Besides offering rooms to hire, there are permanent tenant community and social groups that not only reside in the Hub, but work closely together to serve the Nelson community.
The Hub’s current tenants include The Nelson Community Foodbank, Volunteer Nelson, The Buzz, Accounting for Good, Mosaic Community Church and The St Stephens Repair Café.
By partnering with like-minded community organisations, Habitat Nelson can better address the needs of the community and provide a space of caring and support for many years to come. As stewards of this building the hope is that the Habitat Hub will be known as a place of being kind and doing good.
The Habitat Hub is the official home of Habitat for Humanity Nelson, a non-profit organisation. It builds houses and through its rent-to-buy programme, local whānau can become homeowners where other options are not available. Habitat Nelson makes it happen. Why? Because it believes owning a decent home is a human right, a necessary foundation for a better life, for parents, for children, for the community.
This could not happen without the support of volunteers who dedicate their time, donations and proceeds from the sale of goods given to the Nelson and Motueka ReStores, cash donations and grants and the support of local and central government.
ReStore
Habitat Nelson’s second-hand shop, called ReStore, was relocated to the Hub in 2020 – shop, donate, volunteer to support warm, dry and safe housing for local families in need. The name ReStore comes from the word “restoration”, which means to return something to its former state, to bring back from a state of ruin.
The name ReStore also follows the words recycle, reuse, renew, recover or repair. The name is a constant reminder of that what could be somebody’s old, could also be somebody’s new. The goal is to try to connect people through goods and items giving them a second chance and saving from landfill.
Part of Restore is the DIY and House supplies department, a great shopping experience for customers interested in renovations or undertaking small or large DIY projects. This department offers a variety of supplies in a spacious, organised and friendly environment under one roof. This is one of the only second-hand quality DIY and House Parts departments in Nelson! It is a quality DIY recycling opportunity that supports the cause, i.e. building homes for local families.
nook. Café
The Hub is also home to nook. – a community café established to encourage community groups to gather and socialise. Every purchase from nook. contributes towards Habitat’s local housing programmes aimed at building strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.
nook. Café is in the same space as ReStore, creating a natural flow for customers to shop and relax at the same time. nook.’s facilities include an outdoor sitting area, herb garden and children’s play area.
Other independent Hub tenants
Volunteer Nelson
Connects volunteers to volunteering opportunities in community organisations. They have helped ReStore and nook. Café find their awesome volunteers. They also support the community and volunteering sector in the region by organising networking meetings, providing capacity-building workshops and up-to-date information.
Mosaic Community Church
A new church in Nelson that meets on Sundays at 10:30am. Mosaic Community Church is a fun loving, multi-cultural, family church that looks to show the love of Jesus Christ through what we do and how we are. We have heaps going on at the hub and across the community. We are part of Catalyst a global network of churches.
The Buzz
The Buzz empowers, enables and promotes wellbeing in young people with diverse needs by providing meaningful life and work skills-based programmes.
The Buzz collaborates with The Food Bank, the ReStore and nook. Café to provide work experiences. The young people often sell honey and greeting cards at the nook. Café where many also volunteer and train learning hospitality and social skills for life!
