Alfred Ngaro says volunteer and community organisations are the backbone of the country.
The Community and Voluntary Sector Minister was in Whanganui yesterday visiting organisations including Jigsaw, the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre and the Koha Shed.
The National list MP said New Zealand's 27,900 registered charitable trusts and more than 100,000 not-for-profit organisations represented 4.4 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.
"Volunteering and community groups are what I would call the backbone of our country," he said.
The Koha shed came to prominence during the 2015 floods as a provider of free food, clothing and furniture for affected residents.