Kiwis can now list organ donor status on Facebook

Last month, PC World told you that Facebook had rolled out the ability to add your organ donor status to your timeline, as long as you lived in the US.

Now, New Zealanders can also add their organ donor status to their Facebook Timeline. Facebook announced that it had rolled out the new feature for Kiwis today.

In our experience, Facebook changes usually take a little time to proagate throughout all users in a region, so if it's not there for you yet, don't worry - it soon will be.

To add your organ donor status to your Timeline, head to your timeline profile page (click on your name to access it). In the Status Update box, click the Life Event button at the top, then select Health & Wellness, and choose Organ Donor. You can select a location, date and a message. In addition, when you add your organ donor status this way, Facebook points you towards registering as a donor via a link. Unfortunately, the link points to the US donor registry. Information on New Zealand organ donation can be found at donor.org.nz.

A spokesperson for Facebook said that reasoning behind the addition is that by "simply telling people that you're an organ donor, the power of sharing and connection can play an important role in raising awareness of organ donation and encouraging others to become registered organ donors."

Adding that you're an organ donor to Facebook does little more than provide a record of your intentions, but that's a good start.

To register your wish to become an organ donor in New Zealand, you need to add it to your drivers license when registering or renewing. However, your family will be consulted before any organs are donated. Organ Donation New Zealand notes that it is easier to ensure your organs are donated by making your wishes known to your family, and adding it to Facebook is one way to do so.