Volunteering opportunities
Nelson Cycle Trails Trust
Council is working with the Nelson Cycle Trails Trust on part of the New Zealand Cycle Trail project (the National Cycleway), and they are looking for volunteers. No particular area of expertise is required, just an interest in cycling. Contact Chris Allison on +64 3 548 6636, Stuart Hughes on +64 3 547 3771, or Steve Waring on +64 3 539 6303.
Volunteer to help plant our reserves
If you are the kind of person who likes to get some good old soil under your fingernails and get involved in something that benefits and beautifies the environment around you, then community plantings are just right for you.
We have community planting days during winter and spring. They include a whenua/placenta planting day and a beach planting day at Tāhunanui. These days will be advertised closer to the time.
Adopt a Spot
Adopt a Spot is a programme where community groups, schools and individuals agree to enhance and take care of an area of Council land.
Activities that can be taken on by a group include:
- Planting
- Weeding
- Rubbish clean-ups
- Animal Pest control
- Wildlife and environmental monitoring
- Gardening
- Fruit tree maintenance
Find out more in the Volunteer Information Booklet.
In the first instance we encourage you to join an existing group. We have some capacity to assist motivated volunteers to establish new groups in areas of need.
Please contact the Parks team for more information at parksconnector@ncc.govt.nz.
Founders Heritage Park – where heritage turns into fun!
With increasing visitor numbers and new attractions, we need more help at the Park. If you have a free morning or afternoon every week, fortnight, or monthly then you may enjoy taking a turn at being the Park's front-line host: greeting visitors, taking admissions, and making sales in the Windmill gift shop.
There are also other projects going on in the Park. We are looking for keen volunteers to help preserve local history by assisting with Founders Heritage Park archives, cleaning displays, and supporting collection tasks.
If you think that you can help and want to preserve heritage at the Park then please call: 03 548 2649 or email: founderspark@ncc.govt.nz
Isel House Needs You!
Built in 1849 for Thomas and Mary Marsden, Isel House is a Category Two Historic Place with over 170 years of stories to share. The house features exhibitions on the Marsden and Nicholls families as well as displays exploring local history, including those who served in wartime and the development of Isel Park.
We’re looking for friendly, community-minded people who are passionate about history and keen to help preserve and promote this special place. Our volunteer guides open the house, welcome visitors, and share with them the story of Isel House.
- Open to the public October to April
- Morning and afternoon shifts (2.5 hours each)
- Volunteer weekly, monthly, or casually
- Full training provided
If you’d like to play your part in honouring Isel's memories, please email: isel.house@ncc.govt.nz.
Broadgreen House - two families and two stories
Broadgreen offers a snapshot of the two families that lived here from when the house was built in 1855 through to the 1960s. The house is filled with Victorian furniture that shows how people lived in the days of our great grandparents.
If you would like to be a part of sharing the story of the house and the families that lived here, then please come and join our volunteer team, call: 03 547 0403 or email: broadgreen@ncc.govt.nz.
Hear what our Volunteers say
We often hear our volunteers say that in retirement they want to "give something back to the community". Volunteering is a rewarding way to get out, meet people and learn more about Nelson's heritage.
