NZ Blood Service looking for more from Gen Z to donate

This week is National Blood Donor Week and the New Zealand Blood Service is keen to recruit more donors aged between 16 and 25.

• The New Zealand Blood Service reports a 25% drop in youth donors over the past five years.
• Cancer patients are among the largest users of donated blood, receiving 24% of blood products.
• Efforts are under way to encourage more young people to donate, as the average donor age rises to 43.

Gisborne-East Coast Cancer Society is appreciative of the work of the New Zealand Blood Service,

This week is National Blood Donor Week (June 9 to 15) and the New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is keen to recover from the significant drop in the number of youth donors on its registry over the past five years.

Cancer Society fundraising and events co-ordinator Shay Podjursky said 24% of donated blood products went to Kiwis living with cancer.

“Cancer patients are among the largest users of donated blood in Aotearoa,” she said. “We want to say a massive thank you to all the blood, plasma and platelet donors in Aotearoa New Zealand for your selfless donation of this life-saving gift.

“If you’ve been inspired this week to start donating you can book an appointment at www.nzblood.co.nz/

The NZBS mobile service will next be in Gisborne at the Cosmopolitan Club on July 8.

NZBS chief executive Sam Cliffe said there had been a 25% decrease in the number of 16- to 25-year-olds who had donated at least once in a two-year period – dropping from 24,394 in April 2020 to 18,237 in April 2025.

The average age of a blood or plasma donor in Aotearoa had increased to 43 and more than 18% (or 25,000) of donors were aged 60 and over.

Cliffe said the decline in youth donors was a worrying trend. She attributed much of this drop to the impact of Covid-19, which disrupted school-based donation programmes.

“In the last 12 months, 25% of our total donations came from donors aged over 60, and just 9% from donors aged 16-25. We’re extremely grateful to all our donors, but when we look at our long-term supply strategy, it’s essential we start to encourage greater numbers of young people to become blood and plasma donors.

“Anecdotally, we know that when people join the donor registry when they’re young, they’re more likely to become lifelong donors, which is why historically our engagement through education has been so important.

“If they’re a little bit unsure or nervous about making their first donation, they can do it with a friend.”