Directly east of the Ōtautahi/Christchurch central city is the coastal suburb of New Brighton. With a stunning waterfront, Saturday morning market, a popular water-front hot pool complex and a new playground, it is an exciting place to visit.

Step away from the sea air and expanse of the waterfront, and cracks begin to appear – quite literally. New Brighton was badly affected by the 2011 Canterbury earthquakes and carries many of the scars today. In addition to the loss of homes and other buildings, surrounding areas were cleared of earthquake-damaged houses and now sit vacant. The neighbourhood had few businesses along its pedestrian mall before the earthquakes, fewer now. Roads are rough, empty sections unkempt and dilapidated buildings dot the area.

It was in this environment that the Christchurch Methodist Mission expanded its work and joined forces with the local union parish.

“We first started our engagement with New Brighton through our schools work, and then had research done, which showed New Brighton as an area of high deprivation,” CMM Community Development Manager Andrea Wilson-Tukaki says of the early days of the programme. Social isolation among new families was prevalent, in addition to the lack of decent housing and support to whānau. According to the 2018 census, the median income of the suburb’s 3300 residents is just $29,800.

Born and bred New Brighton resident, Tracey Gibbs, leads the CMM work there. Although the suburb is going through a transition of upgraded businesses and shops, it still faces grave issues such as many with untreated mental health issues and regular lines of people outside the food pantry.

Much of the work of CMM is carried out in conjunction with the support of the New Brighton Union Parish. From this partnership came a community initiative that focused on whānau with tamariki under five. This led to the creation of a local community treasure hunt, a celebration of random acts of kindness day, and the creation of communal sand toys treasure chest project Borrow a Bucket which has more recently attracted the support of the local Menz Shed and Lions Club. Cooking programmes for men were established and CMM moved into the newly built Union Church.

The strong partnership with the parish is a highlight of the work: from helping out at Purple Door op shop, supporting weekly community lunches, to the running of the Seaside seniors’ group. New Brighton Union Parish admin/secretary Lynda Burdekin says parishioners appreciate the connection with the Mission staff. “Our people really enjoy that interaction with younger people and people who are different in outlook. They are fantastic in their support to us, such as help with the community lunch. It works well both ways and we always enjoy each other’s company.”

Tracey’s days are full of an array of tasks. She works with the New Brighton Project to distribute blankets, sheets, inners and pillows to people in the neighbourhood and later this year, CMM will take over the coordination of the Blanket Bank. Tracey also runs a WiseUp children’s group programme at a nearby venue, with Youth Alive Trust.

Tracey works with the local library and medical centre. She helps residents, particularly those who find literacy challenging, to access social or health services. Every six weeks, she hosts a wellbeing meeting with agencies and groups working in New Brighton to work out how to better serve the community’s needs. She also works with Housing First Christchurch and Orange Sky to provide support to homeless people in the area.

Community development projects are rarely accorded the recognition – and the funding – they deserve. They often rely on gifts from donors. If you would like to support this work, please go to www.mmsi.org.nz/Donate and choose ‘New Brighton’ from the drop-down.

“New Brighton has this relaxed, home vibe about it. You can be who you are here; there’s a sense of freedom to be yourself. Agencies are really wanting to work together at the moment and find ways to collaborate, so we don’t want to lose this momentum.”

Māori named the area Kaiuau, in recognition of the yellow-eyed mullet, a food source. They also called it O-ruapaeroa, meaning an east wind blowing along the shore. Today, that prevailing easterly blows over a neighbourhood on the verge of renewal and looking to a brighter future. “We can’t just beautify the location, we have to bring our people up to beautify it,” Tracey says.