One Final Push!
With the final push now on to get Whakamaru completed (with no debt!), I wanted to share a few points about this incredible community building that you might not be aware of. I’m incredibly fortunate that I have had an up close and personal view of this construction process from the early days, and have had several conversations with the Wellington City Missioner, Murray Edridge, about the incredible features of this incredible undertaking. Below are just a few of the features that make Whakamaru my favourite Wellington building:
Social Supermarket
I first visited Wellington City Mission’s Social Supermarket at their previous location and was floored by this incredible concept to give all members of our community the dignity of choosing what food items they need for their family. This is a very different concept to food parcels as it is set up just like a supermarket and works on a point basis where different items are different points. People can fill their trolley with what their family enjoys, rather than just what they receive, including food for four-legged family members!
At Whakamaru, the Social Supermarket has had enormous support from the likes of Foodstuffs who have supplied all of the supermarket shelving, and the many people and organisations who have donated much needed items. Many of us take for granted the ability to pick and choose what we buy from the supermarket, and this same privilege is shared with all members of the community at the Social Supermarket, soon to be located at Whakamaru.
Craig & Gail’s Cafe
Lowe&Co are one of the proud sponsors of the massive café space at Whakamaru named Craig and Gail’s Cafe (not Craig Lowe btw). This is a space where all members of the community are invited to enjoy high quality food and coffee under a ‘contribute what you can’ model. Business meetings and friend catch ups in this special space will be open Monday-Saturday and will be unlike any other café in Wellington. Can’t wait to get my first coffee!
The Chapel
This wonderful space will be open 24/7 and is a truly magical area within Whakamaru. The details that have gone into the construction of this incredible Chapel makes it a delight in itself, and as a faith neutral reflective space, if solace and reflection is what you need, I can’t think of a more beautiful environment to find it.
Accomodation
Whakamaru will include long term transitional accommodation with both one and two bedroom apartments that have been designed with comfort and sanctuary in mind. With plentiful natural light and fully equipped kitchen and bathroom facilities, these apartments will provide a safe space for those that are either homeless or at the risk of homelessness, and residents will have the full wrap around support of WCM staff who will be on site 24/7 for 365 days of the year.
Meeting Spaces
As a business, we can’t wait to hold some of our team meetings in one of the well-equipped meeting spaces at Whakamaru. These rooms will be available for booking at no cost for the wider Wellington community and will further encourage all of us to move past any “us and them” thinking, and simply encourage a collaborative community for the benefit of many.