Queenstown Community Groups & Ways to Connect

Mental Health Awareness Week is coming up from 12-18 October. This year's theme is Belonging Matters.

Belonging is about feeling connected to the people and communities around us. It is a key part of our wellbeing and plays an important role in supporting positive mental health.

Throughout the Wakatipu Basin, we are blessed to have an abundance of community groups that facilitate belonging through activities, shared interests and creative pursuits. Below is a list of ways to connect with others in Queenstown, not just during Mental Health Awareness Week, but all year round.

Everyone finds connection in different ways. Whether you enjoy being creative, staying active, volunteering, learning something new, or connecting with people who share your culture or interests.

Craft, Making & Creative

• Wakatipu Potters – pottery and ceramics; workshops and community activities

• Wakatipu Woodcraft Guild – woodworking, skills sharing and social connection

• TIKKI Studio – Crafternoon Social – bring your own sewing/craft project and sit, make and chat with others

• Te Atamira Community Craft – free, drop-in creative evenings; has included sewing, writing, dance and other creative activities. No experience or booking required.

• Happiness House knitting group – casual knitting/social activity

• Happiness House community garden – gardening alongside other people

• Harvest Community Gardens – community gardening and gardening-related activities

• Creative Queenstown Arts & Crafts Market – local makers and creative community

• Community Draw at Te Atamira – free drop-in drawing; no experience necessary.

• Community Sing at Te Atamira – accessible community singing

• Community Craft at Te Atamira – creative activities where people make things alongside each other

• Beginner line dancing through Te Atamira Community Craft – a good example of the sort of unexpected activity that can be a pathway into meeting people.

• The Clay Club — pottery/ceramics in Frankton

• The Pottery Lounge — pottery/creative activities in Queenstown

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Sports & Recreational Clubs

• Queenstown Disc Golf

• Queenstown Bridge Club

• Queenstown Bowling Club

• Queenstown Tennis Club

• Queenstown Squash Club

• Queenstown Ice Skating Club

• Remarkables Orienteering Club

• Queenstown Climbing Club

• Queenstown parkrun

• Wakatipu Anglers Club

• Wakatipu Dog Agility Club

• Arrowtown MenzShed

• Wakatipu Garden Club

• QMTBC social rides

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 Niche Hobbies

• Wakatipu Anglers Club — fishing

• Queenstown Disc Golf — disc golf/social games

• Queenstown Bridge Club — cards/bridge

• Wakatipu Woodcraft Guild — woodworking

• Queenstown Climbing Club — climbing/bouldering

• Queenstown Film Society — films

• Queenstown & District Historical Society — local history/heritage

• Wakatipu Dog Agility Club — dogs + training

• Wakatipu Garden Club — gardening

• Arrowtown MenzShed — woodworking/making/community

• QT Community Cats — animal welfare/volunteering

Gardening, Enviroment & Conservation

• Harvest Community Gardens

• Wakatipu Garden Club

• Happiness House Community Garden

• Friends of the Wakatipu Gardens

• Whakatipu Reforestation Trust

Community & Drop-in Connection

• Happiness House Community Support Centre

A community drop-in space where people can come as they are, meet people and participate in activities. Current activities include knitting, community gardening and Cook Around the World.

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Wellness Space:

• Community sauna and Women’s and Men’s wellness days. Great place for connection.

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Food & Cultural Connection

• Happiness House – Cook Around the World

• Cultural and migrant community groups

• Community meals and food-based volunteering opportunities

Men's Groups

• Queenstown Book Club for Men

• Men's Group Network

• Arrowtown MenzShed

• Wakatipu Anglers Club

Women's Groups

• Women's Shed Aotearoa

• The Women's Circle

• Dirt Town Queens Women's Rides

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 Cultural & Migrant Community Groups

• Bhartiya Samaj Queenstown

• Queenstown Association of Migrant Pinoys

• Queenstown Nepalese Community

• Queenstown Fijian Community Trust

• Japanese Family Society of Queenstown

• Korean Association of Queenstown

• Ikatan Masyarakat Indonesia di Queenstown

• Taiwanese community

• Malaysian community

• Sri Lankan community

• Southern Lakes Jewish Community

• Other Pacific and Migrant Community Groups listed on QLDC page here.

Volunteering

• Volunteer South

• Baskets of Blessing

• QT Community Cats

• Whakatipu Reforestation Trust

• Friends of the Wakatipu Gardens

• Queenstown parkrun volunteering

• Community garden volunteering

• Conservation volunteering

• Sports club volunteering

• Community event volunteering

Older Adults

• Puāwai Saturday Arts Social at Te Atamira — specifically for the 60+ community, with concerts, art, movement and artist talks.

• U3A

• Wakatipu Senior Citizens Association

• Whakatipu Walkie Talkies (Thursdays, 10.15am)

General Ideas for finding connection

While these aren't current running groups, here are some general ideas which can support connection within your friends, family and community.

• Walking groups

• Coffee groups

• Photography groups

• Writing groups

• Language exchange

• Board-game groups

• Social cooking

• Parents of teenagers

• Newcomer coffee groups

• Dog walking

• Singles social groups

• LGBTQIA+ social groups

• Neurodiversity groups

• Book clubs

• Women's walking groups

• Men's walking groups

• Hiking groups

• Social cycling

• Social skiing

Facebook groups for connection

Queenstown girls social:

Good for:

• Meeting other women

• Coffee/social catch-ups

• Finding activity buddies

• General social connection

• Particularly useful for newcomers

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Queenstown Sisterhood of Travelling Pants

Good for:

• Female friendship

• Women who are new to Queenstown

• Advice and local knowledge

• Social connections

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This year's Mental Health Awareness Week theme, Belonging Matters, extends far beyond a single week. The groups and activities listed above run throughout the year, offering opportunities to connect with others, build meaningful relationships, and strengthen your sense of belonging within the Queenstown community.