Kate Wareham shops in markets at Apia, Samoa. Photo: Supplied/VSA
An organisation offering volunteer work abroad says New Zealand's tight job market is fuelling interest in its assignments and it has plenty on offer.
Some local charities are turning away people wanting to volunteer amid a flood of interest they say is linked to the high rate of unemployment.
Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) chief executive Kate Wareham has noticed an increase in people applying who were out of work.
"It could be triggered by a redundancy or just a challenge in the job market here in New Zealand, but often it's something people have been thinking about for quite a while," she said. "It's been tucked away in the back of their mind."
VSA offers about 150 assignments each year for those who can commit to at least a year, with travel and accommodation costs paid for and an allowance provided for food.
Wareham said they worked across 10 countries in the wider Pacific, teaming up with organisations on the ground that worked alongside local businesses, schools, health centres and environmental projects.
"I've seen some incredible people come through our volunteer programme recently, from neurosurgeons to amazing vets, through to people who are specialised in water engineering or climate-related work, and the skillsets are certainly quite deep."
She said the work could be very rewarding.
"The thing that unites people interested in this volunteer work is a real desire to make a difference, a level of resilience and adaptability, because things don't always go to plan, and also the interest in working across cultures and understanding that things are going to be different to what you're used to here in New Zealand."
VSA is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and offers roles to anyone aged up to 75. Partners can join them, but not children.
Marie Aekins is about to embark on her sixth assignment with the organisation. She has worked on Bougainville Island in Papua New Guinea and Tonga, and is about to return for a second assignment in Vanuatu.
She lived in Vanuatu as a child, when her dad worked there, and plans to celebrate her 60th birthday there.
"I love the country and the people and the food," she said. "There's so many things I love about it.
"I think, because I had such a great childhood over there, it's come full circle to go back there, and now being able to have the privilege of actually living and working there."
She will use her administration skills to help local businesses thrive.
Marie Aekins with local Tongan businessman Minoru Nishi attend VSA 60th anniversary. Photo: Supplied/VSA
"The thing I enjoy the most is getting to learn about different cultures and the people in our Pacific neighbours, working alongside them trying to learn the language. Just being immersed in a different culture, I get so much out of it, much more than I put in, I feel."
If the thought of exotic creatures comes to mind, Aekins says she only had one bad encounter - a giant centipede in her bed.
The rest is adventure.
While on Bougainville, she and other Kiwis swam in the croc-infested sea, under the watchful gaze of a local spotter.
"It's kind of a rite of passage that you go in once," she said. "There were three New Zealand police stationed down there at all times, so one day, a group of us did go [in the sea].
"I was in and out of there like a shot, let me tell you."
Heath Ingham chairs the Aotearoa Cultural and Volunteer Exchange, which is part of a global federation offering roles in 20 countries with non-profit organisations for school-leavers and those aged up to 35.
"There is a lot to choose from, like working in kindergartens or Montessori in various European countries, working with turtle hatcheries in Central America... teaching English in Taiwan."
He said interest had increased, because the cost to embark on such a volunteer exchange for a year is often the equivalent of a month in London.
"We know that the traditional OE to the UK is still a popular thing with Kiwis, but I think people now are just trying to see what more is out there, because it is so expensive."
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