Our Mission

Everybody in Aotearoa feels connected, supported and empowered to effect the changes they want to see in the world, through active community participation.

 
 

Our kaupapa

Collaborate was created for the community by the community.

Our three core values shape and drive every aspect of Collaborate.

Child watering a plant
Volunteers and community organisation
 

Why Collaborate?

to work together with somebody in order to produce or achieve something
— Oxford Dictionary

The act of volunteering or aroha mahi benefits everybody involved. When volunteers and community organisations come together everyone wins.

Volunteers give their time and skills, and in exchange are empowered to create the kind of world they want to live in. They make peoples lives better, care for the environment, stand for what they believe in, show kindness. Along the way, they gain new skills, new friends and connections, new passions and open new career pathways.

Community organisations that support, grow and collaborate with their volunteers, in turn reap the benefits of their aroha mahi.

We wanted a name that reflects this kaupapa, which is how Collaborate was born.

 

Our 2021 Priorities

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.
— Anon
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Resilient and connect communities

We have all felt the impacts of the tragedies and challenges that have shaped our nation over the past months and years. It is during these times we realise we need community and connection more than ever. Volunteering makes our communities stonger and closer. People feel more connected, valued and empowered. When we volunteer for our communities, with our communities, there is nothing us kiwis can't overcome.

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Conservation and Climate action

Climate Change is the challenge of our time and each of us has a critical part to play the fight for our future. Now is the time to Collaborate. Only through each of us contributing our skills to collective action will we solve this. That's what Collaborate is here to do. To connect your skills and passion to where its most needed; restoring waterways, regenerating nature, reducing carbon, recycling, innovating, educating, advocating - you are needed now! Through conservation and climate volunteering we can restore the health of our planet.

 

Sustainable Development Goals

Collaborate supports over 500 organisations to do good across all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. In our own work, we are committed to three in particular:

 
 

Collaborate is all about making communities healthier (socially, environmentally and physically) through facilitating meaningful partnerships, whether it be between volunteers and a non profit organisation or between corporates and the community. Find out more about the collective process behind this.