No easy answers to the problems we see
Christchurch City Missioner Corinne Haines explains how our work has had to change to adapt to our clients’ problems becoming more complex.
As I reflect on the articles in this year’s [Impact Report 2025] I am reminded of the scale of need across our community, and the growing complexity of the circumstances faced by the people who come to the Christchurch City Mission seeking support.
Every day, we meet individuals and whānau whose lives are shaped by multiple, and complex challenges - housing insecurity, rising living costs, trauma, family issues, health issues, and social isolation, to name a few.
We need to offer much more than food to help our clients.
These pressures do not come along one at a time, but as a mix of difficulties that require thoughtful, coordinated responses from our team of dedicated employees. In the face of this growing complexity, the Mission draws on the strength of the cross-functional nature of our services.
No single solution can meet the full breadth of someone’s needs, but the combined attention of our teams—social workers, foodbank staff, addiction services, emergency accommodation, financial mentoring, community workers, our retail and social enterprises, and many others—creates a network of care that wraps around each person who walks through our doors.
It is this cohesion, this ability to respond holistically and with great care and with respect and dignity for each person, that defines our work.
The statistics in our report help illustrate the scale of what we do. They are important—each number representing real pressure on our services and real evidence of community need. But numbers alone can never capture the depth of our daily work, nor the professionalism, compassion, and skill our staff bring to each interaction.
Impact, for us, is measured not only in outputs but in the moments of interface, and personal connection with those coming to us: a conversation that restores confidence, a safe place to sleep, a sense of being seen and valued, and the hope that we give them for the future.
Despite the sheer volume of people seeking help, our commitment remains unchanged: every person is met as an individual, with their own individual issues, and every person matters. Thank you to our supporters, partners, and community for standing with us in this work. Together, we continue to create pathways of hope, resilience, and change.