The New Zealand Blood Service is hitting the road with a lifesaving first: a mobile plasma collection bus set to expand access to plasma donation across the central North Island.

Launching on April 21, the custom-built bus will operate year‑round, travelling to Hastings, New Plymouth, Taupō, Whakatāne, Matamata and Rotorua, where it’s expected to collect around 115 plasma donations each week and lift national plasma collections by 4%.

The initiative marks a big step forward for the New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS), bringing plasma donation directly to communities that don’t have fixed donor centres and helping to meet growing demand for plasma‑derived medicines.

“We feel a bit like a band going on tour – the Plasma Tour - but we are more tea, biscuits, and lifesaving plasma than rock ’n’ roll,” donor relations team leader Rachel Bowman said.

The first of its kind in Aotearoa, the plasma bus has been designed to safely transport the equipment needed to set up mobile plasma drives in communities without fixed donor centres. 

Like a well-packed tour bus, every inch is used efficiently to carry eight plasma donation machines, a healthy supply of refreshments, and passenger seating for nine NZBS staff members.

“Getting plasma collection up and running in a mobile format is a little more complex than whole blood donation,” Bowman said.

“The equipment is larger and takes longer to unpack, donation time is slightly longer, and our teams need additional training. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to this stage, and we’re all looking forward to officially being on the road.”

Bowman said 55% of whole-blood donations came from mobile drives, which would continue to operate as usual across the central North Island.

“Mobile drives are an essential part of our nationwide collection strategy, and the expansion of mobile plasma collection into these regions will further strengthen our approach.”

The mobile plasma team is hoping to collect at least 115 donations a week, which is expected to boost national collections by 4%.

Plasma is used to create up to 11 lifesaving products and can treat up to 50 illnesses, from cancer and kidney disease to blood clots and liver failure.

Currently, plasma donation in the central North Island is only possible at the permanent donor centres in Hamilton, Tauranga, and Palmerston North. With the Service taking to the road, more New Zealanders will have the opportunity to donate plasma closer to home.

“We already have hundreds of amazing plasma donors across the central North Island, with some often travelling for hours to visit a donor centre,” Bowman said. “It’s very fitting that the ‘face’ of our fully branded plasma bus is himself a plasma donor from the Bay of Plenty.”

Nigel, who lives in a small coastal town in the region and regularly travels to the Hamilton donor centre to donate plasma, was shoulder-tapped for the role. He began donating at high school and was a regular blood donor by his mid-twenties.

A blood donation every three months soon morphed into fortnightly plasma donations after a nurse explained the growing need for the blood product frequently referred to as “liquid gold”.

“I remember thinking that, if I could help someone out by sitting in a chair for an hour, it was an absolute no-brainer,” he said.

Nigel is a Bay of Plenty-based police officer and regular plasma donor.

A move to rural Bay of Plenty in the early 2010s meant his closest donor centre was more than 90 minutes away.

His experience reflects a situation NZBS addresses nationwide: willing donors whose circumstances make regular donations challenging.

“Being able to donate closer to home, even if it’s just a few times a year, will make such a difference, especially for people who don’t have the ability to travel in the same way I do,” he said.

“It’s strange seeing yourself on the side of a bus, but it’s for an amazing cause. I’ve already had a few people text to say they’ve seen ‘my’ bus on the road, and I’m hoping it will help encourage them and others to donate plasma.”

The first plasma drive supported by the mobile plasma bus is scheduled to take place from April 21 in New Plymouth.

“If you see us on the road, give us a friendly wave, and remember to book an appointment to donate,” Bowman said. “The need for both whole blood and plasma is constant, and every donation makes a lifesaving difference.”

To check your eligibility or find out which type of donation is right for you, download the NZ Blood Donor App, visit www.nzblood.co.nz or call 0800 448 325.

– Supplied content