NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Te Radar: Volunteering is the Kiwi way

By Te Radar
APN / NZ HERALD·
8 Jul, 2015 12:38 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Countless organisations run on the sweat and the goodwill of the volunteer. Photo / Getty Images

Countless organisations run on the sweat and the goodwill of the volunteer. Photo / Getty Images

There’s nothing like the squelch of mud in the bottom of your gumboot that says a job well done, says Te Radar.

There is an unwritten law that says that the height of your gumboot will never be quite high enough for the job you want it to do. I thought of this recently as I found myself standing in a swampy drain watching muddy water oozing over the top of my boot. It wasn't how I'd intended to spend a crisp Saturday morning.

I'd agreed to help plant trees for the Otamatea Harbour Care Society, a volunteer organisation devoted to riparian planting to help improve the water quality of the massive and magnificent Kaipara Harbour.

As I sank deeper into the mud around 40 volunteers and a frisky terrier were all busily planting things along a shallow waterway. This was fortunate, as I didn't really want them to notice me stuck in a swamp, not planting anything.

The day was essentially a good old-fashioned New Zealand Working Bee. Seedlings propagated a year ago by volunteers, being planted by yet more volunteers, all of whom seemed to be having a great time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The people gathered alongside the creek on a farm outside Maungaturoto were a veritable United Nations of accents. The sounds of Americans, various Europeans, South Africans, and a range of New Zealandisms drifted over the green pastures of the dairy farm where the gathering happened.

There were people new to the district, people operating similar programmes in other areas, and assorted locals including a man who had lived there his entire 60-something-odd years.

What motivates folk to this kind of altruism?

Studies suggest that volunteers live longer and remain healthier. Although maybe they've simply lived longer and are healthier anyway, and volunteering just helps fill the time. I'm not sure any of those gathered here were thinking that. They just wanted to make a difference.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

New Zealand National Volunteer Week ran from June 2127. That's not a week where people are forced to volunteer for the National party, although don't give them any ideas or it may become policy.

Countless organisations run on the sweat and the goodwill of the volunteer. You can find them in museums and hospices and soup kitchens and at A&P shows and op shops. Others build houses for the homeless, organise children's sport or restore steam locomotives.

The great thing about volunteering is that you don't even need to be part of a group. You can simply pick up a little litter as you walk along and place it in the bin.

On this occasion Mark, the stalwart organiser, had roped me in after hearing me say I'd plant trees to offset air miles. He had a lot of trees that needed planting. However given the distance I drove to get there I'm not sure I'm in credit yet.

The end result: around 1600 trees and flaxes planted over a 500-metre stretch, several gumboots filled, friendships formed, plans hatched, and awareness raised.

As I left a local handed me two smoked mullet from the Kaipara wrapped in newspaper as a gift. It was a delicious reminder of why we were all there.

But with the Kaipara having a shoreline of around 800 kilometres, and a catchment of around 6500 square kilometres, it's also a mammoth and costly task. But every metre done is a meter less.

They say the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago and the second best time is today. That may well be true, but I can tell you that the best time to buy a pair of taller gumboots was yesterday. Then you can put them on, and volunteer. It's the Kiwi way.

Like what you see? For weekly Element news sign up to our newsletter. We're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

A look at the Term 3 school lunches with 73% positive feedback

01 Jul 11:13 PM
Opinion

Opinion: The ‘big, beautiful bill’ is being enacted in an ugly way

01 Jul 11:04 PM
New Zealand

North Island detectives appointed to take fresh look at toddler Lachie Jones' death

01 Jul 11:01 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

A look at the Term 3 school lunches with 73% positive feedback

A look at the Term 3 school lunches with 73% positive feedback

01 Jul 11:13 PM

David Seymour said complaints have fallen by 92% since March.

Opinion: The ‘big, beautiful bill’ is being enacted in an ugly way

Opinion: The ‘big, beautiful bill’ is being enacted in an ugly way

01 Jul 11:04 PM
North Island detectives appointed to take fresh look at toddler Lachie Jones' death

North Island detectives appointed to take fresh look at toddler Lachie Jones' death

01 Jul 11:01 PM
Ikea opening: Kiwi Property plans for traffic mitigation at Sylvia Park

Ikea opening: Kiwi Property plans for traffic mitigation at Sylvia Park

01 Jul 10:57 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP