New Zealand Red Cross And Uber Launch Drive To Help Kiwis Donate From Their Doorsteps

Kiwis will have the opportunity to take action and declutter the collective $3.1 billion of unused clothing sat in their wardrobes via the Uber x New Zealand Red Cross Clothing Drive on Saturday, October 21st.

According to the ‘Cost of Giving’ report, commissioned by Uber, the rise in the cost of living is taking a toll on Kiwis’ ability to give back, with more than one-third (35%) of New Zealanders saying they want to donate more to charity, but financial constraints are a significant hurdle.

What’s more, 97% of Kiwis have clothing they haven’t worn in the past 12 months, worth an average $800 per-person.

Over two-thirds (69%) of Kiwis said there are barriers stopping them from donating clothes to charity, with finding time and a place to donate being among the top five barriers, along with access to transport. Nearly two thirds (65%) of Kiwis spring clean their wardrobes once a year, and those who donate tend to have clothes sitting in a bag ready to donate for an average of nearly 3 months before being finally taken to an op shop.

The Uber x New Zealand Red Cross Clothing Drive aims to help Kiwis donate quality clothing direct from their doorstep to Red Cross Shops in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch for free, supporting local communities in advance of the summer season.

On Saturday 21st October between 9am and 4pm, the drive’s goal is to gather more than 6,000kg of pre-loved clothes by offering free delivery via Uber’s same day delivery service, Uber Package, to Red Cross Shop drop off locations across Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.

Shane Chisholm, General Manager – Enterprise and Engagement at New Zealand Red Cross, says the drive will help Kiwis overcome the biggest barriers to supporting charities:

“From the Far North to the deep south, New Zealand Red Cross provides a range of essential humanitarian services including supporting communities to respond to and recover from disasters and emergencies. We also support former refugees as they build new lives in Aotearoa New Zealand and deliver a number of vital community services, such as Meals on Wheels, which delivers over 700,000 meals each year,” says Shane.

“The Uber x New Zealand Red Cross Clothing Drive provides an opportunity for Kiwis to simply and easily donate high quality clothing to Red Cross Shops, which helps to fund our humanitarian work.”

Emma Foley, Uber New Zealand General Manager, says the Clothing Donation Drive represents a great opportunity for Uber’s technology to support Red Cross’ work.

“We saw this year just how important it is that organisations like New Zealand Red Cross are well prepared to help Kiwis facing disasters and hardship,” says Emma. “Cost of living pressures mean Kiwis may not be in a position to contribute financially this year, but donating clothes is an easy way to support New Zealand Red Cross’s great work, and this drive makes it easy and free to give. Uber Package is a super convenient way to send items to where they need to go, so it makes sense for us to use our platform to help New Zealanders donate for free from their doorstep.”

Among the Kiwis who will be donating their pre-loved clothes on 21 October is comedian Chris Parker:

“This initiative from Uber with Red Cross NZ feels like a win win!” Chris says. “We all have that one bag of clothes sitting in the corner of our wardrobe or in the boot of our car, waiting for us to FINALLY donate them. Not only is this a fun novel way to get behind an amazing charity, and a great reason to do some spring cleaning, but more importantly you forget how much good these items could do in the right hands, and this clothing drive feels like such a great way to join together and help the Red Cross so they can continue doing all the amazing work they do.”

For more information on the Uber x Red Cross Clothing Drive, visit https://www.uber.com/nz/en/u/red-cross/clothing-drive/

Notes to editor:

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov. Total sample size was 1004 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 14th - 17th September 2023. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighed and are representative of all New Zealand adults (aged 18+).

Key findings

The Cost of Giving Report also found:

• Almost all (97%) Kiwis have clothes/shoes in their wardrobes that they have not worn in the past 12 months, with the average Kiwi sitting on around 20 pieces of unused clothes/shoes, which equates to approximately 8kg per person.
• Kiwis estimated the average value of all their unused clothing items to be over $800, with more than one in five (22%) saying their estimated value is $1000 or more
• While Gen Z hold approximately $656 worth of unused clothing in their wardrobes, Gen X lead with $918, followed by Millennials with $825, and Boomers with $810 worth of unused clothing.
• Christchurch residents had the highest value of unused clothes, with $1,062, compared to $800 in Auckland and $697 in Wellington
• This is despite the fact that nearly two-thirds of Kiwis (65%) say they ‘spring clean’ their wardrobes at least once a year, and nearly two-fifths (38%) doing so at least every six months.
• Over two-thirds (69%) of Kiwis said there are barriers stopping them from donating clothes to charity, with time and finding a place to donate among the top five barriers.

How Kiwis Can Donate From Their Doorstep

The Uber x Red Cross Clothing Drive is making it easier than ever to donate quality pre-loved clothing to those in need, by offering free delivery to Red Cross drop off zones on Saturday 21st October. Just follow these simple steps to do so:

1. Create a declutter date: Lock in a date night with your wardrobe. Making time to sort through your clothes is one of the biggest barriers stopping us from donating. Invite a friend to join. Not only can you make a date out of it, but they can help you declutter your wardrobe.
2. Refresh and reset: When it comes to decluttering your wardrobe, adopt a pragmatic approach. If you haven't worn an item in the last 12 months but it's still in great condition, consider passing it on to an op shop. Red Cross is on the lookout for high-quality, saleable clothing and accessories. For the Clothing Drive, they can't accept homewares. In general, they don’t accept underwear or clothing that's worn out or dirty. If it's something you'd happily give to a friend due to its quality, it's definitely something Red Cross would appreciate!
3. Create pre-loved bundles: Gather your pre-loved items into a bag or box, no heavier than 20kg, so it comfortably sits in the boot of a midsize car.
4. Prepare for Uber Package Pick-up: Open the Uber app between 09:00 to 16:00 on 21 October 2023, navigate to the “Package” option. Click “Send a package”, enter "Red Cross Clothing Drive" as the destination, and select one of the "Red Cross Clothing Drive" locations shown. Alternatively, you may see a banner in the app relating to the Clothing Drive, which when clicked on will allow you to select one of the Red Cross Clothing Drive locations shown. Remember, you need to be located in Christchurch, Auckland or Wellington to redeem the free delivery, and it is only redeemable once. Eligible customers will see a $0 amount payable when they book an Uber Package with the drop off location set to one of the Red Cross Clothing Drive Drop off locations.
5. Donate from your doorstep: You’ll have real-time tracking of the delivery person’s arrival in the Uber app, so you can easily meet them at your doorstep, or curbside to hand over your donation. You can also follow the trip status live once the delivery person picks it up, and enjoy that feel good buzz of donating, as they transport it to Red Cross sorting centres!
6. Your donation can help people in need: By donating quality, pre-loved and clean clothing, you are helping contribute valuable funds to Red Cross humanitarian programs. These programs offer support where it’s needed every day of the year.

Terms and conditions of delivery offer:

• The Offer is available from 09:00 to 16:00 AEDT 21 October 2023 local time. Uber reserves the right to void, cancel, suspend, or amend the Offer at any time.
• Eligible Customers will be able to book one $0 Uber Package trip to have the Eligible Items they wish to donate delivered to the Red Cross. A maximum of one Uber Package trip applies per user. (“Offer”). To apply for the Offer, users must open their Uber app, select "Package" option, click "Send a package", enter "Red Cross Clothing Drive" as the destination, and select the nearest "Red Cross Clothing Drive" location shown. Alternatively, they may see a banner in the app relating to the Drive, which when clicked on will allow them select one of the Red Cross Clothing Drive locations shown.
• “Eligible Customers” are customers in Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington. Eligible customers will see a $0 amount payable when they book an Uber Package with the drop off location set to one of the Red Cross Clothing Drive Drop off locations.
• “Eligible Items” are donated items in package(s) (i) not greater than 20 kilograms; (ii) that fit comfortably in the boot of a mid-size motor vehicle; and (iii) that do not have a total value greater than NZD $100. Prohibited items include but are not limited to: alcohol, medication, recreational drugs, and dangerous or illegal items. Violations may be reported to authorities. Red Cross accepts quality, saleable clothing. They do not accept underwear, or worn out and dirty clothing.
• Offers are subject to availability. Successful redemption of the Offer is subject to the availability of drivers. This means that you will not be able to participate in the Offer if there are no drivers available.

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