News & Events

On behalf of the General, I am happy to announce that he has chosen and appointed Commissioner Garth Niemand to be the Chief of the Staff and Commissioner Patti Niemand to be World Secretary for Women’s Ministries, effective from 1 October 2026. They will succeed Commissioners Edward and Shelley Hill who will retire from...

The Salvation Army says the Budget announced today offers little to nothing for families already struggling and will likely push more whānau into hardship. “We are saddened the government has no plan to achieve the child poverty reduction targets,” says Dr Bonnie Robinson, Director of The Salvation Army’s Social Policy...

The Salvation Army says proposed changes to New Zealand’s social housing system risk placing additional strain on people already facing significant hardship. Announced ahead of Budget 2026, the reforms include increasing income-related rent for social housing tenants from 25 percent to 30 percent of household income from April 2027, alongside...

A new report from The Salvation Army’s Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit (SPPU) identifies secure accommodation as a critical foundation for reducing reoffending and supporting successful reintegration from prison in Aotearoa New Zealand. The report, Six Pillars of Reintegration – Pillar One: Accommodation – Making Home Base, is the first...

The Salvation Army is launching its 2026 Red Shield Appeal, calling on an army of everyday Kiwis to stand up for their communities by donating to support people facing hardship across Aotearoa New Zealand. This year’s appeal theme, It Takes an Army, recognises the collective effort behind The Salvation Army’s...

I am the resurrection and the life. It was a good Saturday. Or was it? Truthfully, it could have been disastrous. It certainly did not look good in the beginning. I suffered a heart attack. Seems it was quite a significant episode; frightening for Bronwyn and, yes, deeply troubling for...

Interest is sought from brass players who want to travel to Tonga to support the 40th celebrations of the Salvation Army’s work in Tonga on the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of October. It is hoped that we could have a contingent of brass players from New Zealand travel over...

‘This is holy ground! Ours is a sacred task! The Lord is with us!’ declared General Lyndon Buckingham on 21 March 2026, the opening day of The Salvation Army’s International Conference of Leaders (ICL) in Nairobi, Kenya. The movement’s international leader delivered a powerful keynote address after 120 senior Salvation...

The Salvation Army acknowledges the Government’s intent to address community concerns about anti-social behaviour and public safety. However, we are deeply concerned that the “move-on” powers risk disproportionately impacting people experiencing homelessness, who often have no safe alternative place to go. Simply moving people out of sight does not resolve...

The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2026 report, titled Foundations of Wellbeing – Poipoia te Kākano – paints a sobering picture of wellbeing across Aotearoa New Zealand, with many whānau facing rising hardship, fewer opportunities, and increased pressure on basic living conditions.   “The past two years have been incredibly hard for communities. While we have seen pockets of progress, most wellbeing indicators remain flat or...

February marks the return of Hunger for Colour, the annual partnership between Resene and The Salvation Army that invites New Zealanders to swap two cans of food for a free 60ml or 80ml Resene testpot. Now in its 12th year, the campaign has added more than 300,000 cans to Salvation...

The Salvation Army is launching its Fresh Start Appeal this February to support financial mentoring services at a time when the cost‑of‑living crisis is pushing many families to breaking point.  With rising prices, holiday spending and back‑to‑school costs piling up all at once, more people are looking for practical support...