This month marks 75 years of the New Zealand Red Cross Meals on Wheels delivery service – a milestone that celebrates generations of volunteers who have delivered not only hot meals, but care and connection to communities across the country.

When Cyclone Ditwah battered Sri Lanka in late November 2025, it unleashed chaos - more than 3,000 landslides and rapid floods swamped 20 out of 25 districts, from tea-covered highlands to lowland rivers. 

Tobias joined our Hawke's Bay DWST team when he was 16 years old. Two years later, he's stepped into two leadership roles.

For Aarthi, volunteering in a Red Cross Shop was an opportunity for more connection as she studies for a degree in cybersecurity engineering.

When Ayman arrived in Palmerston North in June 2024, he carried a mix of hope and uncertainty. After spending his childhood in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, Aotearoa New Zealand offered a safe place with opportunities – yet everything was unfamiliar. The language, education system and even the rhythm of daily life were all new. The path ahead felt both exciting and uncertain.