In 1989, world leaders came together and agreed on a ground-breaking treaty to guide and protect kids across the globe. This was the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

UNICEF Aotearoa advocates for Child Rights.

Child Rights Resources for Children

Resources for Adults & Teachers

E-Course: Child Rights & Why They Matter

Advocacy Resources + Toolkit for Children & Young People

Child Rights

Explore the UNICEF Aotearoa Board of Trustees, dedicated leaders who uphold children's rights. Meet our diverse board members, fostering transparency and governance for a better future.

UNICEF Aotearoa Governance | Meet Our Board of Trustees

Our Board

UNICEF Aotearoa is among 33 global committees raising funds for emergency and developmental work, serving children everywhere.

Protecting Children's Rights in 192+ Countries: UNICEF's 77-Year Mission

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About Us

UNICEF Aotearoa’s Executive Management Team are a passionate bunch with a wealth of experience. They’re all about innovative ideas and the ongoing commitment to investing in hope for kids worldwide.

Meet our executive management team

No Food. No Water. Nowhere is safe for children while intense fighting and hostilities continue in Gaza. Many children have been killed or injured already, and countless others have been exposed to the violence. Families are running out of food, water and electricity. Please donate to help send urgent aid to children in Gaza and the wider State of Palestine.

Urgent appeal for children of Gaza Crisis. The situation on the ground is rapidly deteriorating. More than a million people, nearly half of them children, are in danger. Families are running out of food, water and electricity, and safe access to hospitals and medicine is severely restricted. Please donate to help send urgent aid to children in Gaza and the wider State of Palestine.

Children of Gaza Crisis

Help protect children in Gaza and the wider State of Palestine.

Three challenges facing UNICEF in the Gaza Strip

Conflict, drought, disease and natural disasters make Afghanistan one of the most deadly places to be a child. Help us be there before, during and after an emergency and support our long-term, life-changing work for kids, by making a donation today.

Help us be there for Afghan kids in crisis.

Being a child in Afghanistan is dangerous - conflict, drought, disease and natural disasters make it one of the most deadly places on earth for kids. We've been supporting children in Afghanistan since 1949 and continue to be there before, during and after emergencies strike the country. 

When two deadly earthquakes struck western Afghanistan in October 2023, this was another cruel blow for a country already dealing with multiple crises. We were able to respond rapidly to deliver life-saving health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies to those families worst affected.

Please donate to support our ongoing work in emergency response and long-term life-changing programs that help improve children's well-being today and their prospects for the future. 

Decades of conflict, increased climate related disasters and an ongoing cycle of poverty has meant Afghanistan is one of the worst places on earth to be a child. Right now, 15 million children need our help. Afghan children need the basics we take for granted - clean water, food, vaccines, healthcare and education.

Children in Crisis: UNICEF's Afghanistan Emergency Appeal

Help children in Afghanistan

Aadina and her family 100 days on from the earthquakes in Herat, Afghanistan

Afghanistan: 15 million children need help.

Afghanistan Emergency

More than 11 million Yemeni children are in urgent need of help to survive. We've been providing clean water, medical supplies, nutritious food, hygiene and sanitation, and education to children - but we need to do more. This is where you come in, your donation can make a world of difference.

Right now, Yemen is one of the toughest places to be a kid. Together, we can change that. 



For more than 9 years, innocent children have been dealing with continuous violence, displacement, and poverty because of the ongoing conflict. Shockingly, a child in Yemen dies every 10 minutes due to preventable causes. This is exactly why we're here, working hard to make a difference for these vulnerable kids.



More than 11 million children are in urgent need of help to survive. We've been providing clean water, medical supplies, nutritious food, sanitation and hygiene supplies, and education to children in need. Yet, there are still many more kids who haven't received our assistance. And that's where you come in – your support can make a world of difference.



Your donation today can truly be a lifeline for a child in Yemen. 

Please, consider contributing to bring hope and relief to these young lives! 

Join UNICEF in the Yemen emergency appeal. Your contribution can save lives, provide clean water, and ensure children receive the education they deserve.

Donate to Yemen Crisis: UNICEF's Urgent Appeal & Emergency Aid

Help kids in Yemen

Yemen Children's Crisis

Our partnership with Dan is providing sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions for schools and health facilities. Across remote areas of the Pacific, we're delivering the essentials for children and their whānau.

A partnership between Dan Carter and UNICEF Aotearoa - driving life-changing impact for kids and communities in Aotearoa and the Pacific!



After leaving a lasting legacy in rugby, Dan was ready for his next big challenge - using his influence to help kids achieve their goals. This starts with making sure they have reliable access to life's basics - like WATER!

Our current partnership with Dan is all about providing safe and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene solutions for schools, health facilities, and early childhood settings.

Across four of the hardest-to-reach areas of the Pacific, we're delivering the essentials for thousands of children and their whānau.

Even in our own backyard, we're making a difference by helping kiwi kids better understand their rights and know how to advocate for themselves! 

Dan Carter and school kids in Vanuatu playing rugby on the field

Donate to the DC10 Fund

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The DC10 Fund

Families in Libya are facing catastrophic flooding and landslides after Storm Daniel came ashore on September 10, 2023. More than 6,000 people have been killed, while hundreds more are missing, and at least 40,000 people have been displaced. UNICEF is on the ground, reaching children with emergency supplies, but we need your help.

UNICEF is on the ground, reaching children with emergency supplies after Storm Daniel swamped north-eastern Libya. We can’t do it alone. We need your help to always be there. No matter what. 

Families are facing catastrophic flooding and landslides in Libya after Storm Daniel came ashore on Sept. 10, 2023, inundating communities along the country's Mediterranean coast with sudden, torrential rains. Two dams have collapsed under the pressure, sweeping entire neighbourhoods into the sea. More than 6,000 people have tragically lost their lives while at least 40,000 people who live in the area have been severely impacted. 

When disaster strikes, you can make a difference. UNICEF teams are mobilising staff and supplies, including safe water, hygiene kits, medical care and supplies, nutrition and clothing for children. By supporting us today, you can help Libyan children and families whose lives have been devastated by these floods. Please donate now. 

Families are facing catastrophic flooding and landslides in Libya after Storm Daniel came ashore on Sept. 10, 2023. Communities need urgent emergency support. We can’t do it alone. We need your help to always be there. No matter what. 

Libya Flood Emergency

Help Children in Libya

We get things done and we never give up - but it's regular monthly donations that help us keep fighting the good fight. From the ground floor up, we're seeing through life-changing projects and programmes that tackle the root cause of problems affecting children's present and future. 

Monthly donations make lasting change for kids! 

Behind every smile are long-term projects and programmes that tackle the root cause of problems affecting children’s present and future. They’re funded by incredible monthly donations, big and small! It's generous kiwis that help us keep fighting the good fight - on a scale like no other.

We may be the world’s largest children’s charity but we don't work in isolation. To better understand the unique needs of every child we work closely with families, communities and governments in over 190 countries - using life-changing monthly donations to plan for the big picture!

We get things done and we never give up - but it's your regular donations that help us keep fighting the good fight. From the ground floor up, we're seeing through life-changing projects and programmes that tackle the root cause of problems affecting children's present and future. 

Global Parent - Monthly donations make lasting change for kids!

Become a Global Parent

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Global Parent

When a crisis strikes we respond immediately - and our readiness begins with people like you. 

We’re 100% donor funded, making you the crucial starting point in our journey to reach kids with life-saving water, medical supplies, shelter, vaccines, and treatment for malnutrition – anywhere in the world. 

Your donation will help build a global whānau that’s always ready to respond at a time when every second counts.

For over 75 years, UNICEF has championed children's welfare during emergencies, delivering vital aid when it matters most. Explore how your support amplifies our mission and creates a lasting impact.

Stand with UNICEF: Addressing the World's Greatest Needs for Children

Donate to The Greatest Need

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The Greatest Need

We’re bringing clean water and quality pre-school education to kids in the Pacific – and we want your help. Join us to help give children in Vanuatu, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea the best start in life.

The Pacific Islands are our neighbours and it’s up to us to support them in making sure tamariki have the essentials for a happy and healthy childhood – like clean water and quality education.



In Vanuatu, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, kids are getting sick because they don’t have clean water, toilets or handwashing facilities at their school. And in Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and Kiribati, children’s education is suffering because they’re missing out on quality preschooling.

We’re bringing clean water and pre-school education to kids in the Pacific – and we want your help.

Our relationships with Governments, staff, communities and kids themselves drive the work that we do – from simple, sustainable projects to big-picture, national-level policy changes. 

Thanks to people like you, we’ve been able to innovate and create long-lasting change for Pacific tamariki! 



Donate for Pacific kids

Water and Education in the Pacific

For children in Ukraine, it’s now been more than two years since their childhoods stopped and the fear, danger and suffering began. Millions of kids have been forced to flee their homes, and those left behind are struggling without clean water, sanitation, healthcare and education. We know times are tough – but we’re asking Kiwis to please give deep to help us continue supporting Ukrainian kids and families.

500 days of war have impacted children in Ukraine. Help UNICEF provide essential services including healthcare, clean water, education, and protection. Your donation can change lives.

Ukraine Emergency: Donate for Children's Survival

Help children in Ukraine

In Izium, Kharkivska oblast, nine-year-old Sasha and his sisters, eight-year-old Vika and four-year-old Maria, have received a special delivery – warm clothing sets and blankets from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), to help them endure the cold.

Receiving warm clothing will transform the children’s lives this winter. Marina, their mother, lost her job due to the war, so the family struggle to buy firewood to keep warm. They also lost many of their belongings in the fierce fighting of 2022.

Delivering warm winter clothing to kids in Ukraine

Ukraine Emergency

Climate change is the biggest threat facing kids today. From Aotearoa and the Pacific, to the farthest reaches of our planet – 1 billion children are facing increasingly frequent and more extreme climate emergencies. From cyclones to heatwaves, flooding to drought – an ever-growing number of kids are in danger. 

Climate change is the biggest threat facing kids today. 

From Aotearoa and the Pacific, to the farthest reaches of our planet – 1 billion children are facing increasingly frequent and more extreme climate emergencies. From cyclones to heatwaves, flooding to drought – an ever-growing number of kids are in danger. 

A staggering 90% of the world’s disasters are climate related. When a school is wiped out by floods, or a cyclone destroys a community health clinic, or drought kills a family’s crops – it’s children who are impacted the most. Every climate emergency further reduces their chances of a happy, healthy childhood. 

This is not the future, this is the now. Climate change is here, we have to act. 

You can support our work protecting kids against the effects of climate change. Donate now. 

Join UNICEF's mission to protect 1 billion children from the escalating threats of climate change. From sustainable solutions to emergency responses, your support can make a difference in Aotearoa and globally.

Children's Climate Crisis Appeal - Support Sustainable Solutions

Help children in climate crisis

A Year of Climate and Conflict Crisis for Children

Children’s Climate Emergency

This morning, millions of kids woke up hungry. No child should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, yet today 1 in 4 children is living in severe food poverty. That’s 181 million kids in places like Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan and Gaza that don’t have an equal opportunity to grow and develop to their full potential.

UNICEF Global Malnutrition Crisis: Together, we can save kid’s lives.

Help malnourished children

Global Malnutrition Crisis

Children, young people and adults want the Government to lead stronger climate action. This is a petition for all of New Zealand to get a formal commitment to children’s futures by ensuring we have climate resilient social systems and infrastructure. Standing together, we can push the Government of Aotearoa to take stronger climate action right now - with real adaptation and mitigation measures.

This isn’t another climate petition about lowering emissions. They’re hugely important - but we also need government action to protect rangatahi today. This is about 1 billion kids, here and around the world, at extreme risk from the escalating climate crisis that’s already unfolding.

This petition demands attention to the impacts climate change has on children’s basic rights  – now and into the future. The climate crisis threatens to undo the major gains made for children over the past decades.

The climate crisis is a children's emergency and we need your help to have it declared as an emergency in parliament by signing the petition. This is a petition for all of New Zealand to get a formal commitment to children’s futures by ensuring we have climate resilient social systems and infrastructure.

Children's Climate Crisis Petition

DECLARE - the climate crisis a children’s emergency in Parliament

SIGN UP TO - the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action

ESTABLISH - a youth climate advisory committee

Brush up on knowledge for budding climate activists, be inspired by the climate action taking place around the world, and prepare for YOUR own journey to start making positive change!

Get inspired, take action!

The Climate Crisis is now. See how swift action to mitigate and adapt to Climate Change is creating a liveable planet for kids.

How we tackle Climate Change

90% of the world’s disasters today are climate related. Support our work to protect kids against the catastrophic effects of climate change.

Donate to our Climate Change Appeal

Sign the petition

Supporting Indigenous communities as they navigate the climate crisis.

The Good News, July Edition

This second edition of The Good News ties in with Earth Day 2024, an annual day to demonstrate our commitment to environmental protection.

The Good News, April Edition

The Good News, April edition

A new book for kids that we are proud to have collaborated on, called Avalanches, is set in Aotearoa and part of a series called COPE: Be Ready for Disasters.

COPE_Avalanches.pdf

How to COPE when disaster strikes

The impact of the climate crisis on global food insecurity and malnutrition has been ringing alarms for many years - but there's lots to be hopeful about too.

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The Good News, June Edition

Follow us on our journey from inception to the present as we re-visit memorable moments, milestones, and influential figures that have helped reshape the future of tamariki and rangatahi around the world.

Road to a Bright Future

Innovation and Tech: the tools to build a climate-resilient future

The Good News May Edition

A symbol of group strength and a unified voice, petitions have brought about real action and change throughout the ages.

petitions have brought about real action and change throughout the ages. These three significant movements in Aotearoa’s history show the power of collective voice and action.

The Power of Petition

Children and young people have a critical voice in shaping the response to the climate crisis.

Amplifying Youth Voices on Climate

With 2023 drawing to a close, the world has seen conflict, climate events, and natural disasters hit communities. It's thanks to our supporters, that UNICEF can ensure we’re always there for kids. Before, during, and after emergency strikes. So let’s take a look back at what you’ve helped us deliver this year.

Your Impact in 2023

Your 2023 Impact

Medicines and nutrition supplies

Safe water and sanitation

Temporary learning spaces

Psychosocial support

UNICEF Supply Division's response to Pakistan Floods

Yemen Water Tower

Children and young people are the least responsible for the climate crisis, but they’ll continue to bear the heaviest burden. The Declaration of Children, Youth and Climate Action is putting children at the centre of climate action and policy to protect their futures.

Learn about the Declaration of Children, Youth and Climate Action and how it is putting children at the centre of climate action and policy to protect their futures.

Why the Declaration of Children, Youth and Climate Action is important for children's future

Putting Children's Futures First

We spoke to a few of our participants in the Beat Dan Carter Challenge who kicked as many goals as they could to help raise money for clean water and sanitation in the Pacific!

Kobe Jennings BDC Participant

Community Stories: The Beat Dan Carter Challenge

After 10 years of conflict, the situation for many children across Syria has never been worse with continuing violence and rights violations, food insecurity and a tumbling economy.

In the face of the decade-long Syrian conflict, children endure violence, displacement, and rights violations. UNICEF Aotearoa is at the forefront, offering trauma recovery, education, and essential humanitarian aid.

Safeguarding Syria's Children: UNICEF Aotearoa's Humanitarian Response

Syrian crisis

One month after devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, millions of children need continuing humanitarian support.

UNICEF's humanitarian response in earthquake affected regions of Türkiye and Syria.

One year on from the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes, UNICEF demonstrates unwavering commitment to kids in need. Children and families were left without access to essential services including safe water, education, and medical care. But even in the darkest of times, there’s always a glimmer of light. Thanks to the support of our donors, UNICEF was able to quickly scale up its response in the aftermath to help communities build back.

One year on from the aftermath of disaster, UNICEF demonstrates unwavering commitment to kids in need.

Hope and Resilience in Türkiye and Syria

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12 years of war in Syria has scarred a generation of children. UNICEF and partners have provided lifesaving healthcare, mental health support and safe spaces to continue education and humanitarian assistance.

12 years of war in Syria has scarred a whole generation of children. UNICEF donors and partners have ensured these children have not been forgotten and have provided lifesaving healthcare, mental health support and safe spaces to continue education and humanitarian cash assistance.

Children Growing up in Conflict: Resilience, Hope, and UNICEF's Support

Growing up in conflict

When the earthquake struck, UNICEF teams on the ground jumped into action. We’ve been working with local partners to respond to the evolving needs of thousands of kids and families impacted.

See what donor support looks like when disaster strikes

Hope when kids and families in Türkiye & Syria need it most

In remote Nuristan province, UNICEF is constructing water supply systems to bring clean, safe water to thousands of Afghanistan’s hardest to reach families. Thanks to clean water now available any time she needs it, Adila and her family can now cook, bathe, wash vegetables, and brew tea without worry about health and hygiene.

In remote Nuristan province, UNICEF is constructing water supply systems to bring clean, safe water to thousands of Afghanistan’s hardest to reach families.

A lifetime supply of water

A revolutionary tool for saving lives, 35-years in the making, has been rolled out in countries that need it most. 18 million doses of the first-of-its-kind vaccine against malaria is set to change the lives of kids in Africa. This is a historic step in health care! And it's all thanks to the dedicated support from partners and UNICEF donors.

First-ever malaria vaccine saves countless lives in Africa

Flipping the script on the climate change narrative; from doom and anxiety to inspiration and action.

The Giid News

The Good News

In the second of our three-part series about preventing, detecting, and treating malnutrition, we'll explore the importance of early detection of malnutrition in children and how we intervene quickly to mitigate severe health complications. Early detection not only makes treatment more successful and cost-effective but most importantly it saves lives and lessens any suffering.

Catching signs of malnutrition early

Sudan nutrition campaign in Gezira

Preventing, Detecting, and Treating Malnutrition: A three-part series about UNICEF’s integrated approach to the global children’s malnutrition crisis. In the first of this three-part series, we’ll explore the proven ways to prevent malnutrition before it happens and safeguard the health and wellbeing of children.

Preventing, Detecting, and Treating Malnutrition: A three-part series about UNICEF’s integrated approach to the global children’s malnutrition crisis.

Tackling the root causes of malnutrition

On the outskirts of Goma, new pumps and five kilometres of water lines have been installed to bring drinkable water from the local grid to camps where displaced families are currently staying.

Safe water in Nyiragongo

Towards the end of 2023, UNICEF Aotearoa CEO, Michelle Sharp together with UNICEF CEOs from Poland, Austria and Slovakia made a trip to the East African country of Djibouti. The purpose? To see the impact of UNICEF’s programmes, to meet the local communities benefitting from these programmes and to assess the potential of further developmental goals there.

Djibouti, one of Africa’s smallest countries with potential for growth

International Children’s Day in Timor-Leste - children of UNICEF and other UN Agencies staff today spent the afternoon decorating the UNICEF wall with their colourful painted palms.

This month, UNICEF Aotearoa together with the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) and other partners, broke ground on a new climate resiliency project in Timor-Leste. Falling under the mandate of our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme, this new water preservation project is set to change the course of Timor-Leste’s readiness for climate change.

Breaking ground in Timor-Leste: Climate Resilience through Nature Based Solutions

The Dhamar Water Solar tower is a prime example of UNICEF’s innovative work globally that aims to merge the generosity of donors with some of the best experts in the fields of sustainable technology.

This is the story of the Yemen Solar Water tower developed out of necessity, by UNICEF and partners that came up with a fossil fuel exit strategy to continue life-saving services for children and their families.

UNICEF creates game changing access to safe water in Yemen

Game-changing access to safe water in Yemen - Part 1

Right now there are many crises across the globe which are affecting children in unimaginable ways. As much as parents want to protect their kids from the news cycle, it is inevitable that they will find out about conflict and emergencies.

How to talk to your kids about conflict and emergencies

We’ve created a petition asking the New Zealand government to declare the climate crisis a children’s emergency in parliament.

Declaring for Climate Action

As an organization founded on advocating for child rights, one of UNICEF’s areas of focus is the climate crisis. Specifically, how to contribute to sustainable long-term solutions for tamariki whilst also supporting rangatahi in their contributions to the discourse. The UNICEF Aotearoa Young Ambassadors are on their way to COP 28 and as the biggest event on the global climate action calendar, this is a pretty big deal. Here’s a break down on what you should know…

As an organization founded on advocating for child rights, one of UNICEF’s areas of focus is the climate crisis. Specifically, how to contribute to sustainable long-term solutions for tamariki whilst also supporting rangatahi in their contributions to the discourse. The UNICEF Aotearoa Young Ambassadors are on their way to COP 28 and as the biggest event on the global climate action calendar, this is a pretty big deal.

What is COP and why are the voices of rangatahi so important

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Amidst an escalating conflict in 2017, a blockade of Yemen’s crucial port in Hudaydah disrupted the delivery of fuel and other essential supplies to the country. The blockade occurred as Yemen, already one of the world’s most water-scarce nations, was starting to see the very real impacts of climate change.

The Dhamar Solar Water Project cost just under $1.4 million to build, and is the biggest solar-powered water project in Yemen, securing a safe water supply for over 137,000 people in Dhamar Governate.

The Dhamar Solar Water Tower’s real-life impact.

Beyond numbers and stats: The Dhamar Solar Water Tower’s real-life impact.

Wanting to know where each of Aotearoa's larger political parties stand on the issues important to rangatahi youth and tamariki? We've got you covered...

FOR WEB - FINAL 8 page General Election 2023 A4 (1).pdf

Eligible to Vote in the 2023 General Elections? Why Your Vote Matters and Deciding How to Use It

The UNICEF Aotearoa Young Ambassadors visited Parliament to strengthen their advocacy skills and meet with some of the nation’s decision-makers.

UNICF Aotearoa Young Ambassadors visit to Wellington and the Beehive

UNICEF Aotearoa Young Ambassadors attend parliament to engage with MPs and other decision-makers, as well as to learn more on advocacy for rangatahi in New Zealand

A visit to Parliament

Sadly, children account for around half of the casualties from explosive weapons like shelling or unexploded ordinance (UXO) like landmines left as remnants of war.

Protecting children from weapons of war - Read stories of resilience and hope from young survivors impacted by explosive remnants in conflict zones. Learn how UNICEF provides mine risk training, medical care, and education to help children rebuild their lives. Support our mission to create a safer world for vulnerable kids.

Meet our executive management team

UNICEF Aotearoa’s Executive Management Team are a passionate bunch with a wealth of experience.

They’re all about innovative ideas and the ongoing commitment to investing in hope for kids worldwide.

Michelle Sharp

Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]

Ariana Smith

Chief Operating Officer
[email protected]

Don Jenkins

Chief Technology Officer
[email protected]

Anastasia Potter

Head of Marketing
[email protected]

Jayne Rowley

Director, Fundraising
[email protected]

Teresa Tepania-Ashton

Director, Advocacy and Programmes
[email protected]

Help change the world for kids

Become a global parent

Meet our executive management team

UNICEF Aotearoa’s Executive Management Team are a passionate bunch with a wealth of experience. They’re all about innovative ideas and the ongoing commitment to investing in hope for kids worldwide.

Michelle Sharp

Chief Executive Officer[email protected]

Ariana Smith

Chief Operating Officer [email protected]

Don Jenkins

Chief Technology Officer [email protected]

Anastasia Potter

Head of Marketing [email protected]

Jayne Rowley

Director, Fundraising [email protected]

Teresa Tepania-Ashton

Director, Advocacy and Programmes [email protected]

Help change the world for kids

Become a global parent

UNICEF Aotearoa’s Executive Management Team are a passionate bunch with a wealth of experience.

They’re all about innovative ideas and the ongoing commitment to investing in hope for kids worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer
[email protected]

Chief Operating Officer
[email protected]

Chief Technology Officer
[email protected]

Head of Marketing
[email protected]

Director, Fundraising
[email protected]

Director, Advocacy and Programmes
[email protected]