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New Zealand

Millions and miracles help care for capital’s citizens

Millions, miracles, shovel-ready and sharing a boundary fence with the King’s representative are some of the words surrounding an innovative build to care for the capital’s citizens.

Whakamaru is a five-level new build community hub that will reshape the way Wellington gives support to those who need it.

A project of the Wellington City Mission, it will provide long-term transitional housing, a social supermarket, café, medical centre and wrap-around mentoring and social work services in the complex, sited in Oxford Terrace near the Basin Reserve.

The past year alone has seen the Mission record a 47 per cent increase in demand for food plus significant increases in demand for its other services.

An artist’s impression of the completed Whakamaru complex for Wellington

Red key campaign

Fundraising is on the home straight. An intensive advertising campaign involving red keys aims to raise the final $4.5 million to complete the $45.5 million project.

This will enable Whakamaru to open debt-free in August 2024 when the Mission celebrates its 120th anniversary.

The name Whakamaru was gifted by mana whenua and symbolises shelter, safeguarding and protection which reflects the community hub’s purpose. Manu whenua are also producing a carved pou for the foyer.

City Missioner Murray Edridge says the complex will be open 24/7 and a key aim will be the community learning how to care for itself, as past generations did, but in a contemporary way.

Its function will be unique, building a safe and inclusive community where there is no “us and them”.

People will be able to hang out with people who don’t look or sound like themselves, Murray says.

Murray says housing is a large part of the challenges facing many people.

The complex will take away the challenge of ‘where am I going to sleep tonight’,” he says.

 

The City Mission already offers transitional housing from several sites, the most prominent Te Pā Pori, the zebra-striped former backpackers in Tory Street that opened in 2021.

New build wasn’t on agenda

A brand new building wasn’t on the agenda when Murray began in the City Missioner role about five years ago.

He told his board the Mission couldn’t stay long-term in its cramped facilities in Gordon Place, Newtown, because of growing demand for its many services.

The board agreed to look for a new home and soon a commercial building in Oxford Terrace was located but it wasn’t for sale. It was in the perfect location, close to but not on a main road.

Murray approached the owner who agreed to show him through anyway.

The ground floor was tenanted by a martial arts centre and gym but the two upper floors were vacant because the roof leaked.

“I said ‘when it’s for sale, let me know’.”

Miracles started to happen

Two weeks later the owner put it on the market but the Mission wasn’t prepared to pay the asking price. However it did due diligence and what Murray calls “a lot of miracles” started to happen.

“A property developer I barely knew phoned and said he was interested (in buying) but said ‘can I help you?”

The Mission had spent $20,000 on due diligence and he offered to pay that.

There were two other interested buyers but the owner decided to sell to the Mission.

A week later someone, who remains anonymous, phoned and offered $1 million towards the $3.1 million purchase price.

The Mission came up with a plan to replace the roof and tidy up the building before getting a larger vision that included a partial demolition and rebuild.

They went to tender but contractor Naylor Love said they could construct a new building cheaper than renovating the existing one.

So a rebuild it was. Demolition was completed by December 2021 and building began, designed by Wellington architects Three Line Studio.

The five-level Whakamaru project takes shape in Wellington’s Oxford Terrace

Shovel-ready $20m

The Government gave $20m from its shovel-ready scheme.

The donor who gave the original $1m gave another $5m, property developers have donated, Lottery Grants gave about $3m and $500,000 was received from Wellington City Council.

There were also many smaller donations from individuals and businesses.

Murray says that five years ago he could not have convinced the board to buy a piece of bare land and build but effectively that’s what happened in a way they could never have imagined.

The innovative design uses steel framing (and 15,000 bolts) and floors made from cross-laminated timber for seismic strength and fire resistance.

It will have a full fire sprinkler system and an electronic database of all services (such as water and electricity). There will be solar panels on the roof.

Inside the building will be many facilities open to both people living there and elsewhere (or nowhere).

Transitional accommodation will be in 30 studio units each with its own bathroom, kitchen and laundry plus there will be five two-bedroom units.

A key aim will be learning about issues that go with renting and how to become a successful tenant.

Government House a neighbour

A large atrium that extends to the sky will bring natural light into the floors and behind the top level will be a garden against the boundary fence with Government House.

A 120-seat café run by a commercial caterer, a commercial laundry and a toilet and shower facility will be available for use by anyone.

There will be a library, computer room, art spaces, boardroom, seminar space and interview rooms available free to anyone and negotiations are underway for an existing medical centre to move into the complex.

The café will be open to all and seat up to 120

A social supermarket (offering foodbank shoppers choice and preserving their dignity) will be included and Foodstuffs have donated the fitout of new shelving, fridges and freezers.

A small chapel will be open 24/7 and will include a cleverly designed glass cross modelled on the Church of Light in Ibaraki Prefecture, Osaka, Japan. As the sun moves around, the image of the cross inside will move.

The Mission staff will move to the new building and the Gordon Place site will be demolished to make way for more housing.

Staff will share communal spaces with residents.

A mix of paid staff and volunteers will run the complex 24/7. The Mission has 120 volunteers and hopes to increase that to 1200. Murray says many would-be volunteers will now be able to help because they will be needed outside of normal work hours.

People who donate to the current appeal receive a red key cut in the shape of hills around Wellington. The keys symbolise that each donor becomes a part owner although the actual keys don’t open anything.

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For more information:

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Wellington City Mission website

https://dailyencourager.co.nz/millions-and-miracles-help-care-for-capitals-citizens/ Millions and miracles help care for capital’s citizens

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