Christchurch City Mission

Christchurch City Mission https://www.citymission.org.nz/

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our big op shop donation drive in Lincoln tomorrow. Our trucks, vans, cars...
17/09/2026

We are looking forward to seeing everyone at our big op shop donation drive in Lincoln tomorrow. Our trucks, vans, cars and welcoming smiles will be at St Stephens Church from 10am to 2pm.

If what we have seen so far is anything to go by, it will be wonderful. In the lead-up, some of us have been clocking up some huge step counts getting leaflets into letterboxes and the response has already been strong.

We are asking people with bigger items to donate to call us on
03 365-0633 to book a free collection at their place and many people already have! Thank you so much. And thank you to everyone who supports us tomorrow. ❤️

It was an eye-opening experience for men and women from our day programmes and transitional housing to get a tour of the...
17/09/2026

It was an eye-opening experience for men and women from our day programmes and transitional housing to get a tour of the big stadium that (we like to say) is right on our doorstep.

We organise little outings where possible to lift spirits, broaden outlooks and help our people feel part of the Christchurch community.

Clients and staff were welcomed into the stadium and given a behind-the-scenes look that revealed what a vast effort it takes to run something as modern as this marvel.

Our men and women loved it and appreciated it, although it was also a window into another world where entertainment’s cost and scale can be extraordinary.

As well as checking out the changing rooms and turf, they sat in premium seats, strolled through corporate boxes and heard how 6000 hotdogs, 12,000 burgers and 15,000 fries were consumed at one game.

We watched the stadium grow up beside us and we love that it is a place for joy and celebration in Christchurch. Our job is to look after people who are having a very hard time so that is quite a different experience.

But we also know that many, many people who use the stadium support us and want to bring our clients relief and even a little joy.

It’s powerful that the extremes of experiencing life in Christchurch can be side-by-side together and we embrace our relationship with Te Kaha.

Sam Evans from Benchmark Homes saw the rough sleepers and encampments in the Red Zone area and it didn’t seem right.He a...
14/09/2026

Sam Evans from Benchmark Homes saw the rough sleepers and encampments in the Red Zone area and it didn’t seem right.

He and father Richard are in the business of building nice homes and it felt like they should do something to help those people at the other end of the spectrum without a home. So that’s exactly what they did!

Sam asked our Outreach team what people sleeping out needed most. Then Benchmark put in $20,000, raised another $20,000 from a Givealittle campaign, got a lot of suppliers and supporting businesses like Kathmandu alongside, and last week delivered 100 sleeping packs to us to distribute.

These will make such a big difference and we are so thankful on behalf of our clients out there. The packs include a quality sleeping bag, foam sleeping mat, head torch, thermos, thermal socks and dry bags.

There’s also $14,000 left over for our Outreach team to use for other gear where it’s needed most, like jackets and tents.

Sam says he has this idea that the “housing industry could help the houseless”. Maybe this is a starting point and something to build on in the future, he says.

We say this is a wonderful example of Christchurch community spirit. Thank you to Sam and Richard (pictured with the sleeping packs and Christchurch City Missioner Corinne) and to everyone who has supported this kindness.

2238 - that’s how many uniforms we have provided over the past seven years to local children whose families couldn’t aff...
09/09/2026

2238 - that’s how many uniforms we have provided over the past seven years to local children whose families couldn’t afford to dress them like everyone else when they started the school year.

We believe in the power of education to change lives and helping children not look or feel different when they go to school is one important way we can help.

Applications to be considered for our Back to School Programme re-open on October 15 through our website.

We asked women coming to our day programme what they like about it and the answers included a surprising twist. Our prog...
07/09/2026

We asked women coming to our day programme what they like about it and the answers included a surprising twist.

Our programme is open to all women but most who come to us have been through our emergency women’s night shelter, so they share the experience of having been through some very hard times. Some are still sleeping on the streets.

Their ages at the moment range from 18 to 88 and two-thirds live alone. More than half are in recovery from addiction. At different times many of the women will be trying to manage mental health issues.

So what's that twist?

It turns out one thing they really enjoy is what they have brought with them. They like being with each other and spending time with other women who understand what they have been through and the support that flows from that.

It’s a good reminder of how clients can make a profound difference in the lives of each other and it will help shape how we continue to develop services for women in the future.

We always try to do even better when it comes to caring for our clients and so we were thrilled when a big pile of recip...
03/09/2026

We always try to do even better when it comes to caring for our clients and so we were thrilled when a big pile of recipe cards arrived to hand out with our food parcels.

These super easy recipes will help our clients make the most of the frozen mince packs we are donated by the Meet The Need NZ. That’s a farmer-backed charity which provides meat for foodbanks.

The recipes actually come from Pāmu (state-owned-enterprise Landcorp) which supports Meet the Need. Pāmu staff collected cheap, simple-to-do family favourite recipes to help foodbank clients enjoy the donated mince.

Our clients will benefit greatly from the mince and the recipes and we thank everyone who helps us bring some relief and joy to homes.

It’s amazing how connected we remain to our memories of school no matter how many decades ago that was. We are getting p...
27/08/2026

It’s amazing how connected we remain to our memories of school no matter how many decades ago that was.

We are getting plenty of reminders of this from our supporters who have been letting us know what they saw and felt at school after reading the stories we have published in our latest Reach Out magazine.

This issue focuses on our Back to School Programme, which helps families who can’t afford uniforms, shoes and stationery send their children to school with those items, so they look and feel the same as their classmates.

Our supporters have told us of their own experiences. Over and over the stories underline how important it is for all children to get a good start at school.

You can find the magazine on our website here: https://www.citymission.org.nz/reach-out-spring-2026

We love all our supporters but there’s something a little special about first-timers like the team from New Zealand Soth...
25/08/2026

We love all our supporters but there’s something a little special about first-timers like the team from New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty Canterbury & Marlborough.

Holly and Cindy turned up today with the back of a car filled with clothing, blankets and food for our clients after an office donation drive. They even had a QR code set up at the office for donations to our website!

Helping us is caring for others, and they can feel proud of giving back to the city. ❤️

No-one wants to see children suffer. One of the services we are very proud of is our Back to School Programme, which hel...
21/08/2026

No-one wants to see children suffer. One of the services we are very proud of is our Back to School Programme, which helps families who can’t afford uniforms, shoes and stationery send their children to school with those items so they look and feel the same as their classmates.

A proper school uniform helps a child feel included and that they belong in school and we feel this is one important way we can help future generations make the most of educational opportunities.

Over the past year we helped 462 local primary and secondary students in this way which is a huge impact – that’s the roll of an average primary school!

All applications from families are carefully assessed by our financial mentor team, so we know this support is going to families who will benefit the most from this help.

If you would like to help us help children with their futures, you can support us by donating on our website:
www.citymission.org.nz

Our Outreach team has had an extra option to help rough sleepers this winter thanks to some compassionate fundraising fr...
20/08/2026

Our Outreach team has had an extra option to help rough sleepers this winter thanks to some compassionate fundraising from local Rotary clubs Rotary Ōtautahi Passport Rotary Club of Papanui and Cashmere Rotary Club.

They have provided us with high-quality Shelterbags to distribute. These are padded warm, dry and durable canvas shelters that roll up easily and which can be slept inside with a sleeping bag.

Of course, our long-term goal is to have everyone housed
adequately but with so many struggling to find and afford accommodation, our job is also to help people be safe and comfortable where they are.

The Outreach guys say the Shelterbags have been gratefully received and they are best suited for people who are very much off by themselves and who can store the bags, or carry them with them. However, we did give one each to a couple we found sleeping rough.

The bags work well for those outside of the inner-city area in more isolated areas, like the red zone. In the inner-city area, some rough sleepers prefer to have more freedom to move quickly if they are harassed at night – sadly that’s the harsh world they live in.

Thank you to everyone supporting us this winter!

Address

275 Hereford Street
Christchurch
8011

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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