Area Model review

Thank you!

You shared your experiences. We listened.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to our Area Model Review between November 2025 and March 2026.

Over 1,200 Red Cross people from across Aotearoa New Zealand, representing every part of our organisation, shared their experiences of the Area Model whether by survey or face to face.

The independent external review team has completed its work and presented a final report to the National Board. An external review team also provided the findings to a special meeting of the National Council. They reflected on these findings and this helped shape the action plan.

Your feedback has given us evidence-based insight into how the Area Model is working, and helped us to determine next steps to continue strengthening of the Area Model.

Download a copy of the area model review summary report [PDF]

Why we conducted this review

Our Area Model refers to the ways we organise, support and connect Red Cross people and activities within our geographic areas across Aotearoa New Zealand to deliver local impact.

We introduced significant changes to our Area Model in 2022 and 2023 to help us deliver on our Mission, our Fundamental Principles, and Strategy 2030. These changes included:

- Simplifying and reducing our number of geographic areas,

- Strengthening our local governance, by increasing the number of representatives on area councils,

- Establishing Area Support Teams to provide more dedicated support to areas,

- Clarifying roles and responsibilities for our people who lead and coordinate our members, and

Increasing youth representation, leadership and engagement in our work.

When the new Area Model was announced in 2022, we committed to carrying out a comprehensive review in 2026. As with any significant change, it’s important to review and reflect on progress and seek feedback. This helps us check in with our people and understand how this is working.

Who we heard from

Over 1,200 Red Cross people shared their experiences of the Area Model by:

participating in one of the 50 workshops, interviews or site visits, and/or

completing an organisation-wide survey, which received 1,189 responses.

Importantly, the review team heard from members, volunteers, and employees involved across our organisation, face-to-face wherever possible. This included:

people on the ground delivering our services,

people involved with activities that generate the funds needed to deliver these services,

people in governance and leadership roles, including members on our area councils, branch committees, and local group leadership, and
people in the seven Area Support Teams, as well as other enabling services in the organisation.

There was strong representation of urban, town, and rural settings and of all seven of our geographic areas.

The review had a dedicated steering group, made up of members and employees with specific relevant expertise who helped guide the review process and provided feedback on the final report.

Finally, we also held a special meeting of our National Council, to seek feedback from members on the report outcomes.