When Disaster Strikes, Community Steps Up: Supporting the Student Volunteer Army
They recently answered the call to help a local farm in Motueka that was badly affected by severe flooding, described by Civil Defence as the worst in nearly 150 years.
11 Jul 2025
When disaster hits, the Student Volunteer Army (SVA) is there.
They recently answered the call to help a local farm in Motueka that was badly affected by severe flooding, described by Civil Defence as the worst in nearly 150 years. With fences down, debris scattered and major clean-ups ahead, SVA volunteers rolled up their sleeves to clear damage, repair fences and lend a much-needed hand to the recovery effort.
At Hummingbird, we’re proud to stand alongside the Student Volunteer Army as their first ever Crisis Response Partner. This partnership goes right back to our roots and our belief that good coffee should do good too.
The SVA began in Christchurch in 2010 when a group of Canterbury University students mobilised to help their neighbours after the Canterbury earthquakes. The university club has since grown into a national movement of volunteers who step up when their communities need them most – from helping clear earthquake liquefaction in backyards, to delivering groceries during the Covid-19 lockdowns and the vital flood recovery work happening right now in Motueka.
Through the Hummingbird Green Bean Fund, $1 from every $100 of green coffee beans we buy is donated back into local initiatives like this. Since becoming the SVA’s Crisis Response Partner in 2022, Hummingbird has contributed $90,000 to help fund the equipment, training and resources the SVA needs to respond when disaster strikes. Every cup of Hummingbird coffee is part of that story because supporting strong communities is just as important to us as sourcing great coffee.
The work in Motueka is far from over. If you’d like to roll up your sleeves and help, the Student Volunteer Army is always looking for more helping hands, you can volunteer here.
Good coffee. Good people. Strong communities. That’s what we stand for.
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