New Zealand Blood Service - Palmerston North

06/08/2025

22/07/2025

Well done to all young men and staff who donated blood on our Blood Donor Day last term. We recently received a certificate from the NZ Blood Service acknowledging this important contribution to our community. Thank you to the Prefects who organised the day: Rhys Hobdey, Charlie Chisholm and Nakul Lakhani, who are pictured here with the certificate. Blood donors are always in demand, click here to book an appoitment and make a life-saving contribution to your community https://www.nzblood.co.nz/become-a-donor/book-an-appointment/

22/07/2025

10/07/2025

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Kam na bane ni mauri 👋

It’s Kiribati language week / wikin te taetae ni Kiribati.

Kam rabwa / thank you to the I-Kiribati lifesavers! Your raraa / blood is life giving ❤️

If you’d like to learn more about wikin te taetae ni Kiribati, check out the Ministry for Pacific Peoples

09/06/2025

As a part of our National Blood Donor Week we are holding two What’s My Type sessions out in the community !

Come on down to Mitre10 and the Unichem by PaknSave to find out your blood type!

09/06/2025

🩸Happy National Blood Donor Week!🩸

Our staff want to thank all our amazing donors for being awesome lifesavers - not all superhero’s wear capes ❤️✨

Book an appointment and come on in to our donor centre this week to see the decorations and cupcake goodies 🧁

01/06/2025

This week we are celebrating the beautiful Samoan language!

Did you know that the word for blood is the same in te reo Māori and Gagana Samoa (Samoan)?

🩸 Toto (blood)

Fa’afetai to all the amazing Samoan lifesavers who donate blood, plasma and platelets 💕

To learn more about vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa (Samoan Language Week) check out the Ministry for Pacific Peoples

🇼🇸 🇼🇸 🇼🇸

28/05/2025

28 May is World Blood Cancer Day - it’s a day of awareness and acknowledgement.

Today we highlight the need for blood, plasma, platelet and bone marrow / stem cell donors to help care for patients all around Aotearoa.

❤️ red blood cells may be transfused to help iron levels or to help carry oxygen around your body.

💛 plasma has proteins that can be used to help blood clot and can help fight infections through transfusion. This is called fresh frozen plasma.

🧡 plasma is also used to make immunoglobulin medicines which can help patients when their immune function has been affected.

🤍 platelets can be transfused to help blood to clot - blood cancer patients often need platelet transfusions due to thrombocytopenia (a low platelet count).

💜 stem cells / bone marrow transplants restore the body’s ability to make blood cells after recording high-dose chemotherapy or radiation.

Ngā mihi to all the amazing lifesavers who already donate these blood products (and those who are on the bone marrow registry - ready to help when needed 💪).

If you’d like to help: dm us, give usa call or go to www.nzblood.co.nz and sign up to save lives as a blood or plasma donor. You can also find out about bone marrow and check your eligibility to go on the registry!

20/05/2025

Blood Drive is coming to Tararua College on the 26th May, this is open to students (with consent and conditions) and the wider community.

https://www.nzblood.co.nz/booking/?address=Tararua%20District,%20Manawat%C5%AB-Whanganui,%20New%20Zealand

Students and the community who have the app can also book via their app where they go to locations, find the blood drive icon in Pahiatua, and book in through there.

14/05/2025

Noa‘ia 👋

this week is Rotuman Language Week / Gasav Ne Fäeag Rotuạm

In Fäeag Rotuạm the word for blood is toto. Many Pacific languages share this word for blood. Toto is also the kupu Māori for blood!

You can learn more Fäeag Rotuạm here:https://www.mpp.govt.nz/assets/Resources/Pacific-Language-Cards-2022/Rotuman-Language-Card.pdf

Fạiȧkse‘ea 🫶

25/04/2025

Today we commemorate the victims of war and recognise the Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand Armed Forces.

Transfusion medicine is inextricably connected to conflicts around the world.

Did you know:

The mass casualities of WWI meant there was a need for 'banked' blood, leading to the use of anticoagulant in blood donations to prevent clotting and create a shelf life for blood donations.
It was also during WWI that British and French surgeons first recognised the benefits of treating blood loss in patients with significant trauma.

The Spanish Civil War led to the development of mobile blood drives - meaning donating blood was more accessible, and a greater number of healthy individuals could donate.
Mobile blood drives are still used throughout the world, we have multiple community-based blood drives every day in Aotearoa.

In WWII, the need for blood products increased dramatically - new anticoagulant solutions were introduced so blood could be stored for longer.
Large-scale blood banks were introduced by Charles Drew - who was also instrumental in the development of plasma being extracted from donations to be stored and used separately.

- Lest we forget -

24/04/2025

The end of April is fast approaching which means our Mobile Blood Drives are too!

We still have a few available spots left for donations at our Palmerston North Central and Feilding drives

* Monday 28th of April at the Palmerston North Conference and Function Centre from 12.30pm-5.30pm

* Tuesday 29th of April at the Feilding Civic Centre from 12.30pm-5.30pm

* Wednesday 30th of April at the Queen Street Chapel in Levin from 9am-2pm

You can book in via our NZ Blood App or website or give us a call on 0800 448 325 and we can book you in

Hope to see you there, have a wonderful ANZAC day and weekend!