Viewpoint – Priceless volunteers

We have many volunteers in our community. In fact, in all truth, our communities would not function without our often unsung heroes who volunteer their services to help their fellow citizens and make our community a better place to live.

Volunteering can come in many forms. To name just a few, we owe much to our voluntary ambulance officers, fire officers, surf lifesavers, coastguard and other emergency volunteers. We see contributors in Lions, Rotary, Zonta and staffing our libraries. Volunteers in all our Kaipara towns make sport possible for many through organising, coaching and fundraising.

Volunteers do not necessarily belong to an organisation and can be your neighbour helping you out without expectation of reward. The emergency events in our district, including the recent tornado in Mangawhai, exemplified this generosity of assistance offered from throughout the Kaipara and neighbour to neighbour. It’s special and the Kiwi way.

We have groups in our community who give much of their time to helping preserve our environment to retain its special character. Volunteers often provide guidance and care for the elderly, people with mental and physical health challenges, and kids who need advice to stay on track.

Local government has a role to play. In our risk adverse environment, it is all too easy to dampen down the efforts of volunteers with overburdensome rules, requirements and costs. We need to facilitate ease of process for activities where health and safety are required. We must maintain a can-do attitude to encourage continued levels of participation. At times we should apply discretion in setting charges to make it possible for voluntary events to take place.

I thank all our volunteers and those who give their time to others as you are the glue that holds New Zealand together. The following quote accredited to Sherry Anderson sums it up: “Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless”.