Katikati Red Cross Seeks Volunteers for Disaster Support Team

The Katikati branch of the New Zealand Red Cross is calling for more volunteers to join its newly established Disaster Welfare and Support Team (DWST). Branch president Phil Parker says the team has grown out of the former Community Relief Team and can now be deployed to large-scale emergencies anywhere in Aotearoa, not just locally. He'd like to grow the Katikati DWST from its current seven members to between 15 and 20.

Volunteers aged 16 and over who are reasonably fit and healthy are welcome. In exchange for a minimum 12-month commitment and fortnightly Wednesday evening training sessions on Middlebrook Drive, members receive full uniforms, comprehensive first aid certification, psychological first aid training, and all at no cost to themselves. Parker emphasises that the skills gained — including how to support people in severe distress and how to manage their own welfare during a disaster — are valuable well beyond the volunteer role.

Parker speaks from considerable experience. Following Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023, he spent 12 months on the ground in Gisborne, helping distribute funding and supporting whānau who had lost everything. He returned to Gisborne last weekend to witness preparations for a new marae on a site his team had helped support after the storm. He notes that with Aotearoa being a small country, building response capacity now — between disasters — is critical. Those interested can find out more at www.redcross.org.nz/get-involved/volunteer-in-new-zealand.

Originally published in Katikati News (Sun Media).