Philanthropy New Zealand has welcomed new figures from Statistics New Zealand which show the non-profit sector contributed $6 billion to GDP in 2013, together with another $3.4 billion in volunteer labour – a total contribution of $9.4 billion, or 4.4%, to GDP.
The findings follow Philanthropy New Zealand’s recent report on charitable giving in New Zealand, Giving New Zealand: Philanthropic Funding 2014, which found New Zealanders gave a total of $2.788 billion to charities in 2013. Of that more than half – $1.53 billion – was from personal donations.
Philanthropy New Zealand chief executive Liz Gibbs says the Statistics NZ findings provide yet more proof that New Zealand is a very generous country.
“According to a report released by the UK-based Charities Aid Foundation earlier this year, charitable giving by individual New Zealanders is the second-highest in the world. These figures from Statistics New Zealand show New Zealanders don’t just donate money, they are also extremely generous with their time.”