Better Work
Better World
We want to see workers and communities across Asia and the Pacific thrive through enhanced labour rights, decent work, social justice, and democracy.
PIKE RIVER FILM FUNDRAISER SCREENINGS
Our mission
Through international solidarity and collaborative projects with grassroots groups, UnionAID supports partners to build their capacity, advocate for labour rights, secure decent work and fair pay, ensure safe working conditions, promote equality, and engage in democratic processes.
Our International Union Projects strengthen collective action in workplaces, while our Young Leaders Programmes cultivate change-makers in communities. Together, these complementary approaches address both economic justice and social development across the Asia-Pacific region, creating networks of solidarity that transcend borders.
Join us in building a movement where communities can shape their own futures through democratic participation, sustainable development, and social justice for all.
International Union Projects
Our international union projects put resources directly in the hands of working people who are organising to transform their own lives. Unlike traditional aid approaches, we back worker-led unions and cooperatives that can collectively bargain for better wages, safer workplaces, and secure employment. This solidarity between working people in Aotearoa New Zealand and across the Asia-Pacific creates lasting change by building strong, independent organisations that continue fighting for justice long after projects end.
Find out moreYoung Leaders Programmes
Integral to our work is the empowerment of the next generation through our Young Leaders Programmes, which equip young community leaders from Myanmar, Eastern Indonesia, Mindanao, Cambodia and Laos, with skills in community development, democratic processes, Indigenous development, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, conflict resolution, sustainable development, gender justice, and human rights. Our aim is to build networks of skilled leaders who contribute to the peaceful and just development of their communities and countries.
Find out moreSupport us
UnionAID isn’t about charity, it’s about solidarity between working people. We recognise that the challenges faced by workers in the Asia-Pacific region are connected to our own struggles in New Zealand. When we support workers organising for their rights beyond our borders, we strengthen the global movement for decent work and fair conditions for all.
Solidarity, not charity
Our approach is fundamentally different because:
- We back worker-led action: Rather than imposing outside solutions, we support local unions to develop their own strategies and campaigns
- We build lasting power: Instead of temporary relief, we invest in building organisations that can fight for workers’ rights for years to come
- We respect local knowledge: Union partners determine their own priorities based on their understanding of local conditions
- We focus on collective solutions: Individual handouts don’t change systems, organised workers do.
Supporting our International Union Projects
Our Young Leaders Programmes are funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, but our International Union Projects rely entirely on donations from unions in Aotearoa and individual supporters like you.
Your regular donation ensures that grassroots union partners can plan for the future and continue their vital work organising workers, building collective power, and fighting for decent work across the Asia-Pacific region.
Latest news
Media Release: Leading musicians together for UnionAID
“Leading Aotearoa musicians will come together in May for an historic benefit concert ” the Chair of UnionAID James Ritchie
Ticket Sales running hot for “Together” Concert
Ticket sales are running hot for the historic “Together” Concert on Sunday 3rd may with more than 300 sold in
Bangkok delivery riders campaign for new constitution
Under their banners and placards “8 February. Vote Yes. New Constitution”, members of the Rangsit Riders Union campaigned in support