Join us at Eastgate

The Loft at Eastgate on families, well-being and community

When did you open at Eastgate?

The Loft is a new and unique offering for Canterbury children, young people and families enabling them to easily access a range of community and social service support from multiple services, who all work together in one shared space.

But The Loft is not just a space – it is a new way of working. In order to advance their shared goal to improve child, family and community well-being, partner agencies are actively creating integrated service delivery pathways that make support-seeking easier.

We opened on 4 July 2016 and are situated on the first floor of Eastgate alongside the library and an integrated family health Centre so that, together, we can support mental, emotional, psychological and physical well-being.

By bringing together a diverse partnership of organisations, The Loft is creating a more holistic multi-disciplinary, multicultural and multi-skilled approach to the multiple concerns experienced by our community in a way that other referral pathways do not.

Why did you choose Eastgate?

We began exploring co-location options and locations in 2012, and heard of the availability of space here. An advantage was that the medical centre had already decided to move in – we could see the potential for a value proposition far beyond what we had envisaged as community service providers in having such a full, diverse range of services located here. In addition, Eastgate offered us the ability to design a purposed built space rather than fit ourselves into an existing one.

Eastgate Shopping Centre is a public transport hub, serviced by good public transport links from a range of locations across Christchurch and offers plenty of free parking for clients and staff. It is close to multiple primary and secondary schools and the Nga Hua E Wha National Marae.

Being located within Eastgate also offers a unique opportunity to create a highly visible hub of well-being services directly within Christchurch’s communities of highest need. Research conducted by New Zealand Red Cross’ research in 2014 reinforced that the eastern suburbs were areas of some disadvantage, still suffering from the effects of the earthquakes and school closures. Furthermore, the 2017 Salvation Army report ‘The State of Our Communities’ singles out Linwood amongst two other North Island communities as communities of disadvantage. Therefore The Loft has been able to bring significant capability, skill, capacity-building and investment to the eastern suburbs through our location within Eastgate.

What’s your favourite thing about the Centre?

There are many things. First and foremost, it is great to be so accessible to the people who need us. Having built this space and created the vision of The Loft – to enhance the outcomes for vulnerable children, adults and families through co-location of services – we see daily that The Loft is needed by the numbers of people that walk in the front door on a daily basis, seeking support for a very wide range of issues.

There are also advantages for co-locating agencies and their staff, such as efficiencies to a number of day-to-day organisational processes such as banking. Access to good parking and services ranging from WOF’s to picking up the groceries makes life easier all round.

Library and Shopping the perfect mix

Why did you choose Eastgate?

Eastgate seemed the perfect opportunity to combine the previously separate Linwood Library and Linwood Service Centres. A popular community hub, we saw it as an opportunity to improve the convenience of our offering – so residents could do everything in one place.

The centre management team also helped to make it a very easy choice, as they’ve been very helpful and welcoming.

What do you think has been the key to your success at Eastgate?

So far it seems our plan is working out really well. Our original goal was to build visitors up to 20,000 per month, however already we’ve exceeded that by 150% with 30,000 through in our first month.

The community support has been fantastic, they’ve stood by us thick and thin. We are especially thrilled to have signed up nearly 300 new members!

Eastgate shoppers and our new members are really embracing the full offering at the library which is so much more than books. We are a community meeting space, a place to unwind, as well as a place to learn and engage with the online world.

What’s your favourite thing about the centre?

The team love working in the mall – and that’s not just because we don’t have to use a portaloo anymore! It’s very convenient, vibrant, its great to have the food-court and shops at our doorstep and a constant stream of new customers through the door.

The other retailers have been very welcoming and supportive and we all work together to provide the best customer experience possible.

The hub model makes it easier and more convenient for local residents to pop in, do their shopping, have a bite to eat, pay their bills and then spend some time choosing books or using the free public computers. It’s a one stop shop approach with multiple services on site.

From Tauranga to Unichem Eastgate, and 15 years later Mary wouldn’t change a thing.

When did you open at Eastgate?

I had been looking all around New Zealand for pharmacy opportunities when Unichem Eastgate popped up in 1998. Based in Tauranga at the time it was a big step to move down, however I wouldn’t change a thing. While the weather and beaches don’t compare, the lifestyle and opportunities have been wonderful for me and my family.

Why did you choose Eastgate?

I saw Eastgate as an amazingly busy corner, a gateway to the East. I could always see the power of our community here – it’s extremely supportive.

I now own several other pharmacies around Christchurch, however from day one Eastgate has always been the ‘Mothership’ of our stores. I’m particularly passionate about Eastgate, it gave me the opportunity to grow and expand beyond my biggest dreams. I just don’t know that I would have gotten the chance to grow and expand had I started in a different location.

Post-earthquake I’ve still chosen Eastgate for all the same reasons as 15 years ago. The building is safe, has natural light and good workable spaces, the atmosphere is really friendly and exciting. And we have a real community here, they’re our life blood, our ‘reason to be’ and a daily joy in our workplace.

What do you think has been the key to your success at Eastgate?

The key is the support team and our absolute passion for pharmacy. My whole team is there because they like helping people. We love the difference you can make in people’s lives, helping create a commnity culture of health and wellness

What’s your favourite thing about the centre?

It’s our people… Heartland New Zealander’s… real New Zealander’s… Honest, hard-working, doing their best for their families. Likeable, genuine people. We feel like we are friends and family here. It’s a great place to work.

Lincraft sees Eastgate as gateway to Christchurch’s East.

When did you open at Eastgate?

I came to New Zealand from Brisbane just over 12 months ago to manage Lincraft’s expansion into the New Zealand market.

After much research on Christchurch’s layout and demographics we opened at Eastgate in November 2012 just in time for peak Christmas trade.

Why did you choose Eastgate?

Eastgate was a strategic move, we recognised the rebuild in Christchurch would create a lot of demand for our products with people redecorating their homes.
Eastgate was a strategic move, we recognised the rebuild in Christchurch would create a lot of demand for our products with people redecorating their homes.
With Bush Inn we were already servicing the West of Christchurch and so Eastgate seemed ideally located to capture the East. We believe that out of other sites evaluated Eastgate offered the greatest potential of growth – servicing a very wide catchment.
Eastgate were also the most proactive and accommodating of all the other sites we evaluated. Their management team went out of their way, they made us incredibly welcome, beyond what we’ve experienced before.

What’s your favourite thing about the centre?

Eastgate is a very easy centre to spend time in, it’s got a surprisingly nice and pleasant feel to it.

There is also an excellent team spirit amongst retailers, we seem to work together here – for example everyone is happy to refer shoppers amongst each other if they don’t have the appropriate goods in their stores. We get a lot of referrals from other retailers.
Shoppers have also been really welcoming and genuinely excited to have us here, it’s a very friendly place.