Womens Centre Christchurch

29/01/2026

We’re so grateful for the support you’ve shown us over the last 40 years — it truly means everything to us. As we continue working to provide you with the best possible service, we wanted to let you know that a change from 01 of April 2026 is necessary.

We’ll introduce a service fee. This helps us keep things running smoothly and continue delivering the quality, care, and experience you’ve come to expect from us.

💥It’s important to note that this is not a per-session charge. The service fee provides access to up to 10 counselling sessions as part of a counselling programme. The fee contributes to the behind-the-scenes support that helps make counselling possible — such as coordination, supervision, resources, and the time needed to ensure care is safe, consistent, and well supported. Many of these things aren’t always visible, but they play an important role in creating a caring and reliable service.

💥The Women’s Centre Christchurch is committed to providing counselling that is safe, supportive, and accessible. Until now, most of our counselling services have been offered free of charge. To help us continue offering high-quality care, we will be introducing a one-off service fee for women accessing a counselling programme.
The one-off service fees are:

💥Service Fees
Qualified counsellor or therapist: $45 each session, 50 minutes each

Placement student counsellor (third year of study): $35 each session, 50 minutes each

Placement student counsellor (second year of study): $25 each session, 50 minutes each

💥Access to a structured session journey (e.g., 10 sessions) is designed to help you stay consistent, feel supported, and see measurable progress. Along the way, you’ll have guidance, encouragement, and accountability—so the changes you make can integrate.

💥Payment Options
You may choose to pay the service fee upfront or in instalments, and we can discuss which option would work best for you. (If additional sessions are needed beyond the 10 sessions, we’ll talk with you about options and next steps.)

💥💥💥If paying the full-service fee would be a barrier for you, we want to gently remind you that we will continue to offer counselling for women in need, and that any financial difficulties will not prevent you from accessing this service. We will then have a sensitive, compassionate conversation, and a support service fee can be considered on an individual basis. We always approach this conversation with care and understanding, and we encourage you to let us know if you’d like to discuss this.

💥Our aim is to create a service that feels fair, welcoming, and sustainable, while continuing to support women in a compassionate and respectful way. If you have any questions, concerns, or would like to talk this through, please don’t hesitate to get in touch — we’re very happy to help.

Thank you again for reaching out. We look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you for being part of our community

The Women's Centre Team

23/01/2026

Happy New Year!

We hope you had a wonderful holiday break and are feeling refreshed for the year ahead. The Women’s Centre Team is back and will be seeing clients again from 26 January 2026.

We wish you a year filled with good health, joy, and happiness.

Our workshops for this year have already received lots of interest, and we’ll begin sharing details and opening registrations very soon.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us — we’re looking forward to connecting with you and sharing more exciting updates!

14/12/2025

As the year 2025 comes to a close The Women's Centre Team would like to express our sincere gratitude for your support throughout the year.

Your generosity, encouragement, and partnership have made a meaningful difference, and we are truly thankful.

We wish you a joyful Christmas filled with peace, warmth, and moments of rest. May the year ahead bring you good health, happiness, and every success.

Thank you once again for walking alongside us. We are excited to provide our support in 2026.

Meri Kirihimete from The Team at The Women's Centre

Please note we are closing on the 19th of December, and we will return to our regular opening hours on the 19th of January 2026

If have an emergency, or you need urgent help, Please call 111.

If you need emotional and mental support over our summer break, please call:

Lifeline – 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free
text 4357 (HELP)

Su***de
Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)

Healthline –
0800 611 116 Health advice from professional healthcare providers

Youthline – 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email
[email protected] or online chat

If you seek our counselling service for the new year, please go to our website," Women's Centre Christchurch," and fill in our Intake form under the category "Contact Us".

22/10/2025

We have decided to close the Women's Centre tomorrow, Thursday, 23 October 2025, based on the official MetService Red Severe Weather Warning for strong winds and the Civil Defense State of Emergency declaration for the Canterbury region.

MetService is predicting disruptive winds that could cause widespread damage, including dangerous driving conditions and potential impacts to telecommunications.

The recommendation is for people to stay indoors, seek sturdy shelter, avoid traffic, stay away from trees, and be ready for power and communication outages.
We like to make sure that you are safe and don’t travel to the Women's Centre. Therefore, everybody with a booked appointment for tomorrow is meeting their counsellor online, and arrangements have been made.
We are confident at this stage that the forecast weather conditions indicate a substantial reduction in risk for Friday, 24 October. Therefore, we are expecting to be open again on Friday, October 24, 2025, within our regular hours.

01/10/2025

FREE EYE CHECK & GLASSES! The Salvation Army & OneSight (OPSM) are offering free eye checks and glasses (if required) at selected Salvation Army locations. Please use the links below to book an appointment. Check out the posters for all the details! NOTE: This service is for people in need, who cannot afford eye-care ❤️

01/10/2025

Christchurch Art as Therapy Group create a gentle space where visitors can connect with the Artworks and be carefully guided through creative responses and reflective discussions.

01/10/2025

31/08/2025

Last week, the Women’s Centre was gifted Cosmetics and Hair Colouring products from Marilou, the owner of
“Mikaela Beauty Boutiuqe.”
Those products were available to all clients who attended counseling or therapy sessions or participated in our groups.
The comments our clients had for receiving those beautiful self-care products were touching and spoke of heartfelt gratitude.
We have a limited supply of Cosmetics and Hair Colouring products remaining.
Feel free to come in and see if you find what you are looking for.
Once again, a big thank you to Marilou for donating your products at no cost.

06/06/2025

$30.00 Fundraiser for the Women’s Centre in Christchurch.

Anna North, the founder of Balasana, donated brand-new Yoga mats to the Women’s Centre. BALASANA is a small New Zealand business offering thoughtfully designed yoga mats that are eco-friendly, non-toxic, and beautifully crafted to support your practice and the planet. You can learn more at www.balasana.co.nz.

The yoga mats are designed by Kiwi artists Fleur Woods and Jasmine Kroeze.

🌼Jasmine Kroeze's Spring Ceramics II design will be sure to help you recharge your batteries and bring joy to your practice. The bright and peachy tones are simply stunning and will fill you with the same fresh feeling as when Spring.

🌹
Fleur Wood's 'Flora' was created in 2017 as a celebration of Flora. The blooms float ethereally on the washes of pink, supported by their own intrinsic beauty, unique, resilient, blooming where they are planted.
Fleur's artworks were physically created by painting linen with abstract washes, then hand painting the Flora before adding the embroidery, slow stitched by hand, a meditation in itself.

Please come to the Christchurch Women's Centre to buy one of the limited editions.

06/06/2025

$25.00 Book Fundraiser for the Women’s

The Women's Centre has a well-resourced Library, and the book “Adopted” has been donated to be available to our clients, counsellors, and therapists.
Beyond our library collection, we now have this book available as a fundraiser to support our charity. It may spark your curiosity about understanding the topic of adoption from the inside out.

If you are an adopted person or have a relationship with someone who is adopted, this book is for you. The story will also resonate with those who have experienced trauma as almost the first experience in life or have lived with someone impacted by the wounding. (often unrecognized and unacknowledged), that relinquishment and separation from the original mother inflict.
‘Compelling, honest and poignant’ — Otago Daily Times

Brigitta Baker and Jo Willis both sought and found their respective birthparents at different stages of their lives and have become advocates for other adopted New Zealanders. They share the complexity of that journey, the emotional challenges they faced, and the ongoing impacts of their adoptions, with candour and courage. Closed adoption also exacts a physical and emotional toll on birthparents, partners, and children. Their stories are also told in this compelling book.

27/01/2025

We, the Women's Centre Team, are here again to help you navigate life when needed.
But in the meantime, we hope you all had a good Christmas and a refreshing summer holiday break.
We wish you 2025 a year with lots of health, joy, and happiness.
Please be on the lookout for our upcoming workshops. They are in the process of getting organized, and information for February and March will follow soon.