Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

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 / Northern Advocate

Appeal for more Radio Lollipop volunteers in Whangārei

Imran Ali
By Imran Ali
Multimedia Journalist·Northern Advocate·
15 Sep, 2019 08:00 PM2 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

Radio Lollipop volunteers Maddy Barben, from left, Norman Krystle, Pam Mackie, Anitha Suresh Kumar and Romy Grajeda at a community event in Kamo. Photo / Imran Ali

Radio Lollipop volunteers Maddy Barben, from left, Norman Krystle, Pam Mackie, Anitha Suresh Kumar and Romy Grajeda at a community event in Kamo. Photo / Imran Ali

Love spending time with children? Become a volunteer for Radio Lollipop and help entertain sick children at Whangārei Hospital.

The global charitable organisation is looking for more volunteers in Whangārei to add to the seven it currently has who visit the hospital three times a week.

Radio Lollipop volunteers provide care, comfort, play and entertainment for sick children at six New Zealand hospitals.

The charity takes its name from the radio stations it runs in hospitals throughout the world. They play children's programmes — partly presented by children.

The Whangārei-based volunteers organised "Good in the Hood"— an event at Z Energy in Kamo yesterday to raise awareness about the work they do by having conversations, and dishing out pamphlets, lollipops and stickers to motorists.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Pam Mackie joined Radio Lollipop in March after volunteering for Age Concern and said she loved giving back to the community through volunteer work.

"We desperately need more volunteers than the seven that we currently have. I personally would like to have an information evening to try and get more people on board," she said.

By having more volunteers, she said Radio Lollipop would be able to visit children at Whangārei Hospital more often than the present three days a week.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The volunteers take with them gift bags that contain stationery items like colour pencils and books.

If Radio Lollipop had 21 volunteers, they could have three volunteers at the hospital each night seven days a week, she said.

Peruvian immigrant Romy Grajeda also volunteers alongside Mackie said enjoying time with children was really rewarding.

Radio Lollipop volunteer Romy Grajeda hands out lollipops and stickers to Jake Pairama, left, and Alexander Johnstone-Soutar-Whatarau. Photo / Imran Ali
Radio Lollipop volunteer Romy Grajeda hands out lollipops and stickers to Jake Pairama, left, and Alexander Johnstone-Soutar-Whatarau. Photo / Imran Ali

"I came to Whangārei in 2016 and it was difficult for me to adapt initially. I Googled Volunteering Northland then went to a couple of events before the opportunity to join Radio Lollipop came," she said.

Discover more

Demolition company burnt by big fines

15 Sep 09:00 PM

Beachgoers to stay safe along Northland coast

13 Sep 05:00 PM
Environment

Jacques Cousteau of New Zealand passes on

13 Sep 04:12 AM

Para athletes on top of the world

15 Sep 05:00 PM

Yesterday's event was the first the organisation organised in Whangārei to attract more volunteers.

• If you are interested in joining, email whangarei@radiolollipop.org

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey

Northern Advocate

'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes

Northern Advocate

The Good Drop: Warehouse, Salvation Army team up for textile recycling


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Premium
Premium
 Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey
Kevin Page
OpinionKevin Page

Kevin Page: Facing fears, finding humour and relief in medical journey

The procedure required a hospital visit and involved a camera.

14 Jul 05:00 PM
'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes
Northern Advocate

'Terribly confusing': FNDC slammed for costly speed limit changes

14 Jul 05:00 PM
The Good Drop: Warehouse, Salvation Army team up for textile recycling
Northern Advocate

The Good Drop: Warehouse, Salvation Army team up for textile recycling

14 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
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
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • 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
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP