Society of St Vincent de Paul Canterbury

The Society in Canterbury includes Christchurch City, Selwyn District and the communities of Rangiora and Kaiapoi.

• Our Values

  Generosity 
  Giving of one’s self and one’s time.

  Integrity
  Promoting, maintaining and adhering to our Vision, Mission and Values.

  Compassion
  Welcoming and serving all in need with understanding and without judgement.

  Empathy
  Establishing relationships with those in need based on respect, trust, friendship, and perception arising from actively listening to them.

  Responsiveness
  Identifying and responding to unmet needs of the poor, the lonely, the marginalised, and the dispossessed.

  Advocacy
  Helping those in need to navigate bureaucracy to secure their rightful entitlements to welfare and to actively work in conjunction with other like-minded organisations to transform the causes of poverty, and challenge injustice.

  Commitment
  Fidelity and passion in service of our Vision, Mission and Values.

  Respect
  Serving all in need regardless of creed, ethnic or social background, health, gender or political persuasion.

  Courage
  To ask for forgiveness and to forgive, to be merciful, and to pray courageously for the grace to serve, to love our neighbour and to be close to those who are lonely and in difficulty.

• Contact

  Phone: 03 389 7484 
  Email:hello@svdpcanterbury.nz

  265 Stanmore Road, Richmond, Christchurch
  Open: Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm,
  Saturday 10am - 3pm

  19 Langdons Road, Papanui, Christchurch
  Open: Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm
  Saturday 10am - 3pm

  31 Shands Road, Hornby, Christchurch
  Open: Monday to Friday 9am - 4pm
  Saturday 10am - 3pm

  To request help you can:

  Call 03 389 7484 ext 2 and leave your first and last name, address and contact number, or

  
  Text 0273589400, providing full names of all adults in household, number and ages of children, address, contact number, description of assistance required, or
  Email welfare@svdpcanterbury.nz, or

 

The Society of St Vincent de Paul in Canterbury is part of the larger Society in New Zealand and internationally; the Society is present in more than 150 countries worldwide.  It is an international Catholic voluntary organisation of lay people, men and women, who strive to seek out the needy in the community and to help them, regardless of race, creed or social background.  The Society in Canterbury includes Christchurch City, Selwyn District and the communities of Rangiora and Kaiapoi.

Our Welfare Work

Our work as Vincentians is simply to provide support to those who need help. This support comes in various ways and ranges from visits to the home with food parcels to helping furnish new homes with bedding, dining & lounge furniture and appliances; it also includes the provision of substantial assistance to students in schools.

Given the increasingly difficult economic times faced by most families the workload of Vincentians has increased by over 38% in the recent 3-year period.  Actual requests for assistance from families and households have increased from 6,500 in 2020-21 to almost 9,000 in 2023-24.

Apart from food - some of which is purchased - all of these welfare items are provided by donations from the Society's supporters.

Additionally the Canterbury Vinnies have increased the support provided to children in schools both state and integrated by providing funds for a wide range of school expenses.  In the last year the annual expenditure on this activity increased to approximately $50,000 from an earlier annual figure of $10,000.  The purpose of this significant increase was to try and make a significant difference to students who but for our support would be missing out on basic educational opportunities.         

The help that we give you

We offer a wide range of support including home visits, donations of food and clothing, household items such as furniture, educational assistance, affordable shopping, access to counselling services, and budget mentoring.

Get help

Our Vision

To live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope, and joy, and by working to shape
a more just and compassionate society.

Our Mission

Vincentians work to provide person to person, practical and effective help to those in need; sharing their burdens and joys; sowing seeds of hope, and promoting human dignity, justice, and self sufficiency.

Social Justice

The Society of St Vincent de Paul in New Zealand claims justice for the poor and works to influence social and economic systems to bring about positive change. We use the voice and good name of the Society to speak out on issues of justice and social conditions and address these concerns to both political and social institutions to effect change. We work with national politicians, Ministry of Social Development and national and Catholic media to identify issues affecting the poor.

In 2006 the National Council resolved to work alongside Caritas to combine practical grassroots experience together with analysis and research, to respond to Social Justice issues within New Zealand.

The Society of St Vincent de Paul in collaboration with Caritas has facilitated research into issues relating to social justice advocacy, submissions to the Select Committee including joint letters and statements on power disconnections, loan sharks and poverty. 

To learn more about the Society's work on social justice go to the national website at www.svdp.org.nz