Sisters of Compassion

What Sisters of Compassion does

Sisters of Compassion (legal entity: Sisters of Compassion Group Limited, also doing business as Compassion Aotearoa, registered charity CC 10246) is a New Zealand Catholic charitable organization founded in 1892 by Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert at Hiruhārama on the Whanganui River. It operates a portfolio of social services and hospitality assets across five New Zealand locations, anchored by three core programmes: the Compassion Soup Kitchen at 132 Tory Street, Wellington (serving 85,333 meals in 2024/25); Compassion Housing, a Registered Community Housing Provider managing 208 pensioner units across Upper Hutt, Levin, Foxton and Shannon; and Our Lady's Home of Compassion in Island Bay, which combines a retreat and conference centre, the Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre, the Category 1-listed Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion, the Cloister Café, and The Grotto pilgrimage site. Adjacent offerings include a school visits programme for Year 1–13 students and the Vocation Ministry.

The business model is a hybrid of donation-funded charitable services and modest fee-based revenue. Soup kitchen meals are provided free to recipients, with funding drawn from individual donations, charitable trusts, businesses, church partnerships, and bequests (a structured five-tier giving programme runs from NZD $60 to NZD $1,500 per gift). Housing generates subsidized rental income under Registered Community Housing Provider arrangements — including a 2025 takeover of the Horowhenua District Council's community housing portfolio that doubled the housing footprint from 93 to 208 units. Retreat centre accommodation, programmes, Cloister Café sales, and heritage/school visits fees contribute marginal commercial revenue, with school Heritage Centre visits offered free with optional koha. Governance is provided by a Congregational Leadership Team of four Sisters (Sue Cosgrove, Alisi Tu'ipulotu, Margaret Anne Mills, Lusiana Raratini), co-Chief Executive Rebecca Packer, and a six-member Trust Board, with oversight from the Mother Aubert Home of Compassion Trust Board. The organization has no parent company, no equity shareholders, and no technology or AI infrastructure; it operates as a mission-driven non-profit with 130+ years of continuous service.

Name

Sisters of Compassion

Legal name

Sisters of Compassion Group Limited

Website

https://compassion.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1892

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sisters of Compassion is a New Zealand Catholic charity (founded 1892) operating a soup kitchen in Wellington serving 85,333 meals annually, 208 pensioner housing units across four regions, and a retreat and heritage centre in Island Bay, funded primarily through donations, bequests, and subsidized housing arrangements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly (62331)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Nursing & Personal Care Facilities (8050)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

Keywords

• Community meal services
• Affordable elderly housing
• Spiritual retreat programmes
• Charitable social services
• Community heritage education

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization relies primarily on donations from individuals, charitable trusts, businesses, and churches. Regular giving programs and one-time donations from supporters fund the soup kitchen, housing operations, and retreat centre activities.
2. Bequests and Legacy Giving: Compassion encourages supporters to include the organization in their wills, ensuring long-term sustainability of the mission and services.
3. Service Fees (Minimal): Retreat centre accommodation and programme fees contribute modest revenue. School visits to the Heritage Centre are offered free of charge with optional koha.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Sisters of Compassion operates a portfolio of charitable services for individuals and communities in need in New Zealand. Its principal offerings are the Compassion Soup Kitchen (free hot meals at 132 Tory Street, Wellington), Compassion Housing (208 affordable pensioner units across Upper Hutt and the Horowhenua District with nurse advocacy and pastoral support), and Our Lady's Home of Compassion (retreat, conference and accommodation centre in Island Bay), complemented by the Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre, Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion, Cloister Café, The Grotto pilgrimage site, and a schools education programme.

Product overview

Sisters of Compassion is a charitable religious organization offering a portfolio of social services and hospitality facilities. The core offerings include the Compassion Soup Kitchen (community meals service), Compassion Housing (affordable housing for elderly), and Our Lady's Home of Compassion (retreat/conference centre). Related services include the Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre, Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion, Cloister Cafe, The Grotto pilgrimage site, and School Visits educational programme. These services work together to fulfill the organization's mission of compassionate care following Suzanne Aubert's legacy of supporting those in need.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Compassion Soup Kitchen Community meal service providing hot, nutritious meals in a safe and welcoming environment at 132 Tory Street, Te Aro, Wellington, supporting the wellbeing of people experiencing hardship, homelessness or food insecurity. Free to recipients with optional koha.
• Compassion Housing Registered Community Housing Provider offering affordable housing and support services for older people in Upper Hutt, Levin, Foxton and Shannon, with 208 pensioner units, nurse advocacy visits and pastoral care to support dignity, independence and wellbeing.
• Our Lady's Home of Compassion Retreat Centre Retreat, conference and accommodation centre located at 2 Rhine Street, Island Bay, Wellington, offering spiritual retreats, programmes, accommodation, gardens and the Cloister Café. Home to the Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre and Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion.
• Suzanne Aubert Heritage Centre Interactive heritage centre sharing the life, mission and legacy of Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert through exhibits, artefacts and stories. Open Tuesday to Friday, 10am-3pm at Island Bay, Wellington.
• Chapel of Our Lady of Compassion Spiritual centre for prayer, worship, retreats, reflection, community gatherings and pilgrimage, with stained-glass windows by John Drawbridge and Peter Kirby. Listed as a Category 1 Historic Place by Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga.
• Cloister Cafe Welcoming cafe located at Our Lady's Home of Compassion in Island Bay, offering food and refreshments to visitors, retreat guests and the local community.
• The Grotto Miniature replica of France's Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes at Island Bay, built by Bill Kraus and blessed on 15 September 1973, serving as a peaceful place of prayer, reflection and pilgrimage.
• School Visits Programme Educational programmes for school groups from Year 1 to Year 13, offering activities, resources, retreats and Heritage Centre visits exploring the story of Meri Hōhepa Suzanne Aubert and the Sisters of Compassion.

Quantifiable outcome

• 85,333 meals served annually at the Compassion Soup Kitchen
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charitable Trusts and BusinessescoreOthersVarious charitable trusts and businesses provide financial support and donations to sustain Compassion's mission. Their generosity enables the continuation of soup kitchen, housing, and retreat centre operations.
• ChurchescoreOthersChurch communities partner with Compassion through donations, volunteers, and referrals. They help sustain the mission of compassion and serve people of all creeds.
• VolunteerscoreOthersIndividual volunteers contribute time and skills across all Compassion operations including soup kitchen, retreats, and administrative functions.
• Individual DonorscoreOthersPersonal donors provide ongoing financial support through regular giving, one-time donations, and bequests.
• Age ConcernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAge Concern study found 60% of Kiwis aged 65+ felt lonely or socially isolated. Compassion works to address this through housing and nurse advocate programmes.
• Orchards, Schools, Businesses (Food Donors)minorOthersOngoing donations of produce, food items, and supplies from orchards, schools, churches, and businesses support the Compassion Soup Kitchen operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Age Concern New Zealand: National network addressing elderly wellbeing, loneliness, and advocacy — including the survey cited by Compassion showing 60% of over-65s felt lonely. Adjacent comparator in elderly social support rather than direct service delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Presbyterian Support New Zealand: Network of regional Presbyterian charitable trusts delivering social services including elderly support, family services, and community care. Comparable in elderly and community-focused services, though broader in scope.
• Auckland City Mission: Major Auckland-based charitable trust delivering food support (including the Kai Kitchen programme), social housing, and wraparound social services. Comparable operating model around food insecurity response and community housing, but serving a different region.
• The Salvation Army New Zealand: Large international faith-based charitable organization operating food banks, social housing, community programmes, and addiction services across New Zealand. Comparable in offering soup kitchen-style food support and community housing, but at much greater national scale.
• Kainga Ora – Homes and Communities: New Zealand Crown entity providing social and affordable housing nationwide. Comparable in community housing provision and increasingly in transferring portfolios to community housing providers such as Compassion Housing.

Others

• Habitat for Humanity New Zealand: Faith-affiliated affordable housing organization in New Zealand delivering community housing outcomes. Comparable in housing mission but focused on home ownership pathways rather than pensioner rental housing.
• Volunteering New Zealand: National volunteer-sector infrastructure organization. Comparable insofar as Compassion relies heavily on its 15,000+ volunteer base across the soup kitchen, retreats, and operations.
• New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services: Umbrella body for faith-based social service providers in New Zealand. Comparable ecosystem positioning for a faith-rooted charity like Compassion delivering community services.

Direct peers

• St Vincent de Paul Society New Zealand: Catholic lay charitable organization providing food support, home visits, and social assistance across New Zealand. Highly comparable given Compassion's Catholic heritage and parallel community support mission.
• Wellington City Mission: Wellington-based faith-rooted community organization providing food support, social services, and housing assistance to people in need. Directly comparable to Compassion's soup kitchen and community support model in the same city.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sistersofcompassion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Sisters of Compassion