Park Volunteer guidelines for Volunteers on Parks, Beaches and alongside Waterways

Welcome

Before you volunteer with us, here are a few things for you to know…

The type of volunteer activities we support may include: pest control, tree planting, rubbish clean ups, garden maintenance, environmental monitoring, track building, heritage protection and more.

The support we can offer you may include: training, advice, some gear and materials (if required for tasks), regular communication, information on other opportunities (e.g. learning).

Please understand that we cannot provide support for every project. There are many things staff must consider, including whether the project is in the LTCCP (work plan), Council policies, budget constraints, if the work is already covered by a contract, safety issues and in particular, staff time (in the short and long term).

Recognition
We figure that you are here for the fun, the experience and the chance to learn about and contribute to your local parks. So, we don’t provide any payment for volunteers — but we do endeavour to recognise your time and effort in whatever ways we can.

Help us keep you safe
While you’re volunteering on Council-managed land, we have a responsibility to do as much as we practicably can to ensure your safety — just as we do for all our staff, and for the public who use the parks.

It means that there are a few official things we need to ask of you before you start, and that sometimes we might not be able to allow certain activities (if they are considered high risk).

Please ensure that you and any other volunteers you are working with have read these guidelines before starting your clean up. Thanks!

We ask just a few things of you:

• Please read these guidelines and any others we ask you to read, and ensure others you’re with are also aware of them.
• Fill out any required forms if we ask you to, e.g. volunteer agreement.
• Provide us with information we request for safety reasons (e.g. next of kin, medication).
• Sing out about any hazards or other issues in the parks — so we can address them straight away.
• Keep in touch with how you’re going and please ask if you need any information.
• Be prepared and safe:
  • Bring the right gear! All volunteers should wear closed-toe footwear and appropriate clothing, including wet weather gear or sun hats. Gloves should be worn by all participants. Volunteers need to bring their own medication (e.g. inhaler, antihistamine, sunblock).
  • The project supervisor should carry a cellphone and a first aid kit on site. They should also know the volunteers’ names and next of kin contact details.
  • If you find any chemical containers or sharp or dangerous objects (e.g. needles, syringes, broken glass or chemicals) please do not touch them under any circumstance. Call the CCC contact centre to make a job request, and staff who are trained in dealing with these items (and have the required safety gear) will be sent out.
  • Any children participating must be supervised, and warned not to handle syringes or other dangerous objects such as above.

Additional guidelines for Rubbish Clean Ups

Planning your clean up event:

• Visit your site before the day, so you know of the best access points and all possible hazards to tell other volunteers.
• Where appropriate, receive the landowner’s permission to clean up the site (e.g. Christchurch City Council). Legally, the owner is responsible for the health and safety of people on their property, so please talk with them first (i.e. Council if public parks).

Support for your project: