A new community hub for Wellington, Whakamaru will be home to:

• 35 long-term transitional housing apartments for individuals and families
• Craig and Gail’s Café, which will operate under a ‘contribute-what-you-can’ model
• A new-look Social Supermarket
• The Mission’s network of Community Practitioners
• Laundry and shower facilities freely available for anyone who needs them
• A medical centre operated by Ora Toa
• ‘The Hub’, a centre of collaboration with meeting rooms available for booking at no cost for the wider Wellington community
• A 24/7 Crisis and Recovery Café
• The Chapel, a place where people of all religions can practice their faith, or simply seek solace and peace
• The Wellington City Mission’s head office

After six years of planning, construction and development, the Wellington City Mission will open Whakamaru to the public in November 2024.

Whakamaru will be a transformational community facility for everyone in Wellington. Operational 24/7 for those in need, the Wellington City Mission’s new development will re-shape the way our community supports and cares for itself.

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Far more than just a building, Whakamaru will be home to long-term transitional housing, Wellington City Mission’s network of support services and a welcoming community hub and café where there is no ‘us and them’.

Following a Dawn Blessing and Official Opening at the end of October, Whakamaru will open to staff and manuhiri at the beginning of November, before public access and full operations begin on November 18.

Murray Edridge, Wellington City Missioner, said: “In the year of the Wellington City Mission’s 120th Anniversary, Whakamaru represents a vital evolution in our services and an important milestone in our history. Whakamaru will provide care and support for those who need it, but it will also act as a community hub for everyone in our region.”

“The recent increase in demand for our services shows us there is a critical need for us all to re-think how we ‘do community’. Whakamaru will re-shape how Wellingtonians support and care for each other, bringing us all together under one roof and eliminating the divide between ‘us and them’.”

With an overarching principle of ‘no us and them’ at its core, Whakamaru’s services are centred around care and community.

Learn more about what you can expect from Whakamaru below.

Care at Whakamaru

Building a community where there is no ‘us and them’, a network of support services will be available to everyone who steps through Whakamaru’s doors, as well as the residents housed within. These services include: 

• Long Term Transitional Housing: Whakamaru will provide a safe and supportive long term transitional home for those experiencing homeless, or those at risk of homelessness. 35 apartments will house either individuals or families, forming the foundations from which we will deliver our wrap around support and community services. The purpose of this wrap-around support is to help our whānau reach a place where they are able to successfully transition to permanent housing. Whakamaru will work collaboratively with our residential and community services teams, delivering the appropriate and necessary support options available to our whānau. Staff will be present on site at all times – 24 hours of the day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
• Social Supermarket: The Wellington City Mission’s longstanding Social Supermarket will move with us from Newtown to Whakamaru. The Social Supermarket provides food for people who need it, when they need it, in a manner that prioritises dignity and choice. The Social Supermarket also becomes a mechanism for engaging shoppers in other support services that may be helpful.
• Medical Centre: Ora Toa will operate their medical practice within Whakamaru, providing a variety of services to their patients. We will work together with them to support the community.
• Laundry and amenities: Manuhiri will have access to dignified options for showering, laundry and toilet facilities. These amenities can be used by anyone. They will be a catalyst to engage in our community and, when needed, our support services.
• Community Practitioners: Everyone’s circumstances are unique – that’s why our Community Practitioners have a wide array of skills. We have social workers, counsellors, addiction support workers and financial mentors – all providing support across areas such as housing, income, health, education and whānau support. Our team also provides advocacy to outside organisations and agencies where needed, in order to help people achieve positive outcomes.
• The Whakamaru Crisis and Recovery Cafē: Our Crisis and Recovery Café is a community-based mental health crisis prevention and response service in a non-clinical, café-style environment. The café provides immediate support to individuals and whānau in mental distress who are not at immediate risk of harm to self or others. Our people and whānau-centred service aims to increase early access to mental health support in the Wellington region in a safe and reassuring environment. The crisis café provides trauma-informed care through one-to-one peer support, de-escalation, safety planning and by providing access to digital mental health services

Community at Whakamaru

As well as being a place of support for those who need it, Whakamaru will act as a vibrant community hub where the people of our city can come together, regardless of life circumstance. Whakamaru has been designed with various spaces and features that will allow us to achieve this purpose:

• Craig and Gail’s Café: Whakamaru will be a hub for our whole community, and Craig and Gail's café will be at the heart of that hub. Serving high quality food and excellent coffee, Craig and Gail’s will operate under a ‘contribute-what-you-can’ model. The model means those who can’t afford to pay can enjoy a koha meal, while those who can afford to contribute will be able to provide kai and companionship to others. A welcoming and inclusive café for everyone, our manuhiri and indeed any member of the public can stay at Craig and Gail’s for as long as they want during opening hours. The space will provide opportunities for people to strike up unlikely connections and friendships with people who they wouldn’t usually connect with. Open Monday to Saturday, we will also occasionally have live music and karaoke on the stage.
• The Chapel: Our Chapel, open 24/7, is for all people. As well as offering a place of prayer for all religions, it is a place where people can seek solace, or just be still and reflect.
• The Hub: Well-equipped meeting rooms will make Whakamaru a centre for collaboration, with rooms available for booking at no cost for the wider Wellington community. In the course of people carrying out their business within Whakamaru, we will bring different communities across Wellington together under the same roof.
• Bump Spaces: As well as being home to 35 transitional housing apartments, Whakamaru will be home to the Wellington City Mission’s head offices and associated staff. There will be ‘bump spaces’ throughout the building wherein staff, volunteers, residential whānau and other guests can informally connect with each other, promoting a wider sense of community within the building.

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