National Volunteer Week: SPCA celebrates outstanding volunteers

The 2025 SPCA Nestlé Purina National Volunteer Awards shine a light on the dedication and compassion of these remarkable individuals, who are the heart and soul of the SPCA. With 91 people nominated across the charity this year, their unwavering commitment to animal welfare is truly inspiring.

Whether they are cleaning cages, fostering animals in their homes, shaking a bucket, or sorting items in SPCA Op Shops across the country, their dedication is what keeps our organisation running.

SPCA General Manager of People, Culture, and Safety, Liz Andrews, is delighted to celebrate this year’s winners.

“Our volunteers are the unsung heroes of SPCA, tirelessly working, day and night, making sure animals get the care they need. Whether they are students, retirees, full-time or part-time workers, their kindness and generosity is like a bottomless bucket,” says Liz.

SPCA is also deeply grateful to its long-standing partner, Nestlé Purina, who has supported these awards for eight consecutive years.

Nestlé Purina New Zealand Country Manager François Le Berrigaud says, “Celebrating the extraordinary generosity of SPCA volunteers is a truly special occasion. These dedicated individuals give their time and energy to help make a meaningful difference to the lives of animals in SPCA care.

“At Nestlé Purina, we remain committed to supporting the SPCA, helping to provide over 100,000kgs of Purina ONE nutrition each year. I warmly encourage everyone to contribute in whatever way they can. Together, we can make a greater impact for animals in need.”

The Nestlé Purina Volunteer Awards are held during National Volunteer Week, a time dedicated to acknowledging the invaluable contributions of volunteers and foster parents across the country. Winners will be honoured with a certificate of recognition and a prize pack of goodies from Purina. Throughout the week, SPCA celebrates its award winners and recognise the 8,500+ volunteers and fosterers who keep the charity running.

GOING THE EXTRA MILE AWARD

• Vanessa Couplands-Sucich

Vanessa is extremely committed to SPCA's cause. She previously volunteered for eight years at our Kaitaia Centre, despite working full time with long hours as the Hospital Social Worker at the Kaitaia Hospital. She dedicated many hours and weekends to SPCA, and even put together a fundraising team, raising funds for the animals. To this day, she still fundraises in Kaitaia and continues to raise SPCA's profile within Kaitaia. She is deeply committed to animal welfare. Vanessa is truly amazing, and deserves recognition for all she does.

• Steve Groves

SPCA mourns the recent loss of Steve Groves. Steve volunteered at our Levin Centre every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning. It didn’t matter if it was a public holiday or even Christmas day, Steve would be there for the animals. Working in the animal isolation and quarantine areas, Steve was also the Centre handy-man. He was always willing to help with any and all tasks, and his hard work was so deeply appreciated. Steve is deeply missed.

OUTSTANDING OP SHOP TEAM

• Milford Op Shop

The Milford Op Shop team is an outstanding group of volunteers. Their dedication to serving the SPCA is without exception, from their amazing customer service to their attention to detail and pride they have in the shop. This team of volunteers is the face of the SPCA in Milford. They have been unanimous in their resolve to increase our fundraising efforts for the animals. The basics of the Op Shop had to be done to the highest standard: steaming 100 garments everyday perfectly for customers to buy, cleaning the shop so it gleamed, being the friendly face that greeted every customer. It meant fostering community relationships to ensure a steady flow of donations through our door. It meant encouraging more volunteers to join the team, as the more volunteers we had, the more we could do. It meant being prepared to be busy and enthusiastic every single day. And they have risen to the challenge incredibly.

YOUNG VOLUNTEER AWARD

• Mikayla Ellery

Mikayla has been a consistent volunteer at our Napier Centre for almost a year. She comes multiple times a week, and gets stuck in to the cleaning and general chores. She also spends valuable socialisation time with the cats and kittens who are having a bit of a harder time in the shelter environment - the cats benefit so much from Mikayla's calm and patient presence. She is currently studying vet nursing, so she has valuable knowledge and experience to offer our Centre. She makes a huge difference to the staff's workload, and to the happiness of the cats in our care.

SENSATIONAL CENTRE TEAM

• Māngere Centre

Kerry Bax, Tania Jenner and Maxine Hobbs are greatly deserving of a special mention for the Sensational Centre Team category. Saturday afternoons can be very busy for our Māngere team, with a flurry of adoptions leaving behind a trail of cages to disinfect and reset, dishes to wash, an endless stack of litter trays and toys to clean and prepare for the next day. On top of that, there’s always newspaper to arrange, rags to cut, and of course, time to spend socialising the cats and kittens in our care. That’s why we’re always excited and relieved when it’s Kerry, Tania, and Maxine on shift. They tackle every task with good humour, enthusiasm, and an incredible eye for detail—keeping everything running smoothly and up to their own high standards. And as a bonus, Kerry even brings in hand-knitted mice for the cats and kittens!