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Here for you. Here for Taitokerau

Nau mai ki te Whare Āwhina o 155.

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā iwi ō te motu. Tēnei te mihi aroha ki ā koutou katoa.

We are a Kaupapa Māori provider of wraparound support services for whānau in Taitokerau. 

You can find us at our hubs across Whangārei and in Kaikohe - so come in for a cuppa and explore your future options.

Kia Ora

155 Whare Āwhina is a place where you and your whānau are valued, respected and accepted for who you are. 

We're community change makers, lawyers and social workers here to help you and your whānau.

We run the social supermarket Whare Kai and  food rescue organisation Whakaora Kai. Our Community Law team provides free legal advice and education.

While down at Open Arms we can assist with community housing navigation, WINZ, and develop a wellbeing plan for you. Here you can also rest, use our shower facilities and enjoy breakfast and lunch six days a week.

Kia Ora | 155 Whare Awhina |  Help for your whanau in Northland

Come in for a cuppa and korero

Karere ō te wā | Latest news

Fill the Blues Bus and support Whakaora Kai

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New Whakaora Kai site opens in Moerewa

Our Whakaora Kai operation in Moerewa is open in a freshly renovated space at 55 Main Street. It's a warm and inviting atmosphere that we run in partnership with He Iwi Kotahi Tatou Trust, whereRead more

City mission vision for new Whare Āwhina hub

We're going to turn a former police station into Whangārei’s very own version of a city mission - and we need help! Our new premise on 93 Cameron Street will allow us to centralise our supportRead more

City mission vision for new 155 Whare Āwhina hub

Our new premise on 93 Cameron Street will allow us centralise our support services into one hub for the community.  “Much like Auckland and Wellington’s city missions, this will be a communityRead more

Taitokerau taitamariki share their thoughts on key issues

The number of young people experiencing poverty is increasing in Aotearoa - and in Taitokerau. We are proud supporters of the Child Poverty Action Group kaupapa, and recently sat down withRead more

155 Whare Kai calls for shelf sponsors: We’re running on empty

We're calling on local businesses and community donors to help keep our social supermarket's shelves stocked.Read more

Seeking volunteers: 155 Open Arms kitchen

Location 155 Open Arms Hub, Cnr Robert St and Walton St, Whangārei Hours 9am to 12pm, Tuesdays and/or Wednesdays. Know your way around a busy kitchen? We're seeking friendly volunteers to supportRead more

Whenua Māori Clinics - Kaikohe

Come along to our Kaikohe hub with Te Puni Kōkiri to learn about your whenua and how to navigate the different parts of the development journey. Where: 155 Whare Āwhina, 199 Broadway, Kaikohe 0405Read more

Here's what poverty looks like to us

Poverty. It's a word we often see in government announcements and the media to define the way of living faced by too many New Zealanders. Within a sentence the word barely reflects the challengiRead more

155 transitional home helps wāhine rise in housing and happiness

From the outside 155 Whare Āwhina’s transitional home is unassuming, no different to any of its neighbouring houses along the quiet suburban Whangārei street.  However, for the select few who spRead more

World Homeless Day: More awhi needed for Northland rangatahi

It was World Homeless Day on 10 October so we joined the Rough Sleepers Collective, Whangarei at Canopy Bridge in the Town Basin to help raise awareness of the issue in our region.  The 155 WhareRead more

Tapping into talents of our most incredible resource: mothers

Māmā Moving Mountains is a māmā-driven collective that inspires whānau to aspire by creating opportunities. "We are doing this by looking at their dreams, aspirations and desires and thenRead more

Every year:

1300+

Requests for legal support are received

188

Tonnes of unwanted food is distributed via 155 Whakaora Kai

300+

Housing needs assessments are completed

9500+

Visits are welcomed at 155 Open Arms

2,600+

shopping slots are available at 155 Whare Kai

If there's a gap, 155 will fill it

"155 is a place where people can come in and have a cup of tea and a chat. No problem is too tough, hard, too big or too small. There’s always a listening ear and a keenness to see people well and safe. There’s courageousness too. If there’s a gap, 155 will fill it."

- Shirlyanne Brown, 155 Community Development Project Manager

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