Mt Vic Hub

24/09/2026

**10 years ago today, on 25 September 2016, we opened the doors to the Mt Victoria Community Hub.**

It’s hard to believe that was a whole decade ago and even harder to believe that this chapter is now coming to an end.

What an amazing 10 years it has been. It’s been fun, busy, rewarding, occasionally chaotic, and definitely challenging some days! But most of all, it has been about people and community.

Over the years, hundreds of people have come through the doors - for community dinners, classes, meetings, workshops, music, games, celebrations, swaps, cups of tea, conversations and so much more. Some people came once, others came every week, and many became part of the fabric of the Hub.

There have been countless volunteers, staff, trustees, neighbours, community groups and supporters who have given their time, energy, ideas and aroha to make the Hub what it has been.

We never really knew, when we opened those doors 10 years ago, just how much would happen inside them.

So today feels a little bittersweet. There is so much to celebrate and be proud of, alongside the sadness of knowing that our time in the space is coming to an end.

For now, though, we just want to mark this little milestone.

**10 years. What a ride. 💛**

Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has been part of it.

09/09/2026

We love the mahi that Wellington Women's House do and that Good Registry do too. If you can help out at all it would be most welcome.

See how Wellington Women’s House provides safe accommodation and practical support, and how gifts through The Good Registry help women rebuild.

27/08/2026

We want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to Joel, our coordinator, who will be finishing up at the Hub today - Friday 29 August.

Being the coordinator of a community hub/centre is one of those jobs that is almost impossible to capture in a job description.
It is opening doors, setting up rooms, answering emails, finding things, fixing things, welcoming people, remembering names, helping whoever happens to walk through the door with a question, supporting volunteers, organising events, making connections and doing all those little things behind the scenes that most people never see. But most importantly, it is about people.

Joel has brought his own unmistakable mix of joviality, boisterousness, humour and warmth to the Hub, all underpinned by kindness and a genuine commitment to community.
He has helped create the welcoming environment and made connections that so many people have valued and has been there through an incredibly busy period for the Hub and, more recently, a very uncertain one.

While we are incredibly sad to see him go, we are enormously grateful for everything he has contributed. Thank you, Joel, for your patience, humour, energy and care, for the conversations, the laughs, the helping hands, and for all those things you did that nobody else even knew needed doing.

You have been a very important part of the Mt Victoria Hub story, and we hope you know just how appreciated you are.

From all of us – thank you.

Drinks at the Hub to farewell Joel on Friday 16 October from 5pm.

11/07/2026

Celebrating Tomboy being opened 10 years! We love Kate and the amazing team there and the beautiful kai they make.
They opened just a few weeks before the Hub. We love being a part of this community too.

Can you believe this tiny little cafe has been feeding and watering beautiful people and weathering some wild storms for the last 10 years ?

Tomboy is 10 ! Today is her birthday. 🎈

As my second baby she’s demanded a LOT more than my first but all the time and energy has resulted in a beautiful journey that I wouldn’t do any differently.

Thank you for your support, your love and all the encouragement. Especially in the last 6 months.

Hospitality is a beast of an industry and I love my place smushed in the mix.

See you soon.

Love Kate and all of team Tomboy past and present x

29/05/2026

I did a little tally and list of all the events we have done over the past 10 years - either by ourselves and in association with other groups.......

Advanced Adventures - Senior's week event x 1
Bead and Proceed workshop x 1
Bee Happy Day - community event x 1
Bicycle Workshop - several
Bike Meet Up - like a carboot sale but for bikes and parts - think this is about 4
Block Party x 1
Book Swaps - multiple
Boomerang Bags Workshops - many
Christmas Craft and Swap - every year
Clothes Swaps - many
Community Breakfast x 2
Community Dinners ......so many
Community Exhibition with Massey Students x 2
Covid Flyer Distribution - over a week
Craft Group - Weekly over 7 years
Death Cafe - weekly
Emergency Response Planning - 3 or 4
Friday Night Drinks (was monthly - now weekly - it works as people can hear themselves and don't have to pay for expensive drinks in bars)
Gathering in the Gardens -
World Kindness Day - not a real thing but we had it anyway x 1
Loemis - Workshops x 2
Make It and Mend It Worskshops - Several
Mask Making Workshop x 2
Mayor in the Chair x 1
Meet the Candidates - Hmm will have to check
Mobile Hub - Bicycle Trailer Out and about in the community
Mt Vic Picnics
Natural Dyeing Workshiops x1
Olive Harvest - 4 or 5 now i think
Picnics in Parks - Supported the team all over the city to do this not just Mt Vic
Pikelet Days - what to do when someone gives you an electric frying pan
Poetry Open Mic x 1
Poetry Slam x 1
Pop Up Shop x 10
Predator Free - Info and trap distribution
Puzzle Swaps
Rubbish Trip Talks x 1
Schemers and Dreamers - Weekly.... a lot
Seedling/Plant/Seed swap ?!? lots
Seniors Lunches - about 8 inc at Innermost Gardens
Sewing Classes and Workshops
Soap making x 1
Soup Thursdays - lots soup including some spilled soup
Spring Festival x 1
St Patricks Day events x 4
Street Clean Up x lots and lots
Timebank drop ins x 3
Treasure Hunt - hmm think 4
Voice and Vote - register to vote/get informed x 1
Walk to Work Day x 1
Walking Tours - end point with Living Streets x 1
Bike Tour Host x 2
Waste Free Workshops x 2
WCC Consultation Drop in sessions x 2
WCC Planning for Growth workshop x 1
Wellington Conversations x 8
Write, Hear in Mt Victoria - Writers event in Mt Vic x 1
Writers Workshops - Monthly event - Over several years
Zine Making - x 4
Zoom Crafts - During Covid X 4
Zoom Social Gatherings - During Covid X every FriYAY

That comes to approximately 760 events/workshops/activations over this time
All done by one little hub in the heart of Mt Vic
For everyone all of the time
All of this is available in our reporting and planning - all you have to do is ask or look.

Wellington City Council Geordie Rogers Afnan AL-Rubayee

28/05/2026

This one is too good not to share ........"Respect Mt Vic"

My son wrote this on the ground outside the Hub a few years back.
My kids pretty much grew up in this place and our coordinator Joel’s daughter is growing up around it too, heading off to Clyde Quay School and seeing the Hub as part of her neighbourhood.

Back then after hearing me talk about the recent burglaries and things happening in Mt Vic, my son decided to do something about it. Totally unprompted. Just a kid saying, in his own way: we’ve got your back.

Our kids see what is happening. They watch. They learn. They notice when things feel unfair. They're teenagers now and sad to hear the hub may be lost to the community.

And they understand, sometimes more clearly than adults, that community is something we look after together.

Respect Mt Vic. Respect our community. Respect the Hub.

Wellington City Council Geordie Rogers Afnan AL-Rubayee

26/05/2026

We are so sad to hear this news. May Kervin rest in peace. Sending so much aroha and strength to all of your team at this incredibly difficult time.
Kervin was always so supportive of our wee Hub and back in the days when ACE House was in Mt Victoria. His kindness, encouragement, and commitment to community will be remembered by many of us who had the privilege of crossing paths with him over the years.
Thirty years of dedication to Evaro is an extraordinary legacy, and it is clear he made a lasting impact on so many people and communities along the way.
Thinking of you all this week as you celebrate his life and honour everything he contributed.

It is with great sadness that we share the passing of our General Manager, Kervin Farr, who dedicated 30 years of his life to Evaro. Please feel free to join us in celebrating Kervin's life this Thursday - either in person or online. https://geeandhickton.co.nz/funeral-notice/farr-75147/

19/05/2026

MT VIC HUB UNDER THREAT

-Council committee chairperson is threatening to end funding for Mt Vic Hub today
-There is no plan for replacement, it is taking council support and funding away from Mt Vic
-We need the wider community to join in to save this community service

—--------------

We are seeking:
Letters of support
Stories and memories of what the Hub has meant to you
Messages of support we can share publicly

These can be sent to [email protected]

Check out Facebook post for more information.

19/05/2026

MT VIC HUB UNDER THREAT

TLDR
-Council committee chairperson is threatening to end funding for Mt Vic Hub today
-There is no plan for replacement, it is taking council support and funding away from Mt Vic
-We need the wider community to join in to save this community service

—--------------

Kia ora friends, whānau, neighbours, supporters, past volunteers, event attendees, collaborators, and the wider Wellington community.

The Mt Vic Hub is facing closure.

For nearly a decade we have worked to create connection, belonging, creativity, and community in Mt Victoria and beyond. We have done this with very little funding, a huge amount of volunteer energy, partnerships, collaboration, and an enormous amount of care.

Wellington City Council did not support us to Save Crossways community space 17 years ago and we lost that - they weren’t prepared to provide our community with a community centre of any kind - hence the Hub was born - we are visible in the community and work hard during those hours we are funded for (20 hours per week + 6 hours admin)

We’ve tried new things.
We’ve challenged systems.
We’ve done things differently.
We’ve worked outside the traditional “community centre” model because we had to - with us council doesn't face repairs, or leaks we function differently and we are more agile due to that.

But we have always cared deeply about community and about creating spaces where people could gather, connect, create, organise, learn, celebrate, and support one another.

Over the years we have hosted and supported countless events, workshops, conversations, projects, groups, artists, organisers, families, activists, and local initiatives.

Now we need your help.

On Monday night the chair of the Grants Committee rang our Chairperson and told him she was planning to go against recommendations from council officers to fund the hub at the same level as previously granted. The justification she provided was that the hub was not producing ‘value for money’. The only evidence she could provide was that she occasionally walked past the hub and didn’t see meetings happening there at those times. During the call, there was no evidence that Councillor had read or understood any of the information provided in support of our substantial grant application.

At no point during this funding process were these concerns formally raised with us.
At no point were we advised there were concerns regarding our reporting, outcomes, governance, or impact.
At no point were we given an opportunity to respond to these concerns through a fair or transparent process.

This is not good practice, there is no natural justice in a funding application process we began in good faith in February.

The Mt Vic Hub has a proven track record of delivering outcomes for the Mt Vic community. This isn’t hypothetical. We have a clear evidence base that we provided in support of our application. Council officers clearly agreed when they recommended funding the hub. Part of this is the estimated 6617 hours of hub-related engagement we delivered during the 2025/26 financial year, that includes events, meetings, collaborations, and community activity both within our 10-square-metre space and across the wider community through partnerships with other organisations and venues across Mt Vic.

We’re not arrogant enough to demand that we be funded forever, but this threat is a threat to take funding and services away from Mt Vic and not replace it. Mt Vic loses out. There is no plan here, just a spur of the moment decision to take away funding for a suburb that sees very little attention from Council.

If the Hub has meant something to you - whether you attended an event once, volunteered, collaborated, brought your kids along, met people through the space, picked up a book, felt welcomed, found connection, or simply believe community spaces matter - we are asking you to stand with us.

We are seeking:
Letters of support
Stories and memories of what the Hub has meant to you
Messages of support we can share publicly
These can be sent to [email protected].

We are calling a public meeting on Wednesday June 3rd at the Clyde Quay School Hall to talk about the defunding of the Hub, but also to talk about what we can do to join together to improve, grow our suburb and be more connected.

Community spaces do not survive by accident.
They survive because people fight for them.
If you are willing to help, please get in touch or comment below.
Please share this post widely. Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has been part of this journey over the years ❤️

19/05/2026

Big thanks to Milljan, a local builders apprentice, who built this book library for Mt Vic residents to make use of.
He saw our existing shelves and thought he could improve on it. Now our little library is weather proof!

It's little things like this that make Mt Vic such a great wee community!