Organ donation is on the increase.

So far this year there have been 44 donors, compared with 36 last year.

That's also up on an average of 37 a year over the past 21 years.

Organ Donation New Zealand believes it's been helped by a programme introduced in recent years which is built around an audit of all deaths in public hospital intensive care units.

The audit provides Organ Donation New Zealand with information about the potential for donation.