"Our most critical work is in Syria at this very moment.

"It has almost become a forgotten place with all the outbreak of trouble everywhere. We are impartial on the ground, working to save lives and care for people.

"We keep out of the politics," she said.

"We are there to do humanitarian work and here we try and help affected people when they come to us."

Ms Harvey, speaking at the 100-year celebration of Red Cross in Wellington said the story was not the norm.

"I was a runaway when I was young. At 14 I headed to the circus to be a clown," she said.

"But these days I am dedicated to helping people."

"I am part of a program which welcomes and supports people when they arrive in Australia, many from war-torn zones," she said.

"The flare up in Syria is one of many crises we are involved in, of course there is Iraq, ebola in Africa, the typhoons in Asia.

"But at home, Wellington for example, still supports the breakfast club at school as we do across the country.

"Our work is homegrown but very international, we are involved in humanitarian work every second of the day.

"It is difficult sometimes to get a core picture of the reality of where we are because we are everywhere and we touch people in many ways.

"In Australia the migration program helps people recover from their life, we try and make people safe," she said.

Wellington Red Cross president Sue Bullock said she was sad to see the world so involved in sadness.

"It is quite unfortunate we are needed today as much as we were when we were founded 100 years ago," she said.