Nigel stands proudly in front of the new NZ Blood plasma bus, which features his image as part of the campaign.
A Waikato resident and long-time plasma donor has become the face of a new life-saving campaign for the New Zealand Blood Service.
The service is rolling out the country’s first mobile plasma bus from April 21, and it will drive to small towns and cities across the central North Island that have previously been out of reach for potential plasma donors.
Donors in the central North Island must currently travel to permanent centres in Hamilton, Tauranga or Palmerston North. The mobile service will travel weekly to Hastings, New Plymouth, Taupō, Whakatāne, Matamata and Rotorua.
Nigel, who did not want his last name published for privacy reasons, is a long‑time donor who lives in Waihī and travels the three-hour round trip to the closest plasma donation centre every two weeks.
Driving to Hamilton fortnightly since his early 20s to donate plasma, he has clocked up hundreds of kilometres in the name of helping strangers.
He said it was surreal to see himself on the side of a bus.
“It’s definitely strange seeing your own face out there, but it’s for an amazing cause.”
Nigel first donated blood as a teenager at a mobile drive at a Hamilton high school, following in the footsteps of his father, a regular donor.
When his father became ill and could no longer donate, Nigel quietly stepped in and was a regular blood donor by his mid‑20s.
Even after moving away from the city, he continued driving to Hamilton every fortnight to give plasma.
“Being able to donate closer to home, even if it’s just a few times a year, will make such a difference, especially for people who don’t have the ability to travel in the same way I do.”
Years later, Nigel was diagnosed with cancer and had to stop donating for five years.
“It hit me the same way it hit Dad. I was disappointed I couldn’t do my bit any more.”
Despite that, Nigel said he was fortunate.
“Aside from having the cancer removed, I didn’t need any operations or treatments, so I never needed blood products myself.”
Throughout his recovery, he kept a close eye on the timeline for when he would be eligible to donate again. As soon as he was cleared, he returned.
Nigel said he had some hesitation about having his face on the bus.
“Mainly because of the grief I knew my colleagues would give me. But if it helps the work the New Zealand Blood Service does, I can handle a bit of grief.”
The new bus was expected to collect around 115 plasma donations a week, a 4% boost to the national supply.
Plasma is used to create up to 11 life‑saving products and could treat as many as 50 conditions, including cancer, kidney disease, blood clots and liver failure.
NZ Blood Service said that when it approached Nigel to front the new campaign, it felt like a full‑circle moment. Someone who had gone the distance to donate was now helping bring plasma collection closer to others.
Donor relations team leader Rachel Bowman said launching a mobile plasma service had been more complex than organising drives for whole blood.
“The equipment is larger, it takes longer to set up, donation times are slightly longer, and our teams need additional training.”
Nevertheless, she said, the team was excited to get the service on the road.
“It’s a bit like a band heading out on a Plasma Tour – only with more tea, biscuits and life‑saving plasma than rock’n’roll.”
More than half of whole blood donations already came from mobile drives, which would continue as usual.
Bowman said expanding mobile plasma collection strengthened the organisation’s nationwide strategy and removed barriers for donors who wanted to give but were limited by distance.
Nigel said he encouraged people to think about the friends or whānau in their lives who had needed medical care, whether long-term treatment or emergency care, and what part donated blood products might have played in helping them.
“Donating is a simple way to say thank you or pay it forward.”
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post.