Donate Goods

"I remember getting a hand cream and a really nice soap and thinking, ‘Oh, I feel pretty today!’ It makes such a difference because you don’t really think about those things for yourself at that time. I also received stationery and clothes for my children. That was helpful because I couldn’t financially provide a lot. It made me feel good as a mum."

We are incredibly grateful to everyone who so willing donates goods to support our clients / whai ora. Many of our whai ora need to leave their homes quickly with nothing but the clothes they’re wearing and a small backpack of important items. Many of our clients also face financial hardship or experienced financial abuse and may struggle to provide for themselves or their children after leaving their relationship.

Unfortunately, however, due to limited storage capacity and staff availability to sort, test, and distribute items, we are unable to accept certain items. We therefore work collaboratively with several other organisations to provide these much-needed items for our clients. Please see below on how best to support us.

If you have any questions around whether or not we can accept your donation, please contact us at 0800 AVIVA NOW (0800 28482 669) or community@aviva.org.nz.

What can Aviva accept?

We usually accept the following and they can be dropped off without pre-approval from our team.

Please deliver items to The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays and Christmas break). However, if your donation will not fit in a single trolley, it is best to contact us ahead of time at community@aviva.org.nz to ensure we have space for it. 

Brand new items:

  • Non-perishable food products
  • Treats to go in care packs – e.g. chocolate, sweets, hot chocolate sachets, calming teas (must be sealed)
  • Toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toiletries for men, and pampering items which can be used as gifts
  • Nappies
  • Sanitary products
  • Self-soothing items – e.g. anti-stress colouring books, packs of colouring pens and pencils, stress balls and/or fidget toys
  • Toys and books for children 5+

Second hand:

  • Smartphones, 8GB or above

Vouchers:

  • Warehouse, Kmart, or mall vouchers
  • Supermarket vouchers (currently limited need)
  • Petrol vouchers
  • Phone top ups

Please note that food and general toiletries will typically go into The Loft storage cupboards which are open for any of The Loft partners, including Aviva, to use. 

Please contact community@aviva.org.nz if you have any questions.

What can’t Aviva accept?

We do not accept the following items due to safety and/or storage issues:

  • Furniture
  • Whiteware
  • Baby items such as second-hand wooden cots, walkers or car seats
  • Second hand clothing
  • Second hand bedding
  • Second hand household items (kitchenware, cutlery, etc.)
  • Second hand electrical items (unless tagged and tested by a professional)
  • Perishable food items
  • Damaged, expired or opened goods
  • Pills of any kind (including vitamins and supplements)
  • Lighters, cigarettes or alcohol
  • Second hand soft toys
  • Toy weapons such as nerf guns, water pistols, or lightsabers

We are occasionally able to make exceptions, so long as there are no storage issues. For example, we have previously accepted a collection of second-hand designer clothing, new but unsellable toys direct from a retailer, and new electronics or furniture to be collected by the client at the store. Please contact community@aviva.org.nz if you have any questions.

Otherwise, please look under "Where can I donate my items instead?" Although we cannot accept items like furniture, electronics, and clothing directly, we work collaboratively with a number of social service organisations to provide these essential items to our clients for free.

Where can I drop off my donation?

If the items you wish to donate are on the pre-approved list under "What can Aviva accept?" or if you have already received confirmation from Aviva that we can accept them,  items can be dropped off at The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm (excluding public holidays and Christmas break).

If your donation is large enough that it does not fit in a single shopping trolley, we may need to arrange a specific time for drop-off to ensure Aviva staff are available to store and process it.

If you're items are not listed under the section "What can Aviva accept?", please contact Aviva prior to dropping off at community@aviva.org.nz.

Where can I donate my items instead?

Due to limited storage, Aviva works collaboratively with other social service organizations to provide many essentials to clients / whai ora.

We work with the following organizations to provide free second-hand items for our whai ora. By donating your goods to the following organisations, you are still supporting Aviva clients.

Salvation Army – clothing, household goods, furniture

City Mission – clothing, household goods, furniture

Christchurch Aunties – household goods, furniture, toiletries for women and children (no clothing)

The Brotherhood – clothing, household goods, furniture for men and children

PIPS – baby items including cots, bassinets, car seats, etc.

It Takes a Village – baby and toddler clothes and items

Clothed in Love – preloved or new children’s clothing, premature to 16

Dress for Success – professional women’s clothing

Curtain Bank through Community Energy Action – curtains

Blanket Bank through Christchurch Methodist Mission – blankets and bedding

I want to donate care packages

Many organisations want to put together care packages for whai ora. We love to receive these, but depending on numbers and time of year, we may face storage issues. We ask that you inform us of your intentions at community@aviva.org.nz to ensure we have space available.

What to put in care packages:

  • Reusable bags to hold everything (preferably drawstring or zipper)
  • General toiletries, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, deodorant
  • Pampering items – e.g. lotions, face masks, etc.
  • Treats – e.g. chocolate, sweets, hot chocolate sachets, calming teas (must be sealed)
  • Self-soothing items – e.g. anti-stress colouring books, packs of colouring pens and pencils, stress balls and/or fidget toys
  • Packages for men (in gender neutral bags)

What to skip or include separately:

  • Sanitary products (we store these separately and include them as needed)
  • Makeup, nail polish or jewellery (these tend to be very personal, so we prefer to leave them out for whai ora to choose themselves)
I want to donate Christmas gifts

We run a Christmas gift campaign from November to December to facilitate Christmas for clients / whai ora who may struggle to provide it.

We ask that gifts are delivered to The Loft (Level 1, Eastgate Shopping Centre) at least two weeks prior to Christmas to allow our support workers time to distribute them. Gifts can be delivered during office hours Monday to Friday 9am-5pm. Gifts should be new and unwrapped so we can ensure safety and quality, and choose gifts based on the clients’ likes and interests.

See gift idea below.

For children:

  • Toys, such as dolls, lego, science or craft sets, and outdoor play equipment
    (no toy guns or weapons including water pistols, nerf guns, and light sabers)
  • Board games or card games
  • Children’s books
  • Backpacks
  • Lunchboxes
  • Craft materials, colouring books, etc.
  • Clothes/dress up items

For teens/tweens:

  • Clothes/socks etc.
  • Books and stationary
  • Body spray/shower gel
  • Vouchers (e.g. Warehouse, Kmart, Glassons)
  • Inexpensive jewellery (bangles, etc.)
  • Hair ties, hair brushes, clips
  • Sports equipment, drink bottles, etc.
  • Nail varnish/make up brushes etc.

For adults (including men)

  • Clothes/socks etc.
  • Candles
  • Books
  • Pampering items (lotions, perfume, aftershave, shower gel, face masks)
  • Chocolate, nice non-perishable food
  • Drink bottles, mugs,
  • Petrol or supermarket vouchers
  • Wrapping paper, ribbons, and gift tags

While some of our whai ora have babies and toddlers and we love to receive gifts for them, we only work with children 5 and up and have greater need for this age range.

I want to donate something else

If you have any questions about your intended donation, please feel free to contact us at community@aviva.org.nz or 0800 AVIVA NOW (0800 28482 669).