Our inaugural Giving Day in June reached our $250,000 goal to deliver an IT-in-a-Box system to the Pacific. The IT-in-a-Box system, which was designed to be a ‘plug in and go’ system, enables smooth running of computer software and online communications during normal times. But it really delivers during a disaster.

Recent strikes on Kyiv, including one attack that left at least 30 people dead and sent tens of thousands of families back into underground shelters, as well as further deadly attacks in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk, are a stark reminder that civilians across Ukraine continue to bear the heaviest toll.

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.

Thanks to the generosity of New Zealand Red Cross donors, $150,000 raised through our Middle East Humanitarian Crisis Appeal has been distributed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), helping deliver vital humanitarian assistance to people impacted by conflict in the region.

Across the Pacific, small Red Cross societies are often the first responders when cyclones, earthquakes, and health emergencies hit, but they frequently have only a handful of staff and limited resources. New Zealand Red Cross is helping these societies strengthen their disaster readiness, using the National Society Operational Readiness Check.