Aotearoa New Zealand, you showed up in a big way. Together, we collected 54,183kg of quality pre-loved clothing during the 2026 Uber x Red Cross Clothing Drive. Thank you to everyone who donated, volunteered, and helped make it happen.

On Saturday, 17 October 2026, Uber and New Zealand Red Cross are bringing back an easy way for people across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to donate quality pre-loved clothing and support our humanitarian work across Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world. From 10 am to 4 pm, you can book a FREE Uber Courier trip via the Uber or UberEats apps to collect your pre-loved, quality clothes right from your doorstep.

Every year on 20 June, we mark World Refugee Day to honour the courage of millions of people who have been forced to leave their homes. The day is also an opportunity to reaffirm our collective responsibility to ensure they are welcomed, included, and supported. Across Aotearoa New Zealand, events large and small were held to honour refugee-background communities, amplify their voices, and encourage connections.

People from refugee backgrounds bring diversity and cultural and social richness to communities and workplaces around Aotearoa New Zealand.

People like Elie Balyamhamwabo Zagabe, who is getting used to the new food, language and culture of Aotearoa New Zealand after 12 years in a refugee camp in Malawi. Elie and his family fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With his wife, Irene, and four children, the Zagabe family is embracing life in Masterton after arriving three months ago.

When Otie arrived in Aotearoa New Zealand in November 2000, he woke to a quiet morning and realised how far he had come. The sounds were different, the air was colder, and the sky felt wide and open. “I didn’t know where I was,” he recalled with a smile. “But I knew I was safe.”