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Free Evening Legal Clinics

We're excited to be co-hosting regular free evening legal clinics in partnership with Ngāti Hine Health Trust. Anyone is welcome to come along to have your legal questions answered or if you are seeking information and/or advice.It is a welcoming environment where referrals can be made for those who are struggling to navigate the complex legal system.No appointments necessary. Related: Whangārei junior lawyer offering free legal advice alongside community service providers...

Cyclone Gabrielle: How we're operating

CLOSED - Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 FebruaryTe Renga Paraoa marae is providing shelter for much of our Open Arms community. Our team will be onsite at the marae assisting with security and housing support (if it is safe to do so), 10 Porowini Ave, Morningside, Vinetown.McKay Stadium Kensington is also open for people who need to leave their homes and /or are homeless,  97 Western Hills Drive, Kensington....

Second place for 155 at Waka Ama corporate challenge

The team kicked off 2023 with a silver medal win at the Waka Ama Sprint Nationals at Lake Karaprio in January. It was a last minute decision to participate in the Waka Ama Corporate Challenge, with 12 of our kaimahi agreeing to give it a go.This was the first year 155 Whare Āwhina competed in the challenge. We had no opportunity to train but our kaimahi worked together progressing through the three heats to make the final. Our final competition race was tough and the 155 Whare Āwhina...

How we're operating over the holidays

Most of our services will be closed from Saturday 24 December to Friday 13 January.If you need kai or support over this period, please come and visit our 155 Open Arms day centre on Robert St.It will be closed on public holidays but we'll be keeping the doors open and serving breakfast and lunch on the following dates:⁠Saturday 24 December⁠Tuesday 27 - Saturday 31 December⁠Tuesday 3 - Saturday 7 Jan⁠⁠155 Food Rescue will also remain open on the dates above. The 155 Whare Kai team ...

Support us this Christmas

We're expecting demand for our services to rise over the Christmas holidays with more pressure on already-stretched whānau to feed tamariki at home from school and navigate the costs of the festive season. What does the need look like? Every week:- 130 shops are booked in at our new social supermarket, 155 Whare Kai- up to 90 different whānau in need of kai reach out to us for a koreroOur Christmas campaign is now live. Please consider giving the gift of a donation to help us su...

Couch in central Whangārei puts spotlight on homelessness

Monday 10 October was World Homeless Day so we placed a couch outside 155 Open Arms to raise awareness of the taitamariki across Taitokerau facing homelessness.Read the full story in the Northern Advocate. ...

Introducing 155 Whare Kai, A Social Supermarket For Whangārei

The social supermarket is a partnership between 155 Whare Āwhina and Foodstuffs North Island. Social supermarkets enable people who are experiencing food insecurity to choose what they need for themselves in a supermarket-style environment – rather than collecting a pre-filled food parcel from the foodbank, that might not meet their specific needs. 155 Whare Āwhina’s CEO Liz Cassidy-Nelson says today is an exciting day for 155 Whare Āwhina and their community whānau. “Here at 155, we d...

Seeking Whakaora Kai - Food Rescue Support Volunteers

Whakaora Kai - Food Rescue is the only organisation of its kind in Taitokerau, collecting surplus food from growers and retailers and giving it to groups that need it most, including food banks, schools, marae, and churches.Would you like to be part of it?We're looking to build a team of volunteers who can help on Tuesday mornings between 9am and 12.30pm to support the smooth running of our operations. An induction and training day will be on the 18th October 2022. Key tasks include:Su...

Whangārei’s first social supermarket set to open

As part of its commitment to be Here for NZ and a promise to provide New Zealanders with access to healthy affordable food and supporting communities to thrive, Foodstuffs North Island – the 100% New Zealand owned and operated co-operatives behind PAK’nSAVE, New World and Four Square – is expanding its innovative social supermarket initiative with us! Our social supermarket will be located at 3 Woods Road in Whangārei and will be an extension of the wrap-round community services - such as...

Join us at the 6th Annual Affordable Housing Development & Investment Summit | 30-31 August

Liz is an aspirational leader who is inspired by and constantly learning from those who walk through our doors here at 155.  Visitors are always welcomed with open arms and Liz says it is whānau who give her a better understanding of the real issues faced by our communities. With permission, Liz can use her position to share with other community services and leaders what is really happening out there – “that’s why I’m here"....

Kaikohe Hub Volunteer

LocationKaikohe Hub, 119 Broadway, Kaikohe, 0405 Hours10am to 2pm on either Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays. Are you friendly and able to get along with others and work as part of a team as well as independently?  You will come with a non-judgemental, empathetic, and open-minded attitude, and ability to put people at ease and make them feel welcome. We'd love you to demonstrate good communication skills, and share our passion and commitment to empowering whānau and striving toward social...

Meet our whānau: Carol Peters

Carol is our Community Development Coordinator whose ties to 155 run deep; she is 155's former  coordinator who has been involved with 155 since its infancy.  Her desire to contribute to Whangārei being a better place to live is unwavering. She holds a PhD in Community-led development and is dedicated to supporting individuals, marae komiti and community groups to achieve their goals. In 2018, she was awarded the Queens Service Medal for her work in the community. ...

Meet our team: Lyn Hadrup

What is your role with 155? I am the Team Leader at 155 Open Arms and oversee the running of the day centre, ensuring each of our services are supported well in supporting our whānau. Can you share three words you’d use to describe 155 Whare Āwhina? Awhi (support), manaakitanga (respect), whakapapa (connection). What do you enjoy most about working at 155? The whanaungatanga (inclusive) spirit in which our whānau and staff work alongside each other every day.  Who inspires you?  D...

COVID-19 Omicron response: How we're operating

We're reducing contact as much as possible during the current RED Alert Level. Here's what you need to know:  155 Open Arms is offering takeaway meals at 11am each day. 155 Food Bank is open Monday and Friday, 9.30am - 12.30pm. Requests will be by phone with pick up times allocated and through providers. We can provide brief face-to-face contact in exceptional circumstances, such as if you have no phone. 155 Housing and Whānau Support continue with outreach services and brief face to ...

Community project gives voice to Whangārei’s hidden homeless

Whangārei community health leader Ngaire Rae is steering the 155 Whare Awhina-led project, which is calling on 16 to 24-year-olds across the district to participate in an anonymous survey. “When people think about homelessness, they don’t realise how much an issue it is for young people as it tends to be hidden. “Young people who go from house to house might not consider themselves homeless, because they’ve always got a place to sleep, but they don’t have their own home,” says Rae. ...

Do you know your legal rights during Covid-19 response?

Community Law has answered the most frequently asked questions relating to NZ government's COVID-19 law changes.  Select the area of Law you need to know about below: Employment Income support and benefits Immigration If you need further assistance or advice, please give our legal team a call on 0800 155 529. Remember to stay safe and look out for one another (from a distance). Kia haumaru te noho!...

Can you help us furnish our transitional whare?

Work is underway turning a house not far from our whare on Kamo Road into a much-needed transitional home. This home will provide accommodation and support for individuals or whānau in Whanāgrei who are in urgent need for a place to stay. We will soon be furnishing and fitting it out - and we're looking for funds to help us purchase good quality, new items that will make it a home. Our list includes; a hand mixer, electric frypan, crockpot, rice cooker, sandwich maker, blender, jugs, toasters,...

Te Hiku TV: Local Māmā Officially Launch Businesses

Our Māmā Moving Mountains programme helped these wahine turn their ideas into fully functioning businesses - and they were able to share their mahi with the wider community at their very own Matariki expo.  Read more at Te Hiku Media...

In the news: Whangārei's homeless population grows from 21 to 293 from 2018 to 2020

Our CEO Liz Cassidy-Nelson talks to RNZ reporter Sam Olley on homelessness in Whangārei. ...Liz Cassidy-Nelson (Ngāti Kahu o Torongare, Ngāti Hine, Te Kapotai, Te Māhurehure) heads Whangārei's Open Arms day centre for the homeless.It provides kai, showers and spaces for rest, as well as social workers and housing support workers. She said initially it was mostly single, middle-aged men who needed help from her team. Now it was entire families. "That rise keeps rising and of course no one wa...

Celebrating Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu National Volunteer Week

This Te Wiki Tūao ā-Motu National Volunteer Week, we want to join Volunteering New Zealand in celebrating the collective contribution of all volunteers who enrich Aotearoa New Zealand. They grow our people, open minds, open hearts and create joy #AotearoaofKindness #Volunteer #NVW2021...

Meet our whānau: Kim Finkler

Learn more about the friendly face greeting those who come through our door in Kaikohe. ...

Kia ora, Kaikohekohe! Your 155 Community Law centre is open

E ngā mana, e ngā reo, e ngā mātāwaka o te rohe o te Kaikohekohe. Na koutou te karanga, nā koutou hoki te tono. Nei rā mātou te whakautu ake i ēnā wawata o koutou!! Our 155 Community Law office is now open in Kaikohekohe at 119 Broadway. We are blessed to have been well supported in this kaupapa and especially want to thank Ngāpuhi Iwi Social Services and Te Hauora Ō Ngāpuhi for hosting our Kaikohe outreach clinics over the years. We will continue to work closely with He Iwi Ko...

155 Open Arms features in K Road Chronicles: Season 2

Our friend, Carmen, features in episode three of the second season of The K Rd Chronicles, which looks to understand the struggles of small-town homeless communities. Carmen volunteers in our 155 Open Arms kitchen, and shares her story with journalist Six. We established 155 Open Arms to give the homeless a place to shower, wash clothes, eat and socialise. “People have challenges in their lives, but everyone has stories of strength, hope and resilience. We’ve been able to give them a place ...

K Rd Chronicles: season 2

Season 2 of Stuff's K Road Chronicles webseries allows you to hear directly from the people living on the margins of society, including some of our courageous 155 Open Arms whānau. Thank you K' Road Chronicle for giving an ongoing voice to the homeless of Aotearoa New Zealand. This episode features the story of our 155 Open Arms friend, Mathew, who has six dogs, and how we were able to support him. Watch the full episode on StuffCheck out the full series here: https://interactives.stuff....

A virtual tour of 155 Open Arms

Our busy 155 Open Arms day centre is visited more than 9,500 times each year. Learn more about 155 Open Arms...