Putting hope at the top of the Christmas list: New Zealand Blood Service calls on everyday people to save lives, every day this summer

Media release

This summer, New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is calling on people to Give blood. Give Plasma. Give Hope.

NZBS has over 40,000 lifesaving appointments to fill in the next eight weeks, and it needs ordinary kiwis to give the extraordinary gift of hope this festive season and donate blood or plasma in the lead up to Christmas and into the summer.

The Service estimates it needs to collect over 5,000 unit of blood and plasma every week to enable it to continue to meet demand and give hope to those facing an Unseen Emergency.

NZBS National Marketing and Communications Manager Asuka Burge says we are approaching the time when we all take a well-earned break from our normal life, but the reality is people still get sick, require ongoing treatment, have accidents and have babies. This continues throughout the lead up to Christmas and the summer, all of which means the demand for blood and plasma doesn’t go away either.

 “Last year 53,537 units of blood, plasma and platelets were issued across Aotearoa between December to February,” continues Ms Burge. “This summer we’re forecasting a 4% increase in demand over the same period due to general increased usage we’ve seen over the course of 2022.

“Behind the numbers are mums, dads, children, friends – who when they needed blood or plasma were at their most vulnerable, but thankfully didn’t have to even consider where their lifesaving treatment was coming from or if it would be available to them, thanks to our donors.

“Blood and plasma donors are everyday people that give a remarkable gift each time they donate.  An hour spent donating, reading a book or chatting with one of our nurses, can mean the difference between the life and death for someone else just a few days later.” 

“This is why we are asking Kiwis to add more gift to their Christmas shopping list and book an appointment to donate and give a fellow kiwi, and their whānau, the gift of hope this year.”

To make it easy to donate wherever you are over the summer, Ms Burge suggests downloading the NZBlood Donor app where you can check your eligibility, search for a donation location using geo-location, check available bookings and book your next donation slot.

“One of the awesome features on our app is not only does it make booking an appointment super easy, but donors actually get a notification when their blood is used to save a life.  You can be doing something really mundane; your phone will buzz and say you’ve help save a life.  We know our donors don’t do it for the kudos, but it’s a pretty cool feeling to know you’ve made a difference,” says Ms Burge.

The NZBlood Donor app which is free to download from the Appstore and Google Play.

Donors are asked to book an appointment to donate, rather than just turning up. Appointments help manage the flow of people in donor centres at any given time and allow NZBS to forecast supply, ensuring it is collecting enough blood types and blood products.

For more information on donating blood or plasma, or to book an appointment to donate download the NZBlood Donor App, visit www.nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 448 325.

About New Zealand Blood Service:

New Zealand Blood Service in a not-for-profit Crown entity responsible for the collection, processing, testing and storage and distribution of all blood and blood products in New Zealand.

We rely on voluntary and non-remunerated blood donations from individuals around the country in order to provide a constant supply of precious blood and blood products used by our health services to save thousands of lives.

For more information, please contact:

Asuka Burge, New Zealand Blood Service, (09) 523 6486, 027 272 6437  

Asuka.burge@nzblood.co.nz

Sandy Trigg, Network Communication, 021 231 9406

Sandy.trigg@networkcommunication.co.nz