work together to deliver a volunteer connections service as well as support, advice and training opportunities for volunteer managers.”

“The CAB team have the networks on the ground and well established relationships locally; whilst we can bring our expertise around volunteer engagement and best practice, as well as the resources to set up a service to connect volunteers to organisations seeking extra support.”

“We are thrilled to be working with manager Isabel and her team and to be branching out into Invercargill. After some gap without a Volunteer Centre, it will be great to see a focus on volunteering in the area again,” Mrs White said.

The new partnership will support anyone interested in volunteering to identify a meaningful and rewarding role that suits their time, experience and interests as well as offering advice and support to organisations that involve volunteers. 

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Mrs White said much of Volunteer South’s work in other areas supported individuals who face barriers to volunteering due to health, circumstance or background.

Removing those barriers was a huge part of the team’s passion, she said. 

Mrs Murray manages the Invercargill CAB and says the team has great experience professionally and as volunteers, which puts them in a great position to support individuals into volunteering.

“We are already seeing good interest in this new service and encourage organisations seeking volunteers to register their needs with us so we can build up our database of roles and start making some great connections in the community,” Mrs Murray said.

Organisations seeking volunteers can register on the Volunteer South website and the team will be in touch to discuss their needs.

For more information, visit www.volunteersouth.org.nz