Welcome
Bay Community Centre is a vibrant hub of support and connection within the local community. Located near the Welcome Bay Village, the center offers a diverse range of programs and services aimed at enriching lives and fostering community identity. With a strong emphasis on inclusivity and empowerment, Welcome Bay Community Centre continues to be a valuable resource, promoting well-being and fostering a sense of belonging among its residents.
About us
The Welcome Bay Community Centre support and provides opportunities for the residents of Welcome Bay Ward (Poike, Ohauiti, Hairini, and Maungatapu as well as Welcome Bay areas). Our vision is for residents to feel like taonga – a precious gift that is valued. During the week there are a range of wellbeing programmes and activities, food and clothing support, and access to information and referral services. You can come in just to chat, have a cup of tea, connect or relax.
If you are a professional needing a room to hire for meetings, or a larger board room space get in touch.
The Centre is active in improving the wellbeing of our community, providing 100% commitment to the community. On a day-to-day basis, the Centre provides an info site and support referral centre, budget and advisory services, food referrals and support, free clothing Wednesday, yoga, table tennis and fitness classes, and a facility for hire. There are also a range of community support groups and classes running at any given time.
Our Community
How do we define community? There are lots of ways to define community, including by geography and place.* Everyone who lives, works, plays, cares and invests in a ‘place’ shares common elements and has a unique understanding of that area’s past, present and future. People in a community usually have a shared vested interest in creating a place that, for example, they safely raise children, grow a business, go to work, or enjoy the environment. Early in 2015, the Acorn Foundation commissioned some local research on community and the result was the Western Bay of Plenty’s Vital Signs® Report. “Vital Signs® is an initiative measuring the vitality of a region; identifying trends, strengths, and areas for improvement.” This report looked at 12 of the various elements that make up the community, such as Arts & Culture, Belonging & Engagement, Getting Around, the Gap between Rich & Poor, Safety and Sport & Recreation. Overall, the participants in this research assessed the Bay region average, meaning that additional effort should be made. * Inspiring Communities, Learning by Doing. Community-led Change in Aotearoa NZ. 2013
* Inspiring Communities, Learning by Doing. Community-led Change in Aotearoa NZ. 2013
Belonging & Engagement
Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, engari he toa takitini ke
My strength doesn’t come from me alone but also from others
Belonging and engagement comes from having opportunities to get involved with your community, having a voice in local decisions and feeling supported by your community. The residents least satisfied with belonging and engagement in the Vital Signs® Report were of the Welcome Bay Ward.
Our vision is for all residents to feel like Taonga - a precious and valuable gift "Our values that support this vision are: Sustainability, Supported Communities, Integrity, and Partnerships"
We are open to the public
Monday – Thursday
9am-3pm
