Odyssey Trust

08/10/2026

Help us create a place for connection, hope and support in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

We’re building the team for Odyssey’s new community café in central Hamilton, a welcoming space where people can enjoy a coffee, connect with others and access support for mental health or alcohol and other drug challenges.

We have three opportunities to join this new peer-led service:

☕ https://odyssey.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Mental_Health_Clinician-1105554
☕ https://odyssey.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Senior_Peer_Support_Specialist-1105553
☕ https://odyssey.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Service_Manager-1105281

If you’re passionate about walking alongside people and helping them feel welcome, valued and supported, we’d love to hear from you.

Find out more and apply through the links above or share this with someone who could be a great fit.

04/10/2026

What do you know about hep C? 🤔

Test yourself with these true or false pātai (questions) by commenting below to go in the draw to win a $20 gift card!

❓You can have hep C and feel completely healthy.

❓Hep C be cured.

❓There a vaccine for hep C.

❓You can get hep C from contact sports.

❓You can catch hep C by sharing food.

❓Hep C can damage your liver even if you feel fine.

❓Hep C is only a problem for people who inject drugs.

❓Hep C a lifelong infection once you have it.

We’ll post the answers and draw a winner at the end of October. The winner will be contacted by Messenger.

02/10/2026

Help shape our new Odyssey Community Café in Kirikiriroa Hamilton 💚

If you couldn’t join our recent co-design workshops, there’s still time to have your say. Complete the short survey below and help us shape a welcoming, peer-led community space.

Kia ora community ❤️

A huge, warm thank you to everyone who joined us in Kirikiriroa Hamilton over the past couple of days to help co-design
Odyssey Trust's exciting new peer-led and operated café space. It is shaping up to be something really special 🥳

If you couldn't make it in person, but would still like to contribute to the co-design, please take a moment to share your thoughts in a short survey via this link 👉 https://f.mtr.cool/4p3hmivq28

We can't wait to see this space come to life!

28/09/2026

Kia ora e te whānau! Our Te Tai Tokerau Hep C team is everywhere across the rohe, every day.
This October you'll find our Hep C team testing at these events:

📍 October 1st: Maungaturoto Community Connections Day (Maungaturoto Contennial Hall) 10am- 1pm
📍 October 7th: Kainga Ora (Te Whare o Tukua o Punga Community room), 11am - 1pm
📍 October 8th: 4-Square Otaika, 10am - 1pm
📍 October 18th: Whakawhiti Ora Pai Wellness Day (Whakawhiti Ora Pae Clinic) 11am - 3pm
📍 October 27th: Whakamau Programme (Te Ara Oranga, Kaikohe) 11am - 12pm
📍 October 30th: Moana Vibes 2026 (Selwyn Park School) 9:30am - 2:30pm
📍 October 30th: THOON Outreach, Poroti (Maungarongo Marae) 10am - 2pm
📍 October 30th: Kainga Ora Community Halloween (Puriri Park) 5pm - 7pm

Swing by, have a korero and get a free $10 gift voucher for testing with us!

21/09/2026

🎉 10 years of Waikato Youth INtact

Since 2016, Waikato Youth INtact has been walking alongside young people, providing support to rangatahi and their whānau across the Waikato.

Recently, the team came together with partners and supporters to celebrate 10 years of making support accessible, responsive and youth-centred. It was a chance to reflect on the impact of the service, acknowledge the many people and organisations who have helped make it possible, and celebrate the kaimahi who have shown up for young people and their whānau year after year.

As one young person put it: “Thank you for helping me become a better version of me.”

Read the full story on our website:

For 10 years, Waikato Youth INtact has been meeting young people where they are and walking alongside them when they need support. The service recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary with partners, supporters and people who have been part of its story since it began.

21/09/2026

Supporting someone you care about through challenges with alcohol or other drugs can be tough. You don’t have to manage it alone.

SMART Family & Friends is a free weekly group where whānau and friends can connect, share experiences and learn practical strategies.

📍 4/3029 Great North Road, New Lynn
📅 Every Tuesday
🕟 4.30pm–6pm
💙 Free—no registration needed

Nau mai, haere mai.

17/09/2026

When Deb joined Odyssey earlier this year, much of the te reo Māori and tikanga she encountered was new to her.

Since then, through graduations, whakatau and everyday life at Ōtihi, she has begun to recognise more, understand more and see how deeply te reo Māori is woven into our mahi.

For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, Deb reflects on what she has learned so far and how her understanding has developed along the way.

Read Deb’s reflection: https://www.odyssey.org.nz/whats-happening/where-te-reo-is-part-of-everyday-life

Since joining Odyssey earlier this year, one of our newer kaimahi has been learning how te reo Māori and tikanga are woven through everyday life at Ōtihi. For Te Wiki o te Reo Māori, she reflects on what she has noticed—and how much her understanding has grown.

16/09/2026

Our Hep C teams love collaborating with services doing amazing health-focused mahi that puts whānau at the centre of care.

Last month our Te Tai Tokerau team got to have fun with the Mahi Pai crew in Kaikohe and Kaitaia. They bring big energy, bigger fun and health education to our tamariki.

13/09/2026

Odyssey kaimahi from Tāmaki Makaurau and Te Tai Tokerau recently attended the Northern Region AOD Collaborative Wānanga in Whangārei.

The wānanga brought together people working across the alcohol and other drug sector for an interactive session exploring collaborative governance, followed by a panel discussion focused on strengthening hauora Māori.

For our kaimahi, it was an invaluable opportunity to connect face-to-face with others in this space, hear different perspectives and strengthen relationships across the sector. “The Wānanga reinforced the value of having a space where people across the Northern Region can come together, share openly and contribute to how the Collaborative continues to develop." - Odyssey kaimahi.

A special thank you to Whangarei Salvation Army for welcoming us into such a beautiful space and for the generous hospitality shown throughout the wānanga. Thank you also to the speakers, facilitators and everyone who contributed their knowledge, experience and whakaaro.

10/09/2026

📣 We’re hiring in Kirikiriroa Hamilton!

Odyssey is establishing a new peer-led community service in a café setting: a welcoming place where people can drop in for coffee, connection and support.

We’re looking for two experienced people to help bring this new service to life:

☕ Café Manager
Use your café management, barista and people skills to run a community café with a social purpose.
Find out more and apply: https://odyssey.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Cafe_Manager-1105283

💙 Peer Manager
Lead a recovery-focused, peer-led service supporting people experiencing mental distress or challenges with alcohol or other drugs.
Find out more and apply: https://odyssey.qjumpersjobs.co/jobs/details/Peer_Manager-1105281

Both roles are full-time and based in central Hamilton.

📅 Applications close Monday 21 September 2026.

Please share with anyone who may be a great fit!