At our community hubs in Auckland and Whangarei, we support people who may be experiencing harms from their own (or someone else’s) challenges with alcohol, other drugs or gambling.
Te Tāwharau is our Auckland community hub in New Lynn. It was established to support everyone in our local community. Its Māori name suggests a place of rest and welcome. It is also a place to find information and resources, to access mentoring or learning support, or to join a group with other people who may be having similar experiences to you.
You can also grab a coffee or a bite to eat at Odyssey Café – a social enterprise that offers work training opportunities for whai ora who are exploring options and gaining skills to support job or learning opportunities in their future.
Services offered at our Auckland and Whangarei hubs for tāngata whai ora include literacy, job search and interview preparation support.
We also offer programmes for the wider community such as Be SMART family support groups. Find out more about all our community hub services below.
SMART Recovery and other peer support groups
Sometimes called mutual aid groups, these regular peer support groups offer an opportunity to share and learn from other people with similar life experiences.
Open to everyone in our community, there is no need to enroll or register. However, we do ask that you arrive in good time for your group, as a courtesy to our facilitators and other attendees.
SMART Recovery groups in Auckland and Whangarei
SMART* Recovery is an evidence-based approach based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
It was developed as an alternative to existing 12-Step groups to support people with mild to moderate addiction challenges in a community setting.
SMART Recovery focuses on:
Building and maintaining motivation
Coping with urges
Problem solving and lifestyle balance through engaging with others
Short-term goal setting.
Odyssey offers weekly SMART Recovery groups in New Lynn, Whangarei and also online. Each group is co-facilitated by a SMART Recovery-trained clinician and peer.
Participants learn skills and techniques that support goal-setting and self-directed change. Peers are encouraged to share practical experiences with each other, with an emphasis on the here and now (i.e. the past seven days or the next seven days). On completion of the programme, participants may also work towards becoming trained co-facilitators.
*SMART = Self-Management and Recovery Training
SMART Recovery schedule:
New Lynn: Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30pm
Whangarei: Wednesdays, 6:00-7:30pm
Online: Wednesdays, 1:30am-3:00pm (via zoom, please contact us for joining instructions)
NA meetings
We host Narcotics Anonymous (NA) 12-Step meetings each week at our New Lynn hub.
New Lynn: Thursdays, 7:30pm
CHOICE - methamphetamine support workshops, Northland
Odyssey offers free one-day support workshops for methamphetamine users in Northland to make different choices about their meth use. The workshops are designed for mild to moderate users of methamphetamine and provide a relaxed, non-confrontational space to:
Learn more about the effects, cravings and health impacts of your methamphetamine use
Identify areas you might like to focus on to help reduce or stop using meth
Work on a relapse prevention plan.
‘Choice’ is part of the Te Ara Oranga (The path to wellbeing) programme, a partnership between Northland DHB and NZ Police.
Whangarei: 3rd Wednesday of each month, 9:00am-3:00pm. Lunch provided.
Kaipara: every second month, 9:00am-3:00pm. Lunch provided.
(Please contact us directly for next available dates)
To sign up or to find out more: Please email us or speak with our Northland community team on 09 982 8054.
Support before or after staying with us
At our community hub in Auckland, we offer pre-admission groups for people who are getting ready to stay with us, or who may be on our waiting list.
We also offer opportunities for whai ora to stay connected with Odyssey after staying with us.
Pre-admission group
New Lynn: Tuesdays, 11:00am-12:00pm
Whangarei: Wednesdays, 10:00-11:00am
Graduates’ group
New Lynn: fortnightly, Wednesdays from 6:00pm
Aftercare group
New Lynn: Fridays, 12:00-1:00pm.
If you are thinking about coming to stay with us, or looking for support after staying with us, you might also like to check out our peer-to-peer support groups like SMART Recovery in Auckland and Whangarei or our Choice methamphetamine workshops in Whangarei.
Be SMART - support groups for family or whānau
In Auckland and Whangarei we offer free, weekly Be SMART* support groups for people whose lives are impacted by the addictive behaviours of someone close to them.
These small groups offer family members and whānau a supportive environment to share their experiences and learn useful tools and techniques such as self-care, safety and support, assertive communication and problem-solving.
Our trained facilitators will help you understand more about addictive behaviours and can also provide guidance on coping with lapses.
*SMART = Self-Management And Recovery Training
Be SMART groups
New Lynn: Coming Soon! Please contact us to register interest
Whangarei: Mondays, 5:00-6:30pm
Online: Thursdays, 11:30am-1:00pm (via zoom, please contact us for joining instructions)
Let’s move forward together
To find out more about services and activities at our community hubs please get in touch:
Auckland – Te Tāwharau community hub
Phone: 09 638 4957
Visit: 4/3029 Great North Road, New Lynn
Northland
Phone: 09 982 8054
Visit: 144 Bank Street, Whangarei
Tātou tātou
