Wesley Community Centre is a great asset to the local community. They have many things on offer…read moreincluding a a market that has been running for 16 years! Every Tuesday and Friday 7 am - 1 pm you can drop in and pick up some produce, some hot food, new and used clothing, bric a brac and much more. The centre is also very well utilized by local groups for adult and youth classes, including holiday programs. It has a strong multi-cultural feel to the place and whatever ethnicity your background is, I am sure you will be made to feel welcomed. I have hired rooms in the not-so-distant-past and I can honestly say that it is one of the most attractive community centres around Auckland. It is spacious, clean and well maintained. Organize to have a look at the rooms available if you are searching for a space needed for a conference, regular meetings, or a once off celebration to hold a number of people.

From the owner: Community Centre based in Mt Roskill providing programmes and events for local community.read more

This place can be hit and miss and while a bit squished, it does have a dedicated Vintage rack if…read moreretro frocks and the like are your thing. It kind of makes me laugh though because the definition of vintage is a highly subjective thing. Anyway, I found myself in here over the school holidays with kids in tow. My kids are not big on shopping but I have clearly passed on the joy of the fossick as the more crowded, messy and junky a shop looks, the more they want to go in. Yay! The changing room can be a bit tricky, what with the light in your face and the fact you are just standing in the corner of the room with a curtain around you but all good, that doesn't deter me. Both my kids purchased something for $5 and I heard them chatting excitedly while I was trying on clothes which was just so darn cute I had to lend them both the $5. I bought two dresses, one which I knocked down the price because of a tear, and a bangle. Result!

I don't know if this place has changed hands or what, but the pricing here is off the charts. About…read morea year ago, my husband and I went here and he bought a t-shirt (just a plain, basic Hallensteins) for $1, and I think he may have bought a shirt or something else a bit later on, too. Fast forward to last week, when we wanted to do some DIY stuff and thought we'd pick up some cheap clothes to paint in. Imagine our surprise when we discover ALL t-shirts are now $8. We found at least two on the rack that had multiple holes/rips in them, paint splatters and bleach splatters - still $8. I don't frequent K-Mart much, but I imagine one could buy an entirely new t-shirt there for $8, so why would I buy a torn dirty one from the Red Cross? I like supporting charity, but I think this particular Red Cross should cast a more discerning eye over the stuff that gets donated and price accordingly. The one on Dominion Rd is much better.

Five stars? The Peace Place really deserves much more. It is also a difficult subject to to…read morecategorize, but it deserves a mention to get their name out there. It is a place of sanctuary in the centre of the city, to pray, meditate, research or find like minded people. I attended there through the Auckland Spiritual Discussions Group, they use the space to meet on the 27th of each month, in the evenings, having different speakers give talks and/or lead practices. The peace place is utilized by several different groups of different religious views,but all supportive of the same values. Pax Christi, an international peace movement being one of them. The venue has a large range of interesting books, a library that you can borrow from, on many esoteric subjects and/or about the peace movements, advocates past and present, religious orders, etc. I have not been able to add the opening hours as it really does depend on several factors, however I can tell you that Monday's at 5:30pm they offer a space for meditation and occasionally lunchtimes too; and on Sat's they celebrate the Eurachrist, you don't have to be catholic to attend. Have a look at their website and/or contact them directly if you want to know more.

I love Grey Lynn for the very reason that it is so community based. And it's places like the Grey…read moreLynn Community Centre that make it such a strong community. Here they hold markets here, church services, school holiday programmes and classes. It's a beautiful building that is a pleasure to hang out in. There are lots of different rooms and spaces so there's something to suit every kind of event or group. It's really awesome that places like this still exist. I've been to a church service there and it was a really warm and comfortable place to visit. I really want to check out the farmer's market on Sunday and also the Pilates classes they hold there at 5:30 on Thursdays!

A great place to host events for different numbers of people. Whether your group is large or small…read moreGreylynn community centre will hook you up! The first time I went to the community centre was for a youth talent show. The room was perfect as it accommodated the number of attendees. The kitchen was always clean and located inside the hall we where using. This made it easier at snack time as it was just a matter of taking items from the kitchen to the table we had set up buffet style outside the kitchen. The rooms are also built in a way that makes it flexible to arrange the room the way that suits you and your event. Although there is parking on site, it is limited. Luckily there are plenty of off street parking spaces.

Rainbow Youth has been advocating for young gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer…read moreyouth for decades - ensuring that those who wish to come out, are having trouble with coming out, or would just like to find some likeminded people have a place to go. Friday nights at Rainbow Youth are the best time - school is over for the week and people will pile in to have a good time and be themselves. I interviewed the kids of Rainbow Youth about the issues that were facing them once - I ended up coming away feeling good about how LGBT children are faring. While their stories weren't all sunshine and rainbows, it was easy to see that having spaces like Rainbow Youth around makes life all that more bearable, while helping to create stronger, happier queer kids.

From the owner: LGBTIQ Queer & Gender Diverse Young People…read moreSupport Peer-support Groups Referral

Eden Creative Recycling is a wonderful asset to the Auckland Community, particularly early…read morechildhood teachers and artists. This is a trust organisation that collects unwanted materials from businesses that have excess or unwanted items and then offers this multitude of stuff back into the community for those that may need or want to work in a more ecological and sustainable way. It is a great resource to teachers on a budget, but also most importantly teaches children the value in recycling and enhancing creativity. I use to work in this field not so long ago, so I have dealt with this company personally. There were off cuts of fabric, cardboard cylinders, hard plastic tubes, plastic bottle caps, paper, boxes, light metal tube things - many items! As you will see by the note on their website, they are no longer located on Akiraho Street in Mount Eden, however if you call Yvonne on 0274 879 116 you can arrange a time to go see what is on offer and have a chat. Did I mention that this stuff is free?

This cafe is run by not-for-profit community organisation 'Lifewise' who predominantly cater for…read morethe homeless; to ensure low-cost decent wholesome (cooked) meals for $4. They welcome passers-by (foot traffic) and the local community to visit the cafe for affordable, healthy cuisine. There is also counter food available: quiche, salads, bagels, sandwiches and sweet fare. If the cafe is crowded at lunchtime, you can always pop out to the courtyard at the back for some sunshine, surrounded by sustainable vegetable, herb and flowers (potted) gardens. There is artwork on surrounding walls that is changed monthly. Apparently the space is also used for yoga classes and soon performance art! Great welcoming, non-judgemental cafe that supports the local community.

Love that this business is about helping their community. They come alongside their homeless…read morepopulation and remind them that they are not marginalized and integrate them with the rest of the community with this cafe. $4 meals unless you get a fancier sandwich, pastry, salad. Really lovely place.

Hey you, you should donate blood! We all should. It's a totally painless and easy procedure and…read moreit's really important, especially if you have a blood type that is a bit unusual. The Blood Service make donating a breeze - you go in, have a quick consultation with the nurse to make sure you're OK to donate, and then you just lie back and watch the blood get pumped out of you! (You don't have to watch if you don't want). The people running the donations are always really friendly and good at putting you at ease if you're a bit nervous. They also make sure you're OK afterwards, and bonus, insist you have a drink and a biscuit before you go. Apart from donating at the Epsom site, they also have lots of mobile units set up. It's super easy to donate, just make a booking online or give them a call. The Blood Service are always looking for Maori and PI donors, especially as bone marrow donors, so if this applies to you, do look into it. They also have a whole tikanga set up around donating blood if you're worried about any aspect of this.

This is a great charity! My husband works in community services and forwarded an email to me about…read morethis charity late last year hosting a sale of new and pre-loved clothing in Mt Eden. He is such a sweetie, he handed me a wad of cash and said go for it (it was a treat after quite a stressful year). So I sure did!!! I had lots of girly fun, along with many other women going nuts trying on loads of clothing in a communal changeroom and seizing further bargains and discounts (like $1 shoes or handbags) being called out across the room for set periods of time (like 5 minutes!). It was great, and ALL the proceeds went to the charity, which relies heavily on fundraisers such as this to help support women getting back into the workforce. That day they raised $6000. They do not have a set place to visit, you would need to contact them through email or phone if you are interested in finding out more about them, know of a woman/are that woman that could really do with some help, or, if you have something you could donate then they have several charity drop off points that can be found on their website. The website will also let you know about upcoming fundraisers like I went along too.