Haven is a multicultural church in Upper Hutt. English and Samoan services on Sunday, a youth mentoring programme on Wednesday, and a free community pantry open every day.
The Haven Pantry is a self-serve shelf in the church foyer, open 8am to 6pm every day. Take what you need, leave what you can. We restock on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from donations and FoodStuffs surplus.
What's usually available
Bread & baking
Tinned goods
Fresh produce
Pasta & rice
Baby formula
Toiletries
Youth programme
Wednesday mentoring
Haven Youth runs every Wednesday during school terms from 4pm to 6pm. It is open to anyone aged 11–17 in the Upper Hutt area, regardless of faith. The programme pairs each young person with a trained adult mentor for the term.
What a typical Wednesday looks like
4:00pm — Afternoon kaiHot food, always free
4:30pm — Homework hourTutoring in maths, English, te reo
5:15pm — ActivitySport, music, art or cooking
5:50pm — Circle & closeHighs and lows of the week
All mentors hold current Police vetting and complete Safe Church training. Enrolment forms at the office or email office@havenchurch.org.nz.
Our story
How Haven started
Haven began in 2011 as a Friday-night dinner in the Rimutaka Community Centre. Twelve people — mostly Samoan families from the Trentham military housing — met to share food and talk about what a church could look like if it started from need rather than tradition. The dinner became a Sunday service, the service grew to two languages, and in 2015 the congregation took over the empty Scout hall on Ward Street and turned it into the building you visit today.
The pantry opened in 2020 when supermarket surplus started arriving during lockdown and never stopped. It now serves around eighty households a week and is the largest community pantry in the Hutt Valley.
80Pantry households/wk
34Youth enrolled
180Sunday attendance
52Active volunteers
Volunteer
Sign up for a shift
We need help with the pantry, the Friday community kai, and Sunday set-up. Pick the shifts that work for you — every slot is two hours. You do not need to be a member or attend services.
Your shifts: none selectedPick one or more shifts above.
Our people
Leadership team
ST
Pastor Sione TaulangaSenior pastor · Samoan service lead
RE
Rachel EdwardsEnglish service pastor · Pastoral care
ML
Mere LeotaYouth director · Safe Church coordinator
DW
David WhaangaPantry manager · Community liaison
Events
Coming up
28Sep
White Sunday — Lotu Tamaiti11:30am · Children lead the Samoan service. All families welcome.
5Oct
Community working bee9am–12pm · Garden, painting, pantry shelving. Lunch provided.
19Oct
Harvest thanksgiving & shared lunchAfter the 11:30am service. Bring a plate. Pantry donations invited.
2Nov
Youth showcase evening6pm · Music, art and spoken word from this term's mentees.