Crisis Response

SVA’s crisis response work is not possible without the support of our crisis partners, Hummingbird Coffee, and the support of people like you.

We can only respond in crisis because of the work we do in peacetime. Will you help us?

From our beginnings in the wake of the 2010 Christchurch earthquake, SVA has evolved to become a leader of second wave crisis response, helping communities recover after disaster.

Crisis response is at the heart of our mahi, through which we seek to build resilient communities that are connected and ready to respond when crisis hits. Our programmes allow us access to a large network of ready and willing volunteers who can, and have, supported their communities through clean-up and recovery after eight major national crises - from collecting and delivering groceries during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020 to operating major clean-up operations after the Nelson floods in 2021, the Auckland Anniversary floods and Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023.

As extreme weather events in Aotearoa are becoming more frequent and intense, we continue to build community preparedness, as well as support community recovery, by:

  • Providing our university club members with ongoing training, resources and equipment to respond safely and quickly in a crisis;

  • Recruiting and mobilising high volumes of volunteers to support and deliver a wide range of tasks in multiple locations across Aotearoa;

  • Working with local and national bodies to plan for and deliver safe and effective spontaneous volunteer management in a crisis situation.

SVA crisis responses

Christchurch earthquakes

Take a look at our ten year anniversary video, remembering the 22nd February 2011 and reflecting on the impact of over our first ever major mobilisation.

It’s true that, in times of crisis, we often see the best of people - and the formation of SVA demonstrated the power of community in droves. A decade later, we’re still empowering volunteers across Aotearoa.

Auckland Anniversary floods 2023

SVA played a pivotal role in Auckland's crisis response to the Auckland Anniversary flooding. We identified 287 separate properties with a range of needs by door knocking at over 1,500 properties and a coordinated media campaign. This was made possible by the swift creation of thorough processes and health and safety briefings ensuring that all individuals deployed had suitable PPE and understanding of the risks.

Wairoa and Otago floods 2024

2024 saw SVA participate in two crisis response operations, supported by our partners at Hummingbird Coffee. In July, flooding in Wairoa affected roughly 118 homes, leaving locals already recovering from Cyclone Gabrielle once again dealing with the damage. Volunteers from our Auckland and Victoria university clubs visited the region to assist the team of Māori Wardens working to support residents in their recovery.

In October, Otago was struck with its wettest day in more than a hundred years. A state of emergency was declared, and dozens of people were forced to evacuate. In response to a request for help, the SVA Club at the University of Otago partnered with Unicrew and Volunteer South to put together our second response of 2024. Dozens of volunteers travelled to a farm in the Catlins to clear several large paddocks of debris. You can read more about this collaboration here.

Stories from crisis

  • Jake, SVA Auckland President 2022-23

    “In November 2022, at the SVA Clubs Conference, we examined SVA’s role in disaster cleanup in the past, and worked through scenarios of what could happen if a major disaster hit Auckland. The night the Auckland Anniversary flood started, while I was looking out at people kayaking down my street, I had already started to send texts and emails trying to pull together volunteers and work out what needed to be done - and when we’d be able to do it safely.”

    During the Auckland floods, SVA was one of two not-for-profit groups operating in Auckland to receive direct taskings from the local council. Alongside these referrals, we identified 287 separate properties with a range of needs by door-knocking at over 1,500 properties and running a coordinated media campaign. This was made possible by the swift creation of thorough processes and health and safety briefings ensuring that all individuals deployed had suitable PPE and understanding of the risks.

  • Matt, Service Award Nelson

    “In 2022, my town Nelson was hit by a one-in-100 year flood. The flooding affected quite a lot of our community. A lot of people out there were struggling to get support for the clean up. I knew that more could be done.

    We managed to get a contact from Civil Defence in Nelson and we had some incredible support from the UC SVA Club. We were surprised with the amount of addresses we got through, which was particularly due to the number of people who turned up - around 80-90 total over two weekends.”

    Matt Donald, then a Year 12 Student at Nelson College, has been part of the SVA Service Award for years, learning the importance of volunteering by logging hours coaching and tree-planting. When the time came for him to mobilise his fellow students to respond to a crisis, he was ready.

  • Caitlin, SVA Auckland President 2024

    “During flood recovery, we were only able to send volunteers out safely with donated PPE, and only able to keep operations running because of donations.

    Even amongst the chaos, I will always remember how connected everyone was. We were all from different parts of Auckland, with different backgrounds and stories, people who had never met, yet we all worked together that day like we were old co-workers.”

    When Cyclone Gabrielle hit in February 2023, our team was ready and continued to work seven days a week to keep those affected by the flooding as safe as possible.

    Once the impact in Hawke’s Bay was understood, SVA partnered with Task Force Kiwi and supported expert volunteers clearing debris with chainsaws and diggers in the community. When it was safe to do so, a team of student volunteers traveled down and joined the effort to assist with cleaning up the homes of those who had lost everything.

  • Madi, former SVA team member

    “Following the Christchurch earthquake, a family friend and I baked sweet treats for the Student Volunteer Army and dropped them off for the team, which was the first time I got to see SVA mobilising post-disaster. It wasn't until years later that I began volunteering directly with SVA.

    I am proud of the work SVA has done through the years. Responding to crises and empowering young people with strength and reliance. Every day the programmes create the same sense of community connectedness I saw firsthand in the days and weeks following the Christchurch earthquake. Which in turn promotes community resilience to future disasters.”

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