White Island tour guide Jake Milbank was celebrating his 19th birthday on White Island when he suffered severe burns to 80 percent of his body.
He was rushed to Middlemore Hospital after the eruption where he remains in intensive care.
"This normally passionate, energetic young man, who has a love for anything ocean, was in his element when this tragedy occurred," Rebecca Holder, a friend of the family, wrote on Givealittle.
Holder, who set up the funding page, has known the Jake for 12 years and wants to help in any way she can.
"It's going to be a very long road to recovery," Holder told Newshub.
The money raised will ensure Jake's family can spend time with him at Middlemore's intensive care unit as he recovers.
Back home in Whakatane, Holder says the community is banding together to support the injured.
"Everyone knows someone who has been affected and we all band together - I'm not surprised, it's how we do things here,"
"The community spirit in Whakatane has always been here and it doesn't surprise me at all - we have always been a close-knit community."
The page has raised more than $6000 for Jake and his family.
Jake is one of 30 patients across six hospitals in New Zealand. Twenty-five patients are in a critical condition and the remainders are in a serious condition.
Monday's eruption killed six people, with further fatalities expected.
