NZ Blood Canterbury

15/05/2026

Doing good deeds, a “no-brainer” for Kelvin.

Today we are celebrating Christchurch donor Kelvin who recently gave his 300th donation of lifesaving plasma. Thank you, Kelvin. That is an incredible contribution to the community and is profoundly appreciated by recipient patients and the NZBlood team.

Kelvin started donating whole blood at 20 years old and when donating plasma became an option he started because you can donate plasma more frequently, as often as fortnightly.

Kelvin is so committed to donating regularly that on his next holiday he plans to get another tattoo, so it minimizes the time unable to donate.

“It's a really good thing to do for the community and a great way to help. It's a no brainer.”
We couldn’t agree more Kelvin! Many thanks again.

11/05/2026

Helping others: the only option for Larissa.

When Larissa’s sister was born at just 25 weeks, blood transfusions helped save her life. That experience never left Larissa and has inspired her to be a donor of liquid gold.

Recently, Larissa has reached an incredible milestone of 100 plasma donations. Wow!

Donating every two weeks, Larissa has turned her heartfelt gratitude into action, commitment, and hope for countless others.

We’re so thankful for your lifesaving efforts Larissa. 💛

08/05/2026

Follow Patrick Gower and the journey of blood.

Check out the first in a six-part mini-documentary series following the ‘journey of blood’ fronted by Stuff journalist Paddy Gower.

In each weekly episode, Paddy — who has never donated before — will learn about the various steps leading up to, during, and after donation, before ultimately rolling up his own sleeve in the final episode.

Follow along as he aims to demystify the donation process, highlight recipient patients, and educate other Kiwis on the ease and lifesaving nature of blood donation.

Paddy Gower meets Jehaan, a regular donor, at New Zealand Blood Service.

08/05/2026

One swab test could save a life – yet many New Zealanders are still waiting for their match.

Last month, we hosted a drive at the University of Canterbury to encourage students and the wider community to join the New Zealand Bone Marrow Registry and become bone marrow donors.

Among the attendees of last week’s event were family members and friends of those currently searching for matches for their loved ones. They volunteered their time to come down and help support the event and educate others on how important these matches can be.

Among them was Christchurch local Nicole and her daughter, 12‑year‑old Mea Richards. Mea was first diagnosed with aplastic anaemia in 2022 when she was eight, and four years on, she is still without a full bone marrow match.

Other family members came in support of four‑year‑old Harper Nicoll, who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). Harper and her family are Kiwis based in Perth, Australia. Due to matching being heavily influenced by genetics and ethnicity, Harper had struggled to find a full match because of her Māori and Italian background.

Both families are advocating to find a match not just for their loved ones, but for the many other people like Harper and Mea and the families who they know are also searching.

We were delighted with the turnout, and it was great to see UC students and wider community members come out and support, with many attending and opting to join after reading about Mea Richards’ story.

Throughout the day, we were able to register 107 people on the donor registry, with more than 80 additional requests for swab tests to join and counting.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 35, you can request a swab test to join the New Zealand Bone Marrow Registry and help support children like Mea and Harper to find their match.

Check out the link in the comments for more info on how you can join the New Zealand Bone Marrow Registry.

University of Canterbury

06/05/2026

308 for Daniel & Kate.

This week we’re celebrating Daniel who gave his 250th donation and his wife Kate, who was donating for the 58th time. A great partnership totalling 308 lifesaving donations. Wow!

While Kate and Daniel’s schedules don’t often enable them to donate at the same time, Daniel uses the downtime to catch up on watching his favourite weekend sport. Well played, Sir!

Congratulations, team! Thank you for your lifesaving generosity. Cheers to many more donations to come.

04/05/2026

Touching testimonial from Tahiti.

After giving her 100th donation recently here in Christchurch, Stephanie wrote this lovely testimonial. Thank you for your generosity and for your thoughtful words Steph.

"Who would have thought that tagging along with my best friend to her blood donation back home in French Polynesia years ago would lead me to my 100th plasma donation in Aotearoa today?

My name is Stephanie, I’m originally from Tahiti & I’ve been donating plasma for a couple of years now. To be honest, I still don’t quite know how I made it this far. I’ve always felt uneasy at the sight of blood & yet here I am, donating every fortnight!

I started out donating whole blood, but then noticed the plasma machines & asked the nurses about them. Did you know? While plasma donation takes about an hour (compared to just a few minutes for whole blood), you can donate much more often, every fortnight (compared to every 3 months for whole blood). I thought to myself, I have time after work, so why the heck not? The choice was easy. From that point on, I made the decision to donate plasma & never looked back!

I’ve always wanted to help others, but didn't really know how until I started donating. It’s such a privilege to be able to give back to the community in this way. It brings me happiness and a real sense of purpose & achievement. I hope to keep donating for as long as I am able to.

If, like me, you’ve been thinking about donating but feel unsure how or a little scared, please speak to the amazing guys at your nearest NZ Blood Clinic. They are wonderful, caring & supportive staff who will explain everything, answer your questions & make you feel at ease every step of the way. They are genuinely kind, understanding & readily available to you at any time. To me, they have become family. Oh! And most importantly, they have free yummy snacks! Who doesn't like free snacks?

My advice to you? Stop overthinking it, donate blood or plasma & save lives! I promise you, that feeling of knowing you’ve made a difference in one's life is truly like no other! Take courage & be someone's hero today, you've got this! ❤️"

30/04/2026

Double the love, double the impact 💛

Last Friday at our Tuam St donor centre , we were lucky enough to photograph three couples donating together — and as it happens, there were also three couples who donated together on Thursday too (sadly without photos!).

One of the donors, Wendy, summed it up beautifully:
“We had lived in England in the 1990s so were unable to donate until the vCJD restrictions were lifted. It’s more fun to donate together.”

It’s a great reminder of how changes to the vCJD criteria have opened the door for many people to donate — sometimes for the very first time — and even better, to do it side by side ❤️

And a fun coincidence: all six donors were born in the 1960s!

Pictured are Wendy & Alan, Elizabeth & Paul, and Deidre & Nigel — thank you all for making donation a shared moment 💛

✨ Thinking of donating? Why not make it a date and come along together.

30/04/2026

🌍 WORLDWIDE CELEBRATION OF IMMUNOLOGY with IDFNZ Kids Foundation

For people living with Primary Immunodeficiency (PI), immunology isn’t just a science—it’s survival. Many PI patients in Aotearoa rely on plasma‑derived medicines, such as immunoglobulin therapy, to stay well. These treatments are only possible because of the generosity of plasma donors.

💡 Why plasma matters:

Plasma medicines cannot be manufactured synthetically – they come only from human donors

Demand for plasma is growing every year as more people are diagnosed and live longer, healthier lives

One plasma donor can help many patients, week after week, month after month 🩸

💛 How you can help today:

• PLASMA DONATION: If you’re able, consider donating plasma. PI patients are lifelong users of plasma—and the need has never been greater.

24/04/2026