Volunteering research
In order to make decisions about policy and funding for volunteering, it is important to understand the extent and nature of volunteering.
Research into volunteering looks at what sort of volunteering activities take place, how many people participate in volunteering, who they are, why they do it and issues they might face. Below is an outline of activities taking place within the ‘Research’ work stream of the Government Volunteering Work Programme, as well as other relevant research.
On this page:
What the OCVS is doing
What other government agencies are doing
What has been achieved
What the OCVS is doing
- Research into Māori cultural obligations
The OCVS has conducted research to identify motivators and cultural drivers for Māori which contribute to maintaining mana for the whanau, hapū and iwi. This research indicates that Māori volunteering is based significantly on the notion of whanaungatanga (kinship). The report on the findings from this research, Mahi Aroha: Māori Perspectives on Volunteering and Cultural Obligations, was launched on 30 April 2007.
» Download Mahi Aroha: Māori Perspectives on Volunteering and Cultural Obligations - PDF 892kb
» To order a hard copy email ocvs@msd.govt.nz
Contact: Glenda McCallum - Study of the New Zealand non-profit sector
This study will help provide a clear picture of the nature and extent of non-profit sector activity within New Zealand. This will include the number of volunteers within non-profit organisations and an estimate of the value they provide to New Zealand.
» See the 'Study of the non-profit sector' page -
Non-Profit Institutions Satellite Account
The Non-Profit Institutions Satellite Account shows that over one million volunteers gave more than 270 million hours of unpaid labour to non-profit institutions in 2004. When valued at a market wage, voluntary labour boosts non-profit institutions' economic contribution to $6.95 billion or 4.9% of NZ's gross domestic product (GDP). - Research into Pacific peoples cultural obligations
This research will identify Pacific people’s motivators and barriers to volunteering, and the relationship with their cultural obligations. A report on the findings from this research is expected to be available in the first half of 2008.
Contact: Iris Webster
- Volunteering Research
An inventory is being taken of all New Zealand research that looks at volunteering activities. This inventory is being completed by the OCVS and Volunteering New Zealand, and may result in a volunteering research forum to identify gaps and priorities in the research areas. Please advise us if you know of any research that we can add to it.
» Download the draft inventory - Word - 140kb | PDF - 180kb
Contact: Diana Suggate
What other government agencies are doing
Research into the implications of population ageing for the community and voluntary sector
The Older People’s Policy team in the Ministry of Social Development is leading a project to examine the implications of an ageing population. This includes consideration of its impact on the community and voluntary sector, and whether there are likely to be volunteer shortages to support the older population. This research was published in a chapter entitled Communities and Volunteering in the book Implications of Population Ageing
Contact: Kathryn Paton- Research into the motivation of volunteers in sports and recreational activities
During 2006, Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) contracted Gravitas Research and Strategy Ltd to conduct social marketing, qualitative research to provide greater understanding of what motivates people to volunteer in sport and recreation and identify factors that prevent them from volunteering. Quantitative research is now underway as part of phase 2 of this project.
» The Finding and Keeping Volunteers: what the research tells us report is now online.
Contact: Kathryn Paton
What has been achieved
By government:
Maori and Unpaid Work
Te Puni Kōkiri produces a range of fact sheets, trend sheets and other reports, which provide statistical information about Māori in New Zealand.
» View Factsheet 9 'Maori and Unpaid Work' (March 2000)
» See the full list of Fact Sheets- Research into volunteers in sport and recreational activities
Sport and Recreation New Zealand (SPARC) have produced the Volunteers report which contains the facts and figures about how active and inactive volunteers are in their leisure time and how active they want to be. Most of the information in this report comes from the combined results and Sport and Recreation New Zealand’s 1997/98, 1998/99 and 2000/01 Sport and Physical Activity Surveys.
» To view the Volunteers report, go to SPARC website - Civil Defence and Emergency Management Volunteering – the NZ Context: A situation report
The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management reviewed the situation and current issues in the civil defence and emergency volunteering sector in 2004.
» To view the report, go to the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management website
By other organisations:
- Report on voluntary and ethnic communities
In 2004, the New Zealand Federation of Ethnic Councils (NZFEC) and New Zealand Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (NZACAB) undertook research to determine the reasons why ethnic people do not participate in volunteering at the same rate as others in our society. This research was funded by the Department of Internal Affairs’ Support for Volunteering Fund.
» Download Volunteering and Ethnic Communities - A Dialogue with Ethnic Communities Word - 696kb | PDF - 105kb - Counting for Something: Value Added by Voluntary Agencies (VAVA)
In 2004, the New Zealand Federation of Voluntary Welfare Organisations (NZFVWO) and PricewaterhouseCoopers completed a project to help to quantify the economic value of the work of voluntary agencies. A report was produced to identify the contribution made by volunteers to ten major social services organisations over a one-year period.
» Download the Counting for Something: Value Added by Voluntary Agencies (VAVA) Project report (PDF).