Te Whare Whanau Purotu

28/02/2026

27/02/2026

Whakawhanaungatanga Friday 💜

Recently some of our team met with Awhina Whānau Services. It was great to connect and reflect on shared whakapapa and we look forward to working together in the future. Mauri Ora 💜

24/02/2026

She carried this to court.

Not because it matched her outfit.
Not because it was stylish.
But because inside it were the essentials she needed to face one of the hardest days of her life.

For many women experiencing domestic violence, a handbag becomes more than an accessory.
It holds documents.
Phone chargers.
Medication.
Deodorant.
Sanitary items.
A small sense of control in a moment that feels anything but.

When you donate a filled handbag to the Love Grace Handbag Appeal NZ, you are not just giving items.

You are giving dignity.
Preparedness.
Strength.

You are saying: You are not alone.

𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙩 𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙗𝙖𝙜, 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧.

Find the checklist and all drop-off points by clicking our Facebook cover image at the top of our page.

𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗴 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗭 - 𝟭𝟰 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝟴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲

Every bag counts.🩵👜x

20/02/2026

19/02/2026

Every bag counts 🩵

Sometimes it is not the big things that change everything.
Sometimes it is a hairbrush. A stick of deodorant. A simple handbag filled with care.👜

When a woman arrives at refuge with nothing but her children and the clothes she is wearing, dignity matters. Feeling clean matters. Feeling human again matters.

This is what your donated handbag can do. It can help a mum stand a little taller. It can help her children see her strength. It can whisper, you are not alone.

In Grace’s honour, we continue to wrap women across Aotearoa in practical love, compassion and dignity. Every bag truly does count.💙👜

Find your nearest drop-off point and the full handbag checklist on the Love Grace Handbag Appeal NZ page.

👜 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓇𝓎 𝒷𝒶𝑔 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝓉𝓈. 𝒯𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇, 𝓌𝑒 𝒽𝑜𝓃𝑜𝓊𝓇 𝒢𝓇𝒶𝒸𝑒 𝒷𝓎 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓃𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔𝓈𝒾𝒹𝑒 𝓌𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓃 𝒶𝒸𝓇𝑜𝓈𝓈 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝒵𝑒𝒶𝓁𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝒸𝒶𝓇𝑒, 𝒹𝒾𝑔𝓃𝒾𝓉𝓎, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝒸𝑜𝓂𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃.💙x

꧁𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗴 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗭 - 𝟭𝟰 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝟴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲꧂

19/02/2026

Kia Ora e te Whānau

Last year our admin Becs was the Hastings coordinator for the Love Grace Handbag Appeal New Zealand. It was a great opportunity to combine our story with that of Love Grace and share first hand how much these bags mean to those who receive them.
This year Becs is back on board and so is the amazing team at the SPCA Hastings Centre.
If you've got a bag ready to go, you can drop it in to them at 8 Heathcote Road, Longlands, Hastings 🩵

17/02/2026

Kia Ora e te Whānau

If you're wondering what to put in your bag for the Love Grace Handbag Appeal New Zealand you can find the full list of essentials and luxuries here. Then once you're ready you can pop it down to the amazing team at the SPCA Hastings Centre and maybe get in some fur baby therapy while you're there 🩵😻

17/02/2026

Kia Ora e Te Whānau
We are very grateful to be recipients of this years Love Grace Handbag Appeal New Zealand. Over the past few years we have seen how valuable these beautiful koha are and we are honoured to be part of this kaupapa for 2026.
We are also very lucky to have the amazing team at SPCA Hastings Centre back on board as our drop off point.
If you'd like to know how you can support this kaupapa you can follow the links and stay tuned to this page for more info throughout the week 🩵

It began with Grace Millane.💙
A young British traveller who tragically lost her life while backpacking in New Zealand in 2018.

In the face of unimaginable grief, Grace’s family in the UK chose to honour her in a way that would bring light from tragedy. They created the Love Grace Handbag Appeal, transforming her love of handbags into support for women in need.

Here in Aotearoa, that legacy now supports wāhine escaping domestic violence. Your donated handbags, filled with new essential items, are gifted through Refuge services to women who often arrive with nothing but the clothes they are wearing.

Each bag provides immediate dignity and practical essentials.
Each bag carries a message of love and empowerment.

Now in its fifth year in New Zealand, more than 15,000 handbags have been gifted to wāhine across our country.

As we prepare to launch on Valentine's Day, we remember Grace. We remember the light she carried, and we honour the life that was taken far too soon on our shores.

In her name, we stand together across Aotearoa.
We stand for the wāhine who arrive at a Refuge with nothing.
For the mothers protecting their tamariki.
For the women rebuilding after fear.

We walk beside our sisters as they find their footing again.
We wrap them in dignity.
We remind them they are seen.
We remind them they matter.

From England to New Zealand, from one family’s heartbreak to thousands of acts of kindness, Grace’s legacy lives on in every handbag you gift.

Together, we honour Grace.
Together, we uplift and empower wāhine across this country.
Together, we turn love into action.

Every handbag is more than a gift.
It is a message of hope from one woman to another.👜💙x

Find your nearest drop-off point and the full handbag checklist on the Love Grace Handbag Appeal New Zealand page.👜

꧁𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗴 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗭 - 𝟭𝟰 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝟴 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲꧂

23/12/2025

Thank you to everyone in our hapori/community who have given beautiful koha for our whānau this Christmas. The warmth of every gift, whether it was baking, kai, goodies or time and awhi, will go a long way to making sure our whānau feel seen and supported. Together we can all make a difference 💜
Good Bi***es Baking The Warehouse Heretaunga Women's Centre

05/12/2025

Ngā Mihi to the lovely Kate who dropped in today with a "Go Bag", put together lovingly for one of our wahine.

We had a really cool chat about ways people can support our kaupapa, and inside the bag we found this beautiful handmade card, with a message just for the wahine who receives this koha.

It's things like this that remind us how much aroha is out in the community. No judgement, just love and knowing how something like this would help, if they were in the same situation 💜

If you're interested in supporting our refuge, feel free to reach out on this page or through our website www.tewharewhanaupurotu.org.nz
Mauri Ora ✨

05/12/2025

Kia Ora Ang. From everyone here at Te Whare Whānau Pūrotu, thank you for all your amazing mahi. Enjoy some well deserved rest and relaxation 💜

As she passes the mantle, Dr Ang Jury says she had hoped she would have worked herself out of a job by now, but stayed because the need never abated.

02/12/2025

A little bit late with the update, but last week we were happy to be part of the White Ribbon community event held by the Heretaunga Women's Centre. It was great to share some meaningful kōrero with the other services and those who dropped by to see what it is we do. Ngā mihi ki a koutou to all who came to support the kaupapa 💜