Coastline Conservation Volunteering in New Zealand

This was my first time traveling alone to another country. I had so many concerns and second guessing my decision right up until departure. I will be 70 this year and was very concerned I wouldn’t fit in or keep up with the rest of the team. This concern was brief. After meeting my team mates at the hostel and getting settled it was easy to talk with everyone, all different backgrounds, countries, ages, languages and genders. We shared a room with bunkbeds, we made meals together, excursions together and worked together. We did things independently and one on one. The program was amazing. It felt like we were contributing and making a small difference in coastline conservation and education. Our local coordinators were very professional and well educated as well as passionate. They were supportive and I always felt safe, seen and heard. It was a privilege to participate and look forward to another experience in the near future. I feel like I’ve made life long friends in the process.

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My IVHQ Program Manager was very helpful! The local team was also wonderful and welcoming, knowledgeable and fun! I had a great experience working with them! I learned a lot about waste and the importance of keeping our oceans clean. It was inspiring to work alongside people who are passionate about sustainability. I was very nervous before participating in this program (I had never traveled solo or volunteered abroad before). From day 1 I knew I had made the right decision going to New Zealand with IVHQ. The local team is so welcoming, knowledgeable, and fun and I had a great time getting to know the other volunteers. I definitely recommend this program!

The local team were absolutely professional, welcoming, caring, supportive and wonderfully fun! We were issued with detailed schedules every two weeks, with instructions on how to reach our destination. We learned so much about ‘Sustainability’ in every sense of the word. We could see the positive care and impact this team was making, through information sharing in schools, businesses and the local community. The work at times was quite hard, but rewarding. I was proud to be part of the team and volunteers. This team has set a bar for me, and given me a positive reason as to why I could confidently go to another destination in the world, and expect any other team to set the same high standards. Volunteering in this way, gave me a much better understanding of how different thicknesses of plastics impacted on the environment and how both could be recycled (some having more positive uses than others).. Knowing, seeing, and helping to remove, bottles, glass and all kinds of waste from in and around the environment, I was making a positive impact. Locals who saw and asked what we were doing, would thank us which was appreciative and nice to hear. Although I was not completely ignorant about this area. I gained a great learning and understanding of sustainability. I met many people of different cultures and made some lovely friends. If you are given the same professional, kind and respectful treatment, with lots of shared knowledge (with fun times thrown in), you will have no reason for hesitation about joining this program. Just a great happy experience!

My two weeks volunteering with IVHQ and the local team in Auckland was a truly life-changing experience! I am still in awe of how much I learned in such a short time about marine and coastal conservation efforts in New Zealand and the small changes we can each make to protect our oceans, waterways, wildlife, and our planet. The local team staff are all wonderful to work with; particularly the volunteer coordinator, who is extraordinary at her job and a genuinely lovely individual. Auckland is a stunningly scenic and vibrant city, and as a volunteer, I was able to visit many beaches and areas around the city. This was my third volunteer experience with IVHQ, and my absolute favorite. What an incredible way to experience amazing New Zealand, and to make friendships with other like-minded individuals from around the world!

Try to be as much open minded as you can! You will get pushed out of your comfort zone a lot of times but in the best way possible! I have grown so much as a person, learnt lots about myself and my English is better than it ever was before :) I enjoyed my 10 weeks as much as possible and took more from it than I could have ever imagined! It can be scary going to another country on your own, even more when English is not your first language but you will gain so much :) I honestly feel like I did something good, not only for the environment in New Zealand but also for myself!!

The volunteer coordinator was amazing. She was always available at the tip of her finger. There was no hesitation that I was ever in an unsafe space. I would love to go back and volunteer again. I met amazing people and was educated on the importance of keeping our earth clean. The people there made it all worth it. For the second week I was volunteering, there was an event at the local Botanical Gardens. I was pleased to know that we would working with children in the community that were on field trips to be educated on sustainability. Our station was one of four that was set up. We were playing games and educating the children and I truly felt like I had made an impact on these children’s lives. I had never traveled alone before and going on a trip across the world by myself impacted me the most. It was an extremely positive experience and I would do it all again if I could. I went by myself to do something that I knew was going to positively impact myself and the earth. It’s a lot easier to just think about doing it than actually doing it. Through IVHQ everything is sorted out for you, you just have to save the money and go. It’s all worth it and I wouldn’t take back a single second.

The local team was fabulous! Getting to know all the staff and co volunteers was my favorite - the latter all socialized and explored after work. I got to learn how this small volunteer organization does such big things.

It is totally worth it, even the hard parts, you are capable of figuring out and working through so much more than you think you are! I got to understand the unique components to Auckland's environmental struggles and how they are combating them. With this experience, I grew in my confidence and self in so many ways.

I learned so much more than I thought I would about the different types of trash that litter the New Zealand beaches. I think it is really cool how the program addresses the issue by collecting and entering data into a global database on the types/amounts of trash we find on the beaches, so that the most impactful environmental laws/regulations can be proposed and supported using data that we have contributed to. I feel that I am actually doing really important work and not just picking up litter. One of my first days on the program, we had gone to one of the beaches and collected an astonishing 600+ firework casings and shells. The program is very engaging and inclusive and I found myself eager to start working each day. There is also plenty of time on the weekends to visit some iconic New Zealand tourist attractions, like Hobbiton and Glow Worm caves. I am very happy that I decided on the New Zealalnd program and I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking to do environmentally impactful volunteer work and have a fun adventurous time doing it!

Volunteering with IVHQ was an amazing experience. Everything from my research phase all the way to returning home after the program was made easy, safe, fun, and worth the price. IVHQ staff answers all questions and concerns promptly. Not only was the volunteer experience extremely rewarding but my program also included trips after volunteering that helped me see hidden gems I would’ve never known if if it wasn’t for the local staff at my placement. The quality of work I participated in truly made me feel like I made a difference, I made new friends, and overall had a great time. Volunteering with IVHQ should be on everyone’s bucket list.

I went to New Zealand for 8 weeks (7 weeks in the program) and it was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had so much fun learning about what I could do to help the environment and learning about their native plants and helping restore them. Everyone cared about you learning while you were there not just working. The team at Sustainable Coastlines welcomes everybody with open arms and they made me feel so comfortable and made it easy to be in a different country. They gave us so many unique opportunities that I didn’t even expect to get like getting to see the prime minister, taking us to fun places to work, and meeting so many new people. I love the friends that I made and I was so sad to leave. I would 100% do this project again.

IVHQ takes very good care of their volunteers. I always felt safe and well cared for during my trip. They partner with local charities at the destination, so once you get to the country, most of your interaction is with this charity. Because you are volunteering for an organization within the community, their goals and causes are very relevant and meaningful. Sustainable Coastlines in NZ is a team of passionate people who want to better the waterways and coasts of the country. It was a pleasure to assist them and they in turn gave us many great experiences and connections to the community. IVHQ partners with several companies allowing cheaper flights and travel insurance which really makes it easier to get out there. I would recommend IVHQ to my friends and family, or random strangers. If you're looking to travel and want to help a community, this is a great program!