Odyssey House Christchurch

What Odyssey House Christchurch does

Odyssey House Christchurch is a registered charitable trust operating residential addiction and mental health treatment services in Christchurch, New Zealand, under the Therapeutic Community model. The organisation traces its lineage to the 1966 Odyssey House programme in New York City and was established in Christchurch in 1985, making it one of the longest continuously operating residential addiction services in Aotearoa New Zealand. It is a member of the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA) and delivers programmes for adults with alcohol, drug, and co-occurring mental health needs, including the Korimako residential mental health recovery programme.

The core service offering comprises structured, peer-driven residential programmes delivered by a multi-disciplinary clinical team of approximately 43 staff from a single Christchurch facility. Referrals are received from Te Whatu Ora (Health New Zealand), general practitioners, the Department of Corrections, the courts, family/whānau, and self-referrals. The Therapeutic Community methodology emphasises community as method, with residents progressing through staged phases of treatment within a residential setting.

The business model is a hybrid of public sector contracting and charitable funding. The primary revenue stream is a service contract with Te Whatu Ora for the purchase of residential addiction and mental health beds. Secondary funding sources include resident contributions, individual donations, and community fundraising. As a non-profit charitable trust, surpluses are reinvested into service delivery rather than distributed. The organisation operates under the regulatory framework of the Charities Act 2005 and is subject to NZ health and safety, clinical, and sector-specific oversight.

Name

Odyssey House Christchurch

Legal name

Odyssey House Trust Christchurch

Website

https://odysseychch.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Odyssey House Christchurch is a charitable trust that operates residential addiction and mental health treatment programmes in Christchurch, New Zealand, under the Therapeutic Community model, serving adults referred by Te Whatu Ora, Corrections, courts, and whānau.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Christchurch

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Te Whatu Ora funded services including ADAS (Alcohol & Other Drug Assessment & Treatment Service) and other core community services. Government funding enhances and enables service delivery.
2. Donations and Sponsorship: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations. The organization actively fundraises for specific initiatives including the Women's Residential programme rebuild and male residence renovation. Donations enhanced by corporate sponsorship.
3. Women's Circle Membership: Women's Circle initiative accepting donations of $1000 one-off or $20/week for 50 weeks to support the women's residential programme development.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Odyssey House Christchurch is a charitable trust that provides residential and community-based addiction recovery, mental health, and wellbeing services using a Therapeutic Community model. Its portfolio includes residential programmes for adult men, women in the criminal justice system, and youth, alongside non-residential alcohol and drug assessment, treatment, outreach, family/whānau support, impaired driving, senior services, and student wellbeing services delivered primarily in Canterbury and the wider South Island of New Zealand.

Product overview

Odyssey House Christchurch operates as a comprehensive healthcare organisation offering a portfolio of integrated addiction recovery, mental health, and wellbeing services. The core offering comprises residential treatment programmes for adult men (Men's Residential Programme), women (Women's Residential Programme - He Kete Oranga o te Mana Wahine), and youth (Youth Residential Programme), alongside non-residential community-based services. The portfolio includes specialised programmes such as the Youth Day Programme, Youth & Adult Community Outreach Service, Ngā Maihi Supported Accommodation, and 65 Alive for seniors. Alcohol and drug services encompass ADAS (assessment and treatment), Driving Change (impaired driving programme), Hapori Ora (group-based treatment), and Meth Help (telephone counselling). Mental health supports include Manu Ka Rere (CYMHS) and Tūturu (student wellbeing). Additional services address vocational support through Empower2Work, whānau support, and the Lived Experience Network for peer support. Christchurch Central Service serves as the entry point to Canterbury AOD services. The organisation is part of the Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association and works from a Therapeutic Community model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ADAS (Alcohol & Other Drug Assessment & Treatment Service): A Te Whatu Ora funded service providing comprehensive AOD assessments for those in prison and the community, part of the Community Services offered by Odyssey House.
• Christchurch Central Services (CCS)
• He Kete Oranga o te Mana Wahine (He Kete)
• Tūturu
• 65 Alive
• Driving Change
• Lived Experience Network

Quantifiable outcome

• Provides residential services for 23 men with intensive therapy
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Australasian Therapeutic Communities Association (ATCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOdyssey House is part of ATCA and operates from a Therapeutic Community model. The organization follows ATCA standards and guidelines for therapeutic community approach to addiction treatment.
• Te PoucoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Te Pou to support the Consumer, Peer Support & Lived Experience Action Plan (CPSLE). The Lived Experience Network works alongside AOD services and partners with Te Pou for workforce development.
• Christchurch City MissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between Odyssey House Christchurch and Christchurch City Mission to deliver Hapori Ora - an intensive group-based alcohol and other drug treatment programme delivered by experienced professionals and peer support workers.
• Purapura Whetu TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Purapura Whetu Trust to deliver He Kete Oranga o te Mana Wahine - a 16-week residential alcohol and other drug treatment service for women in the criminal justice system. Based on the concept of a therapeutic community.
• HealthOnesupportingTechnology or IntegrationHealthOne is a South Island based secure electronic record system that allows registered healthcare professionals to access patient information. Odyssey House contributes to and accesses healthcare information through this system.
• Southern Regional Health SchoolsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Odyssey Youth Service provides an educational programme through partnership with Southern Regional Health School, which follows National Curriculum Guidelines as provided by the Ministry of Education.
• External Support Organizations NetworksupportingOthersNetwork of external organizations including Familial Trust, Family Drug Support, Al-Anon Family Groups, He Waka Tapu, Purapura Whetu, Brave Hearts providing additional support services for families and whānau.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Te Pou: National NZ mental health and addiction workforce development centre; partners with Odyssey House on the Lived Experience Network and CPSLE Action Plan, providing infrastructure, training, and policy influence rather than direct service delivery.

Direct peers

• The Ted Noffs Foundation: Australian non-profit delivering residential Therapeutic Community programmes for young people with substance use and related issues, including the famous Sydney-based Program for Adolescent Life Skills (PALS) — directly comparable model and target population.
• Higher Ground Drug Rehabilitation Trust: Christchurch-based residential addiction treatment trust serving adult men; very close regional peer competing for the same South Island referrals and Corrections pathway clients.
• Odyssey House Auckland: Operating since 1980 in Auckland under the same Therapeutic Community model and ATCA affiliation; delivers residential and community addiction programmes using the same peer-developed methodology as Odyssey House Christchurch.
• Purapura Whetu Trust: Māori health and social service provider partnering with Odyssey House on the He Kete women's residential programme; comparable Christchurch-based NGO delivering whānau-centred addiction, mental health, and family harm services.
• Odyssey House Sydney: Established 1977 in Sydney, the Australian sibling organisation uses the same Therapeutic Community model for residential addiction treatment, including services for adults, young people, and families across NSW.

Emerging players

• Christchurch City Mission: Christchurch social services NGO collaborating with Odyssey House on Hapori Ora; delivers overlapping community-based social support including housing, food, and addiction support, with growing AOD programme scope.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army New Zealand Alcohol and Drug Services: Large national NGO delivering residential and community AOD programmes across New Zealand; operates similar faith-based residential treatment pathways and competes for the same Te Whatu Ora contracts and Corrections referrals.
• Community Alcohol and Drug Services (CADS) Auckland: Te Whatu Ora funded specialist AOD provider in Auckland delivering community outpatient treatment, opioid substitution, and residential pathways; comparable publicly-funded addiction service operating in a different region.
• Turning Point (Eastern Health): Melbourne-based addiction treatment, research, and education provider affiliated with Eastern Health; comparable Australasian AOD specialist with similar clinical/research remit and government funding mix.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Odyssey-House-Christchurch-154166208367745
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/odyssey-house-christchurch

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Odyssey House Christchurch