Don’t be the silent type, help us to fill the gaps

What blood type are you: A or O, maybe B or AB? And are you RH positive or negative?

If you are among the 50 percent of New Zealanders who don’t know the answer to this simple question, New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) wants you to find out; because if you’re eligible to be a blood donor, knowing your type may be your first step towards becoming a lifesaver.

This call to action coincides with the launch of NZBS’s second Missing Type campaign, which lets businesses, other organisations and individuals show their support for blood donation by removing the letters A and O – the most common blood types – from their logos, branding, online content and social media accounts.

NZBS National Manager Marketing and Communications, Asuka Burge, says after last year’s campaign saw 10,000 Kiwis become new donors within five months, NZBS decided to do it again this year, with the aim of encouraging more Kiwis to become blood donors.

“The reality is that the need for blood is constant. We need to recruit more than 20,000 new donors every year just to replace those we lose due to illness, retirement and personal choice,” says Burge.

“We currently have 110,000 registered donors but that’s less than four percent of the eligible population, and we think New Zealand can do better! We know that for many people the first step towards becoming a donor is knowing what blood type they have, so the focus of this year’s campaign is to encourage Kiwis to see if they are eligible to be blood donors and to discover their type.”

Burge says donated blood and blood products save the lives of 27,000 Kiwis every year.

“Every day, somewhere in New Zealand, 74 people benefit from the generosity of strangers by receiving blood. Our donors do an amazing job, and for some people they literally mean the difference between life and death. But, what many people don’t realise is that some people can only receive specific types of blood. For example, the roughly one-in-ten Kiwis who are O-negative can donate it to anyone, yet they can only receive O-negative blood themselves.”

“Our mission is to encourage more people to consider becoming a blood donor. People can check their eligibility and book an appointment online, through our app or by visiting one of our ‘What’s my type?’ events around the country. If you think you might be the type to save a life, all you have to do is come down to an event, find out if you meet the donor eligibility criteria, and one of our friendly team will then test your blood through a quick finger prick. Within a couple of minutes, you’ll know your type, and you can register to donate.”

Burge says ‘What’s my type?’ events for potential blood donors are taking place across New Zealand from Saturday 14^th October – Friday 20^th October, at the following locations, dates and times:

Auckland - The Cloud - Queens Wharf (at the LiveWell Festival)
Saturday 14th October 9am - 4pm
Sunday 15th October 9am - 4pm

Auckland - Westpac Atrium, Britomart
Wednesday 18th October 10am - 2pm

Hamilton - Chartwell Shopping Centre (Level 1)

Tuesday 17th October 10am - 2pm

Tauranga - Bayfair Shopping Centre (Outside Kmart)
Saturday 21st October 9am - 6pm

Palmerston North – The Plaza Shopping Centre

The Square

Tuesday 17^th October 11am – 2pm

Wellington – Te Papa Museum of New Zealand (Foyer)
Wednesday 18th October 11am - 2.30pm

Christchurch - Blood Donor Centre, 15 Lester Lane, Addington
Monday 16th October - Friday 20th October - Donor Centre opening hours

Christchurch - Cashel Street Mall
Friday 20th October 11am - 2pm

Dunedin - Meridian Mall, George St (opposite Sunglass City)
Thursday 19th October 11am -1.30pm

NZBS figures show that in New Zealand the two most common blood types are O-positive (38%) and A-positive (32%), while the rarest types are AB-positive (3%), B-negative (2%) and AB-negative (1%).

“We all like to think we’re a little bit unique, but when it comes to blood some are more so than others. That said, anyone who’s willing to spare a little bit of their time and blood in order to save lives really is extraordinary.”

“So, if you’re not among them and you see some letters missing on your favourite brands this week, know this: we’re talking to you. Don’t stay silent any longer – help us fill the gaps,” Burge concludes.

About New Zealand Blood Service:

New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is a not-for-profit Crown entity responsible for the collection, processing, testing and storage and distribution of all blood and blood products in New Zealand.

We rely on voluntary and non-remunerated blood donations from individuals around the country in order to provide a constant supply of precious blood and blood products used by our health services to save thousands of lives.

The need for donors is constant – we must collect around 3,400 donations every week nationally, and are always working to maintain and grow our register of donors to make this possible.

Eligibility

• Donors must meet the donor eligibility criteria to donate blood in New Zealand.
• These criteria can be found on the website at www.nzblood.co.nz

Blood Donation Stats

• One whole blood donation has the potential to save three lives
• Kiwi donors gave blood 164,000 times between 1 July 2016 – 30 June 2017
• There is no alternative for patients in need of blood or blood products – blood donors save lives
• Last year donors saved and improved the lives of 27,000 people in New Zealand
• Every year more than 20,000 people leave the donor registry for a variety of different reason including age, ill health, pregnancy, overseas travel, personal choice – whatever the reason, it means there is a constant need for new donors.
• 85% of Kiwis are A and O blood groups - the types that are most in demand
• Over 50% of Kiwis don’t know their blood type
• Who needs the blood: (whole blood, plasma and platelets)
  • 28% cancer patients
  • 24% other medical conditions and surgical treatments
  • 19% accident victims
  • 13% liver, kidney and heart disease
  • 6% bone surgery
  • 5% pregnant women and babies
  • 3% children, including those with cancer
• 9 donor centres in New Zealand
  • Auckland – Takapuna; Epsom; Manukau
  • Hamilton
  • Tauranga
  • Palmerston North
  • Wellington
  • Christchurch
  • Dunedin
• 881 mobile blood drives in 2016/2017
• 50% of all whole blood donations in NZ are collected via mobile drives