Being able to assist is a privilege, and for me I think social work is a vocation. I applied for this role as I was missing the ‘grit’ of frontline work and wanted a change from health social work.

Kelburn Op Shop manager, Narges was anonymously nominated by a member of the Kelburn Community for the Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Award.

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.” – Winnie The Pooh.

As a majority volunteer-based organisation, we rely on the generosity of everyday people giving their time to support the greater mission of Vinnies Wellington - which is to simply help people.

Article from the Volunteer Wellington, Issue 35 Newsletter.

The challenge for the coming year will be to maintain a consistent service while putting into effect the changes that offer more choice for clients and more effective support throughout all areas of food parcels, pregnancy assistance, and social advocacy and advice. 

Pregnancy Assistance is one of the many free, professional support services the team at St Vincent de Paul Society in Wellington offers. Started in the early 2000s, it continues to provide an invaluable service to Wellington mothers and their babies.

We asked James a few hard-hitting questions to really get to know what makes him tick... 

…one of the best things about her job is that it is not about profit, it is about people.

“Some people can see their output in numbers and others can see it through creating things, but I can see it here through helping others and ending the day knowing I did the best I could.”