The Kowhai Tree - Silverdale 2.81

Frequently Asked Questions

We thought it might be useful to post some answers to questions we get asked all the time at The Kowhai Tree. Thanks for your continued support for which we are always grateful.

How does The Kowhai Tree support Women’s Refuge?

There are two ways that The Kowhai Tree contributes to Women’s Refuge. Firstly, clients of the local refuges may be referred to the store and are able to obtain goods that they need free-of-charge. Also, all of the profits raised from shop sales (after rent, utilities etc. have been deducted) go directly back to Women’s Refuge to run their safe houses and community programmes. This means that, either way, you are directly helping women every time you donate to or buy from the store.

How can I donate goods to you?

The easiest way is to bring your donation directly to us at The Kowhai Tree, 29F Silverdale St, Silverdale. We are open Monday to Friday from 9am to 3.30pm and Saturdays 9am to 2pm. You may wish to call first to check that we are in a position to accept your donation – 09 4210580. We try really hard to accommodate all the donations but, from time to time, we literally run out of space as we have quite small premises and no warehouse for storage.

What if I want my donation to go directly to women in need?

The advocates from Hestia Women’s Refuge (the local Rodney refuge) frequently come to the store to collect items that they need for their clients, so they always have first choice of everything in store. Then, the proceeds from our sales also go directly back to the refuge so please don’t be concerned if your items are sold. Often the money from shop sales is just as valuable in terms of funding support groups, safe house expenses and other community initiatives to assist vulnerable women and children.

Why don’t you accept electrical goods?

There are two reasons for this. Firstly, we have very limited space and simply don’t have room to store bulky items. It is a requirement that electrical goods are tested by a qualified electrician before they can be sold and we are not in a position to do this. We als don’t have the means to dispose of any broken items which would quickly accumulate.

Why aren’t you accepting books or soft toys at the moment?

Books and soft toys are slow moving items and we get lots donated. We don’t have storage space for these so sometimes have to stop accepting donations for a while.

What about make-up, skincare and other personal products?

We are delighted to accept unused and unopened items.


Why don’t you like donations to be left outside the store when you are closed?

Because we close at 3.30pm during the week and are not open on Sundays, donations can be outside the store for quite some time. They are often ransacked, which can be dangerous - in one case, the pavement was strewn with sharp knives on a Monday morning when we arrived. Also, the items may get wet or damaged and then we have to pay to take them to the tip which takes valuable money away from our intended purpose.

Can I arrange for my goods to be collected?

We have a small van which can be used to collect furniture and bulkier items, by prior arrangement. Our collection area is from Puhoi to Albany including the Whangaparaoa peninsula.
As we are mainly staffed by volunteers and only have two people insured to drive the van, it can take us a while to make arrangements to collect.
It is an enormous help to us if you are able to deliver, but we will try our best to accommodate you if you can’t.

Thanks for reading! Please feel free to call us on 09 4210580 with any other queries.
The Kowhai Tree Team