In The Ever Present Challenge by Ron and Ngaire Rowe, two of New Zealand’s most well-known volunteers having both received the Queens Service Medal for their charitable community work, put their deep insight of the sector to paper where they explore the fundamental importance of volunteerism within New Zealand and its importance on a global level.

The Ever-Present Challenge focusses on the twin topics of strategic leadership and self-betterment, both essential qualities for volunteers and those who operate within the voluntary sector.

This work is a must read for anyone who wants to gain a deeper and more profound understanding of what volunteerism is, why it is of such vital importance, not just to society but to the people who volunteer their time and energy as well, where the importance of volunteerism can go underappreciated in some quarters.

The book combines first hand research with real life accounts of what volunteering is like in Aotearoa New Zealand with a strong focus on the work of Volunteering New Zealand and the research done by us on the state of volunteering and its incalculable benefits across the country.

One of the standout features of this work is that it is not just an informative guide but also a ‘self-help’ book. It has helpful information and guidance on how to take the lessons of countless volunteers and managers and put them to best use within your own life or organisation.

We can see just how good a read this work is from some of the previous comments and reviews of it; “Inspirational, motivating, uplifting, and timely and relevant” and a general consensus around the outstanding quality of the research and writing to form a fairly unique and highly detailed piece of work on the subject of volunteering.

One of the most defining traits of this book though is that it is being sold at cost, with the profits being donated to Volunteering New Zealand and the Centenary Legacy Trust to benefit from any profits on the book. The book is billed at $30 per copy with $8 of this being donated to VNZ and CLT.

You can buy the book directly from Ron and Ngaire or through Volunteering New Zealand. Please email us for further information: office@volunteeringnz.org.nz

Calum Steele
Policy Advisor
Volunteering New Zealand