On Saturday, 29 November, teams converged on Victoria University of Wellington to compete in our annual international humanitarian law Moot Court competition.

Humanitarian law — also known as the rules of war — applies to armed conflicts. Humanitarian law protects people who aren’t directly involved in armed conflict and restricts what those involved can do.

Over this past year, we’ve continued to support vulnerable people at home and overseas, while making progress to achieve our 10-year strategic plan.

Our members, volunteers, employees, and supporters have been the heart of our mission since 1915, selflessly dedicating their time and skills to make a difference in the lives of others. An area of our work where we’ve seen this neighbourly good will has been with former refugees, where over the decades our volunteers have helped people fleeing violence and persecution to rebuild their lives in New Zealand.

With much of Gaza’s health infrastructure destroyed, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sent a tented 60-bed field hospital, now expanded to 110 beds. While originally designed to run self-sufficiently for only four months, it’s been operating since May 2024.

This year marks 80 years since nuclear weapons were used in the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. In the decades since, people from across the world — as well as our international Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement — have organised in opposition to the indiscriminate and immensely destructive force of these weapons.