Events

National Volunteer Week 2025

Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu National Volunteer Week celebrates the collective contribution of all volunteers who enrich Aotearoa New Zealand. The 2025 theme is ‘Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together’. Volunteering weaves us together, strengthening the fabric of our community.

Tautoko Workshop: Fraud

Facilitator: Community Capacity Accounting
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

So you have two signatories for cheques and online transactions. Is this enough to protect you from fraud? It is a Board/Committee’s responsibility to have processes in place to ensure that money or items do not go walkabout. This workshop covers the key danger areas and way to manage them that are appropriate for an organisation your size.

RSVP: Via email

Tautoko Workshop: Emergency Preparedness

Facilitator: Christchurch Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM)
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

The Community Resilience Coordinators from Christchurch Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) will provide a talk on emergency management and personal preparedness. This presentation will cover the role of CDEM in an emergency, the CDEM team here in Ōtautahi Christchurch, the hazards that can affect us here in Aotearoa New Zealand, how to keep ourselves safe during an emergency, and where to get information from during an emergency.

RSVP: Via email

Next Steps Expo 2025

Facilitator: Next Steps
Venue: Haeata Community Campus, 240 Breezes Road, Christchurch
Cost: Free event

Explore your options! An expo for young disabled adults and their whānau considering the transition from education. Meet with more than 50 service providers and learn about options in Community, Housing, Sports, Social, Study, Work, Fun & More! Volunteering Canterbury will be in attendance, we'd love to see you! Find out more on Facebook.

Volunteer Management 101 - Getting the Basics Right (Darfield)

Facilitator: Volunteering Canterbury
Venue: Darfield Recreation Centre, 92 North Terrace, Darfield
Cost: Free event

Recruit. Retain. Recognise. While ‘giving back’ is a key motivator for volunteering, the top reason people don’t volunteer is a lack of time. With many organisations depending on volunteers, what makes yours stand out? How do you retain the ones you’ve got? This 1-hour workshop is hosted by Selwyn District Council, facilitated by Volunteering Canterbury and presented to anyone involved in volunteer management within community organisations.

RSVP: Online via Humanitix

Coffee & Chats Peer Support

Host: Christchurch City Council Graffiti Programme
Venue: 180 Smith Street, Linwood
Cost: Free event

On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.

RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.

Volunteer Management 101 - Getting the Basics Right (Lincoln)

Facilitator: Volunteering Canterbury
Venue: Lincoln Event Centre, 15 Meijer Drive, Lincoln
Cost: Free event

Recruit. Retain. Recognise. While ‘giving back’ is a key motivator for volunteering, the top reason people don’t volunteer is a lack of time. With many organisations depending on volunteers, what makes yours stand out? How do you retain the ones you’ve got? This 1-hour workshop is hosted by Selwyn District Council, facilitated by Volunteering Canterbury and presented to anyone involved in volunteer management within community organisations.

RSVP: Online via Humanitix

Governance Bites: The Board's Role as a Great Employer

Facilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event

What can the board delegate, and what does it need to stay on top of? How do we balance our role in arms-length, independent supervision, and the need for engaged, collaborative support? How do we effectively balance a culture of checking and of cheer-leading? What are the critical elements of a ‘good employer’, and how does it become great? And what does that look like, when staff and volunteers are remote? Sessions will run from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. However, doors open and pizza bites are available from 5.00pm!

RSVP: Registrations essential, via email

Tautoko Workshop: Dealing with Difficult Conversations

Facilitator: Chris Beardsley, Performance Matters
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

This workshop will provide insights to help participants deal appropriately with difficult conversations and adopt an approachable, open and empathetic communication style so issues are confronted, others are influenced positively and relationships are successfully maintained. The additional benefits are that people learn how to be more authentic, handle stress and anxiety, increase the amount of discretionary energy for the job and generate greater productivity.

Register: Via email

Student Volunteer Expo 2025

Facilitator: Volunteering Canterbury in conjunction with University of Canterbury
Venue: University of Canterbury
Cost: Free event

Our annual Student Volunteering Expo returns for 2025! Join us on campus to find out more about what's involved when you volunteer, and how you can give back to your community while gaining valuable skills - for life and your CV! Meet some of the incredible community organisations and charities we work with, ask your questions and find a place where you can make a difference.

2025 Annual General Meeting

Venue: Christchurch Community House, 213 Lichfield Street, Christchurch

All are welcome to join us as we review the year that has been, and celebrate what we have achieved.

RSVP: Via email by Tuesday 5 August 2025.

Coffee & Chats Peer Support

Host: Jennifer, Restorative Justice
Venue: To be confirmed
Cost: Free event

On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.

RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.

Tautoko Workshop: AI & Data Protection

Facilitator: Inde, in conjunction with Volunteering Canterbury
Venue: TSB Space, Tūranga Central Library, 60 Cathedral Square, Christchurch
Cost: Free event

This workshop brings together not for profit community organisations and local tech experts to explore how AI can streamline routine tasks and improve efficiency, while also addressing information management and security challenges. The workshop will provide practical insights, best practices, and networking opportunities to help charities harness technology for greater impact by integrating AI and secure data management into their operations.

RSVP: Via humanitix

Tautoko Workshop: AI - A Handy Assistant

Facilitator: Inde
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

AI isn’t here to replace you, it’s here to support you. Come along to this 'hands on' session to find out how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can assist your organisation with writing volunteer role descriptions, and streamlining induction processes.

RSVP: Via email

Governance Bites: The Secret of Effective Meetings

Facilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event

As they say, it’s easy to “take minutes and waste hours”. Typical agendas actually make good meetings more difficult, and who knows the difference between individual decision-making vs the group decision-making needed on boards? Can we be more efficient at our meetings? Maybe even more effective? And perhaps even actually enjoy them? It’s all possible and this participatory workshop will offer several practical tools to help make it happen. Sessions will run from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. However, doors open and pizza bites are available from 5.00pm!

RSVP: Registrations essential, via email

Coffee & Chats Peer Support

Host: Woolston Development Project
Venue: 497 Ferry Road, Woolston
Cost: Free event

On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.

RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.

Governance Bites: Getting the Right People on Board and the Wrong People Overboard

Facilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event

All you need to know about recruiting non-profit and community board members. What makes a good board member, where do you find them, and how do you get them interested in your organisation? What are the three biggest traps in recruitment? And how do you get the most of new board members after they are on-board? And then … this is the tough stuff … despite our best intentions and event efforts, we can still end up with the wrong people on board for various reasons. How do you tackle the difficult tasks of ‘sacking’ board member? After all, board members are ‘just volunteers’. How do you actually get the result you need, but also still act with some grace? How can succession planning actually happen in practice in small organisations, and how do you deal with ‘founder syndrome’ when founders have out-lasted their value for the organisation and may even be holding it back? Sessions will run from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. However, doors open and pizza bites are available from 5.00pm!

RSVP: Registrations essential, via email

Tautoko Workshop: Cultural Capacity

Facilitator: Aotearoa Refugee and Migrant Support
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

RSVP: Via email

Coffee & Chats Peer Support

Host: Delta Community Support Trust
Venue: North Avon Community Centre, 101 North Avon Road, Richmond
Cost: Free event

On the second Thursday of each month, we hold a Coffee & Chats peer support session for those who manage or coordinate a volunteer team, hosted each time by a different community organisation. This is an occasion to network with others from local not-for-profit groups and talk all things volunteering, and includes the opportunity to ask questions, share experiences and support each other as we navigate the ever-changing community sector.

RSVP: Via email - it is essential that you RSVP for these events, please.

Governance Bites: Not-for-Profits Getting Real about Strategy

Facilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event

Everyone wants to be strategic these days. It is used to refer to deceit and trickery in reality TV shows. As an adjective it makes any object or activity sound very important. But does it actually have any practical meaning left? What is a strategy and how is it different from a plan? Where does mot strategy come from, and what is a realistic approach to developing a strategy for your organisation? And what really is the Board’s role in strategy (especially where there also is staff)? Participation in non-profit boards provides individuals with an opportunity to influence impact in our city. This workshop offers practical tools and approaches to help a board lead organisation strategy. Sessions will run from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. However, doors open and pizza bites are available from 5.00pm!

RSVP: Registrations essential, via email

Tautoko Workshop: Storytelling

Facilitator: Sharon Moreham
Venue: St Albans Community Centre, Colombo Street (on-site parking accessed via Caledonian Road)
Cost: Free event

Learn how to tell a compelling story about what your organisation does, and the difference it makes.

RSVP: Via email

International Volunteer Managers' Day Workshop: Best Practice Guidelines

Facilitator: Alison Marshall, Volunteering New Zealand (VNZ)
Venue: To be confirmed
Cost: $25 pp

This interactive session will be packed with tricks and tips to help you effectively manage volunteers at your organisation, and is aimed at novices right through to experts in volunteer management. Specifically, we will explore what others are doing in the areas of: Recruiting and engaging volunteers; Welcoming and onboarding volunteers; Volunteer support, leadership, and management; Train and grow volunteers; Feedback and recognition; Celebrate volunteer impact; and Exiting Volunteers. We will be learning from everyone in the room, including you!

The workshop will be based on the Volunteering New Zealand's 'Best Practice Guidelines.' You can access these on the VNZ website (or ask the team at Volunteering Canterbury for a 'hard' copy!) Lunch is provided, please provide any dietary requirements upon registration.

RSVP: Online via Humanitix

Governance Bites: Keeping Board Members Engaged and the Role of the Chair

Facilitator: Garth Nowland-Foreman, from LEAD Centre for Not for Profit Governance and Leadership
Venue: Aldersgate Centre, 309 Durham Street North, Christchurch Central (Please enter the Aldersgate Centre from the rear door, via the car park. This can be accessed from Chester Street West. Spaces within the carpark are available to Governance Bites attendees from 5pm onwards.)
Cost: Free event

Chairs have one of the most demanding jobs in a non-profit. What is realistic and what are the essentials? Can we look again at sharing roles around the board table? One of the key roles of a chair is to facilitate the board as a group – especially in its core role as group decision-makers. And given participation is the purpose if you are going to bother calling a meeting, how can a chair best facilitate real participation that will energise and enthuse board members, and get the best possible decisions from a diverse group? We will look at some practical tools and frameworks to help make this happen in real world non-profit boards. Sessions will run from 5.30pm to 7.00pm. However, doors open and pizza bites are available from 5.00pm!

RSVP: Registrations essential, via email

International Volunteer Day 2025

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is an international event run by UN Volunteers and celebrated every year on 5 December. The purpose of IVD is to recognize and support the spirit of volunteerism to help create a better future. It champions the impact volunteers have in communities, nationally and globally.