Orange Sky Aotearoa

Orange Sky Aotearoa Positively connecting communities through free laundry, warm showers and genuine kōrero (conversation) 🧡

Orange Sky honors Māori as tangata whenua and upholds the importance of the Treaty of Waitangi in our relationship with Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand.

What an exciting month of connection across Aotearoa! 🧺✨We are thrilled to share that three new Orange Sky shifts recent...
24/08/2026

What an exciting month of connection across Aotearoa! 🧺✨

We are thrilled to share that three new Orange Sky shifts recently launched across Kirikiriroa Hamilton and Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, bringing free laundry, warm showers and safe spaces for kōrero to friends and whānau doing it tough.

Meanwhile in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, extra shifts have stepped in at Onehunga, Glenfield and Avondale while Whaea Debs is off the road, ensuring we continue turning up for the community every single week.

🧡In Kirikiriroa Hamilton, on the first shift, tūao (volunteers) did four loads of laundry and connected with five new friends.
🧡In Newtown Wellington, eight friends stopped by to connect, four loads of washing were completed and everyone enjoyed hot soup provided by the Newtown Community Centre team!
🧡Tūao (volunteers) at Tawa Community Centre shift braved some of the coldest weather in the capital to provide a warm welcome. A massive ngā mihi to Wellington Service Leader Cathy and the team for bringing these shifts to life.

In Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, temporary shifts have begun:
📍Glenfield Salvation Army
🗓️ Tuesdays, 10:00am – 1:00pm
📍Onehunga Embracing Families
🗓️ Saturdays, 10:00am – 1:00pm
📍Haven Avondale Community Centre
🗓️ Saturdays, 4:30pm – 7:00pm starting Aug 29

We are so grateful to partners and tūao (volunteers) for creating welcoming spaces for friends and whānau right from day one. 🙌🧡

Have you have seen us in your local shopping centre or perhaps on your commute to work?That's all thanks to our incredib...
21/08/2026

Have you have seen us in your local shopping centre or perhaps on your commute to work?

That's all thanks to our incredible partnership with oOh!media. Over the recent years, oOh! have kindly donated advertising space to power our mission forward, help amplify the stories that matter most and inspire more New Zealanders to get involved.

Thanks LOADS oOh! - your support has helped us shine a light on the reality of homelessness and hardship those doing it tough are facing everyday.

Have you seen us in the wild? Drop a comment below and let us know 👇🏻

Happy 1st Birthday, Whakatāne! 🥳🧺🧡One year ago, we parked up in Whakatāne for the very first time. Since then, alongside...
19/08/2026

Happy 1st Birthday, Whakatāne! 🥳🧺🧡

One year ago, we parked up in Whakatāne for the very first time. Since then, alongside our incredible partners at Waiariki Whānau Mentoring Service, we’ve been providing free laundry, warm showers, and a safe space for kōrero across the community.

Over the past 12 months, thanks to mahi of Ed - the welcoming face on shift through Waiariki Whānau Mentoring, more than 2,800 loads of laundry have been washed and dried, plus over 1,150 hours of kōrero (conversation)

For Ed, the work is deeply personal. Having walked a similar path in his own life, he knows that clean clothes and a warm, judgment-free space do so much more than meet a practical need.

"The most significant impact Orange Sky is having on this community is just the fact people can walk around with their head held high, with clean clothes and a place to come and talk as well," Ed shares. "It’s a good place to talk all day."

By pairing mobile hygiene with Waiariki’s wraparound mentoring and support, local whānau can access long-term guidance in a comfortable, familiar setting. From supporting friends sleeping rough to helping working families navigating a broken washing machine or the cost of living, Ed is there to break the ice, take away the shyness, and lend an ear.

A massive thank you to Ed, Waata, Trent, the Waiariki Whānau Mentoring team, and everyone in Whakatāne for the amazing partnership over the past year. Here’s to many more years of genuine connection and community care! 🙌✨

“Everyone’s feeling the pinch right now.” What we've seen first-hand is that homelessness and hardship can shift into an...
19/08/2026

“Everyone’s feeling the pinch right now.”

What we've seen first-hand is that homelessness and hardship can shift into anyone's life, quickly. Take our friend Jay in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.

Jay doesn’t like to dwell on things. He gets up early, works long hours, and sends what money he can home to support his family. Lately, as the cost of living continues to rise across Aotearoa, that has meant sleeping in his car just to get by.

“My role is to make money and send it home for my family,” Jay says. “That’s what’s important. You miss those certain things like showers, doing your own washing... but I’ve just had to adapt.”

Even the strongest people need somewhere to rest and feel seen. For Jay, two or three times a week, that place is Orange Sky.

“Laundry is not cheap - it’s an easy 50 bucks a week,” he explains. “So if it’s free, that’s a massive bonus. But the team here... they’re grounded. When you’re out here, you can get quite lost on your own. Those little kōrero, they plant seeds.”

Over time, those moments of connection add up - a volunteer who remembers your name, a warm shower in the depths of winter, and a safe, familiar place to return to.

Will you help ensure hot showers, clean laundry, and genuine connection remain free for friends and whānau doing it tough, like Jay?

Donate today and help provide practical support in these cold winter months.
https://give.orangesky.org.nz/winter2026

17/08/2026

Whaea Debs is home—now help us get her back on shift! 🚐🧡✨

When our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland laundry and shower van, Whaea Debs, was stolen, we were blown away by the outpouring of love and support. Thanks to the vigilance and kindness of our community, she has been recovered and returned to our team!

As Kat from our team shared on Breakfast on Friday, the journey isn't over yet. The van sustained damage while away and is currently missing a washer and dryer. She needs significant repairs before she can safely get back out on the road to support our friends and whānau doing it tough. 🎥👇

While she's out of action, our services across the city have scaled up to ensure nobody goes without support. Many of you have reached out asking how you can help.

If you’re in a position to give, a gift today will directly fund the repairs and equipment needed to get Whaea Debs back on the road, while keeping our free laundry, hot showers, and warm kōrero running strong.

Every dollar helps us keep these vital connections alive. Please consider donating today via the link below. 🧡

Donate here: https://give.orangesky.org.nz/whaeadebs2026

Whaea Debs has been found! 🚐🧡✨ We are so relieved to share that our Tāmaki Makaurau van, Whaea Debs, has been recovered ...
11/08/2026

Whaea Debs has been found! 🚐🧡✨

We are so relieved to share that our Tāmaki Makaurau van, Whaea Debs, has been recovered and returned to us! A massive thank you to everyone who shared our post, kept their eyes open, and rallied around us — you’ve shown the true power of community, and we couldn’t be more grateful.

While we are thrilled to have Debs back, the van has sustained some damage and will need repairs before she can hit the road again. We know how much our friends and whānau rely on this service every week, so our team is actively working on alternative solutions to keep laundry and shower services going while she’s out of action.

In the meantime, our shifts at the following locations are running as usual:

📍 Maranga Fanau | 116 Browns Road, Manurewa, 2102, Auckland
🗓️ Mon – Fri | 10am – 2pm

📍 Turuki Health | 2/32 Canning Crescent, Māngere, Auckland, 2022
🗓️ Mon, Tues, Weds & Fri | 10am - 2pm
Thurs | 10am – 12pm

📍 Auckland City Mission | 140 Hobson Street, Auckland
🗓️ Tue, Wed & Thu | 10:30am – 1pm
Mon & Fri pop-ups start next week 10.30am - 1pm

Thank you all for your patience, support, and kindness as we work through these next steps together.

He moana pukepuke e ekengia e te waka.
A rough ocean can be overcome by the canoe. 🛶

“It’s a marvellous service.” After finishing work, Helen was looking for a way to spend her time giving back. When she f...
11/08/2026

“It’s a marvellous service.”

After finishing work, Helen was looking for a way to spend her time giving back. When she first saw Orange Sky’s new service at the Camberley Centre in Hastings, she jumped at the chance. A year on, she’s a regular face at the weekly Monday shift, helping provide immediate practical support to those facing homelessness and hardship.

Helen sees friends and whānau from all walks of life each week: elderly residents without access to washing facilities, families whose machines have broken down and people experiencing homelessness. “We can at least give them a little respite until they’re back on their feet.”

What stands out most for Helen is how quickly a connection grows. “We know their names, we say hello, we hear how their week has been. Friends leave feeling positive, and we do too.” A load of laundry may ease a burden, but it’s the kōrero, the warmth, and the consistency of being there every Monday that makes the difference.

She’s also conscious of the struggles many in the community face. “I feel very sad that there are people who don’t have the things we all expect, like clean clothes and a shower every day. It’s a very difficult time, and everything is expensive to maintain.”

When asked what she’d say to someone thinking about volunteering, Helen doesn’t hesitate. “Everybody should come and get to know Orange Sky. It’s a fantastic organisation. The team I work with is really friendly, and the Orange Sky staff are wonderful. You feel welcome every time.”

We are deeply saddened to share that our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland van, Whaea Debs is currently missing. We are working c...
10/08/2026

We are deeply saddened to share that our Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland van, Whaea Debs is currently missing. We are working closely with the New Zealand Police to assist with their ongoing investigation.

We know how important our services are to friends and whānau in the community, and we are actively working on a solution to find alternative ways of delivering our laundry and shower services while Whaea Debs is out of action.

👉 Alternative services: Services that will continue to operate across Auckland are as follows:
Maranga Fanau - 116 Browns Road, Auckland from 10:00am - 2:00pm Monday - Friday
Turuki Health - 2/32 Canning Crescent, Auckland from 10:00am - 2:00pm Monday - Friday
Auckland City Mission - 140 Hobson Street, Auckland from 10:30am - 1:00pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

You can also check our services page to confirm the shifts continuing to run in the Auckland area. We will continue to update this page with any changes and updates.

👉 How you can help: If you see the van anywhere or have any information that might help us find Whaea Debs, please contact the Police immediately by calling 105 (or 111 if it is an active emergency) and sharing the case number: 260809/6496. We'd appreciate our community sharing this far and wide to support finding Whaea Debs so we can resume our normal services supporting the community as soon as possible.

We know this news is unsettling for our community, supporters and volunteers, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this pause in service. Thank you so much for your support, patience and understanding as we work through this together. 🧡

Sophie and Liz from the Orange Sky team are live at the LMG Scale Up 2026 Conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch this week,...
09/08/2026

Sophie and Liz from the Orange Sky team are live at the LMG Scale Up 2026 Conference in Ōtautahi Christchurch this week, fundraising to bring our first-ever Remote Vehicle (RV) to Aotearoa.

An RV will allow us to reach more isolated communities, extend our mobile laundry services, and foster even more meaningful connections where they're needed most. 🚍 🧡

A huge thank you to the team at LMG for choosing Orange Sky Aotearoa as their charity of choice for this event. Your support towards our $20k target helps us keep our services free, safe, and accessible for friends and whānau experiencing homelessness and hardship across Aotearoa.

Want to help us get on the road? You can support the campaign directly here: https://give.orangesky.org.nz/lmgconference2026

If you’re at the conference, come say hi to the team!

07/08/2026

While our services provide essential access to free laundry and warm showers, Ōtautahi Christchurch friend Mark reminded us that the true impact of whanaungatanga (relationship building) goes far deeper than just clean clothes.

"When we connect with Orange Sky, we connect on a very personal level," Mark shared. "They're very personable people. It's great to have them around. Having the communication is great because we're on our own out in the street. So, yeah, having those people is truly amazing."

When we first sat down to kōrero (chat) with Mark, he had been doing it tough for a while. Mark’s openness to connection and his incredible resilience ultimately grounded him on his path forward. We are incredibly heartened to share that since our interview, Mark has found secure housing. His journey is a beautiful reminder of how genuine, non-judgmental community connection can support someone to uplift their own mana and find a way forward.

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