Volunteering overview
Page updated: 29 December 2020
Volunteers[1] are the lifeblood of the New Zealand search and rescue sector.
Over 12,600 people are involved in search and rescue; and more than 95% are volunteers (New Zealand Search and Rescue 2018).
If we are to plan for the future, we also must look at the outlook for SAR volunteers in light of the key drivers set out in this environmental scan.
So, what are the potential implications for volunteering of the trends and changes described in this environmental scan, and how can the SAR sector ensure there are sufficient volunteers in future?
This section involves a deep dive into volunteering and covers:
1. What is a volunteer?
2. Demography and volunteering
3. Economy and volunteering
4. Social trends and volunteering
5. Technology and volunteering
6. Environment and volunteering
7. Conclusions about volunteering