Tawa mother Annabelle Fawcett has donated blood alongside her teenage son Mason at Porirua’s new donor centre, years after she needed donated blood following complications during his birth.
Fawcett first began donating blood while still at high school. She had lost her father to Hodgkin lymphoma when she was just five years old, making the importance of helping people facing serious illnesses personal from an early age.
Years later, she found herself needing the same help she had been giving to others.
Complications during the birth of her first child meant Fawcett needed two units of whole blood and Anti-D, a medicine made from donated plasma.
The experience gave her a new appreciation of blood donation and left her deeply grateful to the strangers whose donations had helped her.
Her involvement continued beyond giving blood. After taking part in Shave for a Cure in memory of her father, she became more involved with New Zealand Blood Service, eventually working as a donor recruiter for three years.
Now Mason is a teenager, and the pair have donated together at the recently opened Porirua Blood and Plasma Donor Centre.
The new facility at 3 Heriot Drive is the second permanent donor centre in the Wellington region and gives Porirua residents their first opportunity to donate plasma locally.
Previously, the region’s only permanent donor centre was in Newtown, although Porirua has long been served by mobile blood donation drives.
New Zealand Blood Service Donor Relations Team Leader Sarah Field said those mobile drives had always received strong support from the Porirua community.
“Now they have a permanent place to donate five days a week and, for the first time, the opportunity to donate plasma without having to leave Porirua. We hope it will encourage existing donors to donate more regularly and introduce a whole new group of people to plasma donation.”
The centre has capacity for around 215 plasma donations and 75 whole blood donations each week, with 20 dedicated donor car parks.
Its opening comes as demand for medicines made from donated plasma continues to increase.
Between July 2025 and June 2026, 19,385 New Zealanders received plasma-derived medicines. These treatments help people with a range of serious conditions, including immune disorders, and patients undergoing chemotherapy or recovering from major surgery.
New Zealand Blood Service says it needs an additional 25,000 plasma donations nationwide by 30 November to help meet growing demand.
Unlike whole blood, plasma can be donated as often as every two weeks. During the process, blood is separated, with the plasma collected and the red blood cells and platelets returned to the donor.
The Porirua centre is open on Mondays and Fridays from 7.15am to 3pm, and Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from noon to 8pm.
Appointments can be booked through the New Zealand Blood Service website, its donor app or by calling 0800 448 325.