SPCA New Zealand

National Volunteer Week: SPCA celebrates outstanding volunteers

16 June 2025

This week, in honour of National Volunteer Week, SPCA proudly celebrates the extraordinary contributions of our volunteers and foster carers throughout New Zealand. 

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.

Devoted Volunteer Award - Carole Worley

Devoted Volunteer Award - Carole Worley

Carole’s dedication to our Christchurch Centre is nothing short of extraordinary. She has been a rock for both the team and the animals in their care for longer than most can remember! A trusted volunteer and driver, she makes sure animals and resources get where they’re needed most. She also has a special gift for fostering, patiently nurturing even the most challenging animals into loving companions.

Carole embodies the core values of SPCA: kindness, bravery, service, and community. Her impact is immeasurable. She is, in every way, a true champion for animals and the people who care for them.

Sensational Centre Team - Karen and Bill Potter

Sensational Centre Team - Karen and Bill Potter

Karen and Bill are the backbone of our Greymouth Centre, bringing dedication, reliability, and warmth to everything they do! That’s why they’re the winners of our Sensational Centre Team category.

For over 12 years, they have volunteered every Wednesday in our feline areas, ensuring that spaces are fully stocked and ready for visitors. Beyond their regular shifts, Karen and Bill always step up when needed, whether it’s handling transfers, covering emergency call-outs, gardening, fostering, or even helping with raffle tables. Nothing is ever too much trouble, and their commitment is felt in every corner of the Centre.

Young Volunteer Award - Skye Redwood

Young Volunteer Award - Skye Redwood

Skye is a key member of our Wellington Centre's puppy run, and the winner of the Young Volunteer Award! Skye’s dedication to the puppy run has been unwavering for the past year. No matter how busy things get, she steps up without hesitation, only wanting to do what’s best for the animals. Balancing school and other responsibilities, she still makes time to volunteer, and her reliability is invaluable – when others can’t make it, she steps in, ensuring our puppies receive the enrichment and attention they need. Her quiet commitment makes a lasting impact, proving that showing up, helping, and putting the animals first can truly make a difference.

Going The Extra Mile - Jaime Frew

Going The Extra Mile - Jaime Frew

Jaime’s dedication to our Rotorua Centre is truly remarkable. That’s why she’s the winner of our Going the Extra Mile award!

For more than two years, she's consistently gone above and beyond, ensuring the Centre runs smoothly and that animals receive the care and attention they deserve. From washing windows and cleaning air conditioning units to cutting up rags at home and bringing them in for use, she tirelessly finds ways to support the team. She often stays long after her shift ends, tackling laundry, spending quality time with the animals, and making sure no task falls by the wayside.

Fantastic Foster Family - John and Donna Stephenson

Fantastic Foster Family - John and Donna Stephenson

The winners of the Fantastic Foster Family award, John and Donna’s dedication to animal welfare is truly extraordinary. As passionate advocates, they’ve devoted their Invercargill lifestyle block entirely to rescued animals, providing a safe and loving home for a wide range of creatures – including roosters, ducks, chickens, sheep, lambs, rams, and goats.

Their commitment goes beyond time and resources; they are always available at a moment’s notice. No matter the urgency, John and Donna never hesitate to step in, ensuring seized or vulnerable animals have temporary refuge. Their reliability and kindness are unmatched, making them an invaluable part of SPCA’s foster network.

Outstanding Op Shop Team - Kaikōura Op Shop

Outstanding Op Shop Team - Kaikōura Op Shop

Our Op Shops are an important part of the SPCA network, raising crucial funds to support our animals. The teams that keep them running are superheroes. Including the Kaikōura Op Shop team, winners of the Outstanding Op Shop Team award. Genevieve Lintott, Carolyn Sutton, Claudine Smith-Barker, Rebecca Boyd, Tanja van der Zwet, Tawa and Shirley Grace are the heart and soul of our operation. Week after week, they show up – many even coming in twice a week – working tirelessly without financial reward, simply because they care. Beyond their day-to-day efforts, they embrace responsibility, undertaking electrical testing courses to boost revenue and swapping shifts to ensure the shop is always covered. Their aroha create a warm, supportive environment, turning a group of volunteers into a true whānau.

Special mentions

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!

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