Christchurch City Mission

28/07/2026

This has been a brutal week for rough sleepers in Christchurch, and our Outreach staff have been busy checking on everyone including those who are trying to get through the night in a car.

Our guys are genuinely worried they are going to find someone who has not made it through the night. And that is especially so because we are seeing more elderly people now out on the streets. They came across an 82-year-old last week who, for his own reasons, chose to stay out.

For those clients who we can’t help in our emergency shelter, the guys offer dry warm clothing and sleeping gear, and compassion.

As one of our guys said: “When it’s that cold how can you make decisions?” How can you think straight? Winter is tough but we are out there too, helping as much as we can.

21/07/2026

We don’t expect to be thanked when we help people because we know many of our clients are facing a crisis, feel overwhelmed and it has taken everything they have to come to us and ask for help.

For those people, it is enough to know we helped them have a better day.

But sometimes people do thank us - like the writer of this note - and it makes us feel very special when that happens because it reminds us why we are here.

We want to share this thank-you with everyone who supports our work with donations of money, food and goods, and our volunteers who donate time. You are all making a wonderful positive genuine difference in our community. ❤️

17/07/2026

No need to despair over having to live in a home cluttered with too many good quality household items – we can fix that!

Our Op Shop team with vans and truck will be in Prebbleton tomorrow (Saturday, July 18, 10am-2pm) at All Saints Church to help bring that airy, balanced feel back to your home and cupboards.

We’ll be gratefully accepting good quality clothing, footwear, linen, small electrical, books, tools, toys, kitchenware, homeware, plants and more.

For larger items or furniture, give us a call and we’ll arrange a collection on an alternative day - 03 365 0633 or [email protected]

Your home will feel happier and you will help support the work of the Christchurch City Mission. That’s a win-win for everyone.

09/07/2026

What a miserable week we have had with the weather and our thoughts have gone out to the individuals and families we care for.

They find life very hard anyway, but wet, cold weather like we have just experienced makes everything worse.

Sadly there was even more sobering news in the media today – a report in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal showed that the average age of death for people sleeping rough over the past 12 years was just 47.5! This was based on Coroner reports, and the health-related deaths were mostly from heart disease.

Life on the streets is hard. We know that because we are out there with our clients and we see them when they come in to us. We do our best to help and appreciate all the support we get to do that.

03/07/2026

We kicked off our Matariki celebrations today with a Matariki-themed concert by our City Mission choir in the education hub area.

Matariki is important for us here at the City Mission because it is such a beautiful way of setting the scene to make positive changes in life.

Many of our clients face a crisis in their lives and they are looking for a way to understand what has happened and what can they do to make things better for themselves, their whanau and their community.

Matariki tells them this is a time to celebrate what they have, to look ahead and to remember those who have passed away. We love that approach. It helps them see who they are and why they belong.

Next week our men’s and women’s services will celebrate Matariki with meals and companionship. It would be lovely if it also brought new hope for the future.

01/07/2026

The cost of living jumps in winter which means there is even less money for food. Food is the one thing that sadly many of our clients take shortcuts on when the power bills and rent need to be met.

This can be a double blow because good food helps keep us healthy in winter. Eating badly or not enough leaves people vulnerable to illness.

We are proud of the contribution our foodbank makes to families in winter and the quality of food we provide.

We can’t help everyone, but we do the best we possibly can, and we thank all the donors who help us do this.

See the story of the hard work needed to keep our foodbank operating on our website:

https://www.citymission.org.nz/news/behind-the-scenes-of-a-foodbank

25/06/2026

We are lucky to have a strong and fantastic team of nurses who handle medical and mental health among our care. It takes a very special person to be a City Mission nurse because our clients and their problems can be so complex and challenging.

We are in the middle of our winter fundraising campaign, and these biting cold days are a constant reminder of how winter is so tough on our clients.

We are proud of the care and compassion the nurses give to our clients every day.

See our website for a full story on what our nurses do here (and to donate if you would like to support us).

https://www.citymission.org.nz/news/nurses-on-the-frontline

18/06/2026

“I used to hide the empty bottles all over the house. I lived alone and I would stand there in the room and say to myself – ‘who are you hiding them from Lorna, who?”

This is from a wonderful strong woman who came to us for help with her drinking problem and is now making a fresh start.

Lorna showed great courage in her willingness to take addiction on to regain control of her life and she remains deeply thankful for the support she received from our expert staff.

Lorna says telling her story helps her rise above the shame she felt about her drinking problem and she hopes to inspire others to do the same.

You can read her full story on our website here: https://www.citymission.org.nz/news/life-changing-call-for-help

16/06/2026

Lovely smiles from lovely people! Married couple Mike and Anne come to our foodbank two days a week to help us feed others and the retirees say they can’t think of a more worthwhile way to give back to their community.

We have more than 220 wonderful regular volunteers and National Volunteer Week is a great reminder of how much they contribute and how much we appreciate them all.

You can read Anne and Mike’s full story on our website here:

https://www.citymission.org.nz/news/a-couple-of-very-good-sorts

Mike and Anne are very special supporters. The married couple come to our foodbank to volunteer two days a week and they are a wonderful example of what volunteering contributes to our work.