Stillwaters Community Wellington NZ

23/09/2026

Housing is a massive issue for our community - there's not enough of it which leaves people homeless and vulnerable, too much of what is there is sub-standard and unhealthy, our focus on housing as an investment has undermined the focus on it being a social good, renters' don't have security of tenure (no cause terminations of tenancies), and even though decent housing is a human right (as the UN), NZ is not delivering on this.
Get along to this forum if you can - today (Wed 23 Sept), 5:45-8pm at the Wellington Cathedral. Soup and sausage sizzle from 5:45pm.
Thanks DCM Wellington New Zealand Council Of Christian Social Services Compassion Soup Kitchen Te Kīhini Hupa o Pūaroha Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

06/08/2026

Moe mai rā, e hoa

Friends and strangers alike have shared hundreds of memories of Nathan Jones, whose familiar smile, heavy metal T-shirts and love of Coca-Cola made him a Wellington institution.

14/07/2026

Some slightly belated pictures from our Matariki kai last Friday night. Mānawatia a Matariki!

21/06/2026

What about how you keep things safe on Sunday?

It’s basically the same – starting with a prayer and hot drinks, inviting people to participate in the service, sharing kai afterwards.

What if people get it wrong during the service?

What do you mean?

You know, theologically?

Well, we have had to remind people that a Bible reading needs to come from the Bible, but theology is seldom black and white in any church, so as long as people aren’t saying something harmful to others, we usually go with the flow. Sometimes we gently interrupt with a song and try to talk to the person afterwards to understand where they are coming from.

So, would you describe Stillwaters as safe?

Stillwaters can be challenging, unpredictable, beautiful…it’s like the description of Aslan in Narnia – it isn’t tame, but it is good. It’s always a balancing act between being inclusive and being safe. We don’t always get it right, but we are constantly trying and learning.

20/06/2026

How do you keep things safe when all of this goes wrong? What if fights start anyway?

The first thing is usually to get the people involved apart. It’s best if someone who knows each one well supports with that. Then it helps to give people a way out that doesn’t shame them if possible. Other people can help by making sure everyone else is safe, especially if there are any kids there, and otherwise just staying calm.

Do you ever call the police?

Sometimes if we really have to but that often makes other people who aren’t involved feel uncomfortable too. We usually warn everyone if we are calling the police, so they have the chance to leave.

What about trespassing someone?

We have done it as a last resort but only a handful of times in the last 30 years. Often people know they were in the wrong and stay away for a while without being told.

19/06/2026

So, how do you keep things safe inside?

People are invited to help cook dinner and do dishes if they want to.

Well, that’s nice, but how does it help keep people safe?

It gives people ownership. They helped to create something. They don’t want other people destroying that. Not everyone helps in the kitchen though. There’s also table tennis downstairs and of course cups of tea and coffee. Like the music outside, it helps to create a relaxed vibe.

Is that all?

Before we eat, we pause again for notices, a song and a prayer. It’s another chance to remind people what is expected. Sometimes we say it explicitly but not always.

What exactly are the rules?

We wouldn’t usually describe it as rules, but we ask people not to drink alcohol or use drugs onsite, to talk respectfully to each other, to respect the whare, to make space for children, elders or people with disabilities in the queue, to only take the food they need, to help out if they can as no one is paid to be here – things like that.

18/06/2026

Philippa here. Occasionally I write things and even more occasionally, I feel like they are worth sharing. A couple of years ago I shared a dialogue about "Who is in charge". This time, it's "How do you keep things safe". I will share it with some photos over the next couple of days.

How do you keep things safe?

What do you mean?

How do you keep things safe at Stillwaters? You know, what if someone is drunk or angry? What if there’s a fight? Isn’t it risky?

Well, the first thing we do is say a prayer together on the doorstep before people come inside.

Huh? How does that keep people safe?

Even if you don’t believe in divine intervention, it marks the time and space as different and reminds people what kind of behaviour is expected here.

Ok…then what?

Some people stay outside, often playing the guitar or just chatting.

How does that keep people safe?

Mostly it just helps create a relaxed vibe, something that’s easy for people to join in. But it also means that if someone does arrive drunk or angry, we know about it quickly.

Then what do you do?

Talk to them. Get them a cup of tea and some food. That usually helps calm things down. It’s also really important that we learn each other’s names and some of people’s stories if they are willing to share it.

How does that help?

People are much more likely to respond to someone they know and we can understand what triggers them.

21/04/2026

Kia ora, hopefully everyone is ok in this ongoing bad weather. Unfortunately the Castle basement was flooded out in the early hours of Monday morning. Fortunately the community room and flatmates living areas are ok. There has been an epic clean-up job happening (so it no longer looks as bad as this). Dinner will still go ahead on Friday but there will be no access to the basement, so no table tennis sorry.