Stepping up to help in emergencies
16 May 2025
At just 21 years old, Will Benefield is part of a growing wave of young volunteers who are stepping up to support communities affected by disasters across Aotearoa New Zealand.
A university student based in Hamilton, Will’s passion for helping others led him to join New Zealand Red Cross’ Disaster Welfare and Support Team (DWST) in 2024. His first deployment came soon after completing his training, in the aftermath of a devastating tornado in Mangawhai in January.
“DWST were tasked by Civil Defence with conducting needs assessments to homes in tornado affected areas,” he explains. “By directly dealing with the people affected, it felt like we were making a genuine, positive difference. Honestly, that makes you feel good inside.”
Training gave Will the confidence to deploy
Will says that interacting with members of the community who were struggling to process what had occurred was challenging.
“It wasn’t easy. It required all of the psychosocial first aid training I had received, along with empathy, emotional steadiness and maturity.
“Although, when someone thanks you with tears in their eyes, you feel like you are doing the right thing.”
Will says the training he received, which he completed late last year, set himself up well for his first deployment.
“There are regular trainings for the team, which are currently fortnightly. We train on everything from radio comms to first aid, emergency management processes to welfare support, which is our main call-out. The skills you learn in trainings are extremely useful, along with the various certifications. All the training I received was necessary and gave me great confidence going into my first deployment.”
Helping communities in need, no matter your age
Will is the youngest deployable member of the Hamilton DWST, but he says he enjoys the diversity of ages and backgrounds in his team.
“The social aspect is genuine fun – the Hamilton team has great chemistry,” he says.
Will wholeheartedly encourages other young people to get involved in DWST, saying the life experience, wisdom, and maturity gained from being on deployment is invaluable to a young person.
“If you want to help people, this is an excellent way to do it. The time commitment is minor, and the benefit brought to others and you completely outweighs it.”
New Zealand Red Cross National Youth Representative, Dan Wilden, applauds Will and other young people who volunteer their time to help others.
“When young people like Will respond to disasters, they become a leader in their community. A young person willing to put their life on hold to support others inspires a lot of people to want to follow in those footsteps.”
More information
Learn more about how we support communities prepare for and respond to disasters.
Disaster and emergency support
Can you help when your community is in need? We have Disaster Welfare and Support Teams in 20 locations around the country. Volunteer with your local team today!
Disaster Welfare and Support Team volunteer
Learn more about ways that young people can volunteer and get involved with us.
Volunteer opportunities for youth