Mana Aroha Whare
&
Community Laundromat
About Mana Aroha
For the past six years, VOHH has operated Mana Aroha, a community-based hygiene, laundry, and support service created to restore dignity and mana to Rotorua’s homeless and rough sleeping whānau.
Located at 1229 Pukuatua Street, Rotorua, Mana Aroha offers three showers (including one with disability access), six commercial washing machines, four dryers, and a second-hand store.
The facility is open four days per week (closed Wednesdays), 9am – 11am and provides access for those without power or experiencing homelessness. For those able to contribute, koha is appreciated, as this vital service receives no formal funding.
Mana Aroha supports over 120+ rough sleepers on average, offering daily hygiene services with toiletries and towels, free laundry facilities and clothing, lockers for safe storage, and the care of trained kaimahi who provide connection to health, social, and housing services. More than just a facility, Mana Aroha is a place of compassion, belonging, and hope for some of our most vulnerable whānau.
Support Mana Aroha
Mana Aroha is an unfunded service, and its sustainability depends on collective support. You can contribute through financial donations, partnerships, or in-kind support such as staff or resources. Without this backing, Mana Aroha may be forced to close in mid-2027, leaving a significant gap for whānau and our Rotorua community.
If you would like to support, partner, or koha to this kaupapa, please contact us — together we can continue to lead a compassionate, coordinated response to end homelessness.
Mana Aroha Updates
March 2026
It is with great sadness that we announce the planned closure of Mana Aroha in June 2026. For the past six years, we have delivered this non-contracted service to support some of the most vulnerable members of our community, driven by compassion, commitment, and the belief that everyone deserves dignity, care, and connection.
Mana Aroha is a place of kindness, belonging, and hope for some of our most vulnerable whānau. Through this service, we have provided practical support such as showers, lockers, laundry facilities, a koha based second-hand store, tea and coffee, and a safe place to connect with empathetic and compassionate staff who understand their needs.
Unfortunately, without funding, we can no longer financially sustain the service, and this has been an incredibly difficult decision considered over a long period of time. Our greatest concern is for those who rely on this support.
We are again reaching out to our community, partners, funders, and organisations; if there is an organisation, group, or funder who could support the continuation of Mana Aroha through funding, partnership, or taking over the service. We welcome the opportunity to kōrero.
April 2026
Further to our update on 19th March 2026, Mana Aroha remains scheduled to close at the end of June 2026. We continue to actively explore funding and partnership opportunities to sustain or transition the service beyond this date. Conversations are ongoing, and we remain hopeful a pathway forward will emerge.
Mana Aroha has always been about community, compassion, and connection. If you, your organisation, or someone in your network can support through funding, partnership, or service continuation, we warmly invite you to get in touch and kōrero with us.
Not everyone who uses Mana Aroha is sleeping rough. While some face complex challenges, many are impacted by unaffordable housing and the rising cost of living.
A real-life example of this is a single woman in a boarding situation must shower last—when only cold water remains—and is not allowed to use the washing machine. Mana Aroha provides her with a place to wash her clothes and access a hot shower in a respectful, caring space.
Large families without essential appliances also rely on this service to meet daily needs, especially during wet weather.
While new Kāinga Ora housing has eased pressure for families with children, there remains a significant gap for singles and couples. Many people are still living on the street, in tents or in vehicles. These are all unsafe and unstable conditions especially with winter almost upon us.
These are not just stories of hardship, but of resilience, sacrifice, and the difficult choices people face when affordable options are limited.
July 2026
We are delighted to share that Mana Aroha will continue operating for a further 12 months, thanks to the support of Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue.
After announcing the planned closure of Mana Aroha in March and continuing to explore every possible partnership and support opportunity over recent months, we are incredibly grateful that a pathway has been found to keep this important community service operating.
This support provides operational certainty for the next 12 months while we continue working alongside community partners to explore sustainable, long-term solutions for the future of the service.
Over the past six years, Mana Aroha has become much more than a laundromat. It is a place where people can access basic necessities such as showers, laundry facilities, lockers, clothing, and refreshments, while also finding compassion, connection, and support from staff who genuinely care.
While we are pleased the service can continue, we have also taken the opportunity to review our operating model to ensure it remains financially sustainable. From July, Mana Aroha will operate four days per week from 9.00am to 11.15am, allowing us to continue delivering these essential services within our available resources.
We would like to sincerely thank Te Taumata o Ngāti Whakaue for recognising the importance of this kaupapa and for their commitment to supporting our community.
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who reached out over the past few months with messages of encouragement, offers of assistance, and advocacy for the continuation of Mana Aroha. Your support reaffirmed just how valued this service is within Rotorua.
While this support provides certainty for the immediate future of Mana Aroha, our work does not stop here. We remain committed to working collaboratively with iwi, community organisations, local government, and other partners to identify sustainable, long-term solutions that support those experiencing homelessness and housing hardship in Rotorua.
Ngā mihi nui to everyone who has walked alongside us on this journey. Together, we can continue to uphold the mana and dignity of those who need it most.