Volunteers are the lifeblood of our community, weaving together resources with the people who need them, says South Wairarapa District Council Mayor Martin Connelly.

He officially thanked a gathering of 60 volunteers this morning for their work across the South Wairarapa district at a morning tea called We Thank You – E mihi nui ana!

Volunteers who attended received a certificate of acknowledgement from the Council and a token of appreciation from the community, which took the form of a hot drink voucher gifted by hospitality venues in South Wairarapa, which each donated a handful of vouchers for the volunteers.

The hospitality venues that gave back to the community are The Bach, Kitchener’s Café, Medici and Neighbourhood in Martinborough; Cahoots and The Offering in Greytown; The Dickensian Bookshop & Tea Rooms, C’est Cheese, Everest and Loco in Featherston and The Land Girl in Pirinoa.

“We really appreciate the owners of these businesses for acknowledging the significant contribution made by volunteers. I am very grateful for the support from these businesses and I know that the volunteers were really stoked to be thanked in this tangible way,” says Mayor Connelly.

The morning tea this year and last year were district wide gatherings timed to coincide with Volunteering New Zealand (Tūao Aotearoa’s) annual National Volunteer Week. Each year a slightly different group of volunteers are invited to reflect the vast number of volunteers across the district in an effort to (eventually) thank them all.

“We hosted a mere portion of the innumerable volunteers in our district. We appreciate them all and pay tribute to the vast amount and variety of work they do from running food banks, providing meals on wheels, keeping us safe in emergencies, caring for those in hospice situations, mentoring people and working to regenerate our environment, among so many more valuable volunteer roles.”

This is the second consecutive year the Council has formally acknowledged the priceless roles that volunteers play in South Wairarapa.

National Volunteer Week’s 2025 theme is Whiria te tangata – weaving the people together.

Above: Mayor Martin Connelly (left) at the We Thank You – E mihi nui ana! morning tea to acknowledgement the role of volunteers in the South Wairarapa district.

Above: Volunteer firefighter Ariella Perry speaks at the We Thank You – E mihi nui ana! morning tea for volunteers.

Above: May Croft of Martinborough Foodbank speaks at the We Thank You – E mihi nui ana! morning tea for volunteers.