Getting your flu jab
Getting a yearly flu vaccine is a great defence against catching the flu virus and it is FREE if you’re 65 or older.
As you get older, your immune system gets weaker. This means you're at higher risk of catching flu and developing complications such as pneumonia even if you feel fit and healthy.
The flu isn’t just a common cold. It can be serious and make people very sick. In severe cases it can mean a hospital stay – particularly if you’re over 65 or have an ongoing medical condition, such as heart disease or diabetes.
You can get your free flu vaccine at your healthcare provider or many local pharmacies. To book visit BookMyVaccine.nz or call 0800 28 29 26 Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5pm. Interpreters are available and you can also speak to a Māori or disability advisor.
The flu vaccine changes each year to help protect you against what flu strain is expected to be most prevalent. Although having the vaccine doesn’t guarantee you won’t catch the flu, it reduces your risk of serious illness if you do catch it. You can’t catch the flu from the vaccine.
You can have the flu vaccine at the same time as other immunisations. Ask your healthcare provider if you are due for any other vaccines including the COVID-19 booster, tetanus and whooping cough booster, or the shingles vaccine.
Being up to date with all your immunisations gives you the best possible protection from severe illness and can reduce the chance of you spreading illness to family members who are at risk of becoming seriously ill.
Whooping cough (pertussis) boosters are available
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Whooping cough (pertussis) can be very serious, especially for babies under 12 months old and older people. The best protection against whooping cough is immunisation.
The whooping cough vaccine is FREE for pregnant people, children under the age of 18, and booster doses are available at 45 and 65 years old (unless you already had a booster for pertussis or tetanus recently). Please speak with your healthcare provider, pharmacy, or GP if you are eligible.
Book in advance at Book a vaccine or call 0800 28 29 26.
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Charities turning away high numbers of volunteer applications
Charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amidst a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.
It comes as some businesses receive thousands of applications for paid roles and people look for experience anywhere they can.
The advocacy organisation Volunteering NZ has been tracking the trend. Spokesperson Margaret McLachlan said there has been a considerable rise in applications for volunteer roles across a range of charities.
Many application forms asks people to divulge if they are job hunters.
"Over the last year or so, they are seeing more people coming in who are saying they are in that category. They are looking for work but doing volunteering while that process is taking place."
"As unemployment increases and the cost of living, times are tougher for everybody."
At the same time, she said community organisations supporting social services were busier and needed more helpers.
McLachlan said depending on the organisation, they might want to do a police check, a reference check and an interview.
"In some cases it can be a process to go through and not always, and that can take some time.
"It's actually the same barriers that a person might find in finding a job, can also apply to volunteering. It's not always a easy option."
SPCA had 120 op shops and animal rescue centres across the country in which volunteers worked.
General manager of retail Cathy Crichton said they received about 1300 extra applications for volunteer roles, a 32 percent increase, from June to November 2025, compared to 2024.
"There's definitely a nudge forward which is very exciting and we're very grateful."
But it meant they were not accepting any more volunteers in some areas.
"Because the applications are up it's a unique scenario. But at this point in time, in smaller locations, we've actually got a hold in 19 locations in New Zealand where we are at capacity - and that's very rare and it's a very new trend."
Crichton said anyone seeking volunteer work should think creatively about what skills they can offer - it could be in administration or marketing.
"We'd love to welcome as many people as we could because the more hands on deck the more we can do and the more we can contribute to the community."
She said people were self-motivated to apply for volunteer work.
The unemployment rate rose to 5.3 percent in the September quarter, meaning 160,000 people were jobless. The next quarterly figures are out in February.
"There's a willingness to give back and contribute to the community. Unemployment being high really does encourage people to engage with the workforce and get experience," Crichton said.
"It really is about staying connected with the community and meeting others."
She said they had also seen an increase in young people seeking volunteer work experience.
"It's a great opportunity to get work experience and a reference and there's an appeal there as an employer...I really do think it adds value to a CV."
Stats NZ data showed over half of New Zealanders, 53 percent, volunteered during March 2025 and of those, 27.6 percent volunteered through an organisation and 40.8 percent volunteered directly for another person.
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