SPCA New Zealand
Duct tape and love can't hold a shelter together forever!

Duct tape and love can't hold a shelter together forever!

Our Māngere Centre is falling apart. We urgently need your help to build a new, fit-for-purpose shelter in Wiri - a clean, calm, and caring space where real healing can begin.

Over 5,500 animals arrive at our Māngere Centre each year. Your kindness gives them their best chance at survival.

These animals often come frightened, weak, and alone—desperately searching for hope and a safe place to heal.

But after 40 years of incredible service, the Māngere Centre is falling apart. Disease lingers in cracked floors, the roof is caving in, and a poor layout means constant noise. The surgical prep area even doubles as a dental table.

It’s no longer fit for purpose.

And the animals it’s meant to protect face endless cycles of sickness, isolation, and stress.

We urgently need your help to build a new, fit-for-purpose shelter in Wiri - a clean, calm, and caring space where real healing can begin.

This isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity.

And we’re calling on New Zealand’s compassionate animal lovers to help us lay the first bricks.

Please donate to our Licks & Mortar Appeal today.

Our 40-year-old Māngere Centre has reached the end of its life. No matter how hard or how often we clean the floors, giardia and coccidia – dangerous intestinal parasites – cling to the cracks.

The building is now at breaking point. Duct tape and love can’t hold it up forever...

Cracks in the floors trap disease. Surgical rooms double as storage cupboards. Expert staff pour their hearts into providing the best possible care, but the layout is cramped, the infrastructure is failing, and the animals are suffering because of it.

No amount of disinfectant can eradicate the disease that our deteriorating Māngere Centre can harbour - sometimes for months on end.

Our new Wiri Centre would offer vulnerable animals a chance to heal and recover in a cleaner, calmer space. It will draw on global best practice to reduce stress, prevent disease, and support recovery. All of this means shorter Centre stays and the opportunity to help an extra 2,000 animals a year. Wiri would have:

For staff, Wiri would mean being able to treat and care for vulnerable animals without the building itself adding stress and strain.

For vulnerable animals, Wiri would mean a chance to heal and recover in a cleaner, calmer space.

Help us make Wiri a reality
Extraordinary gifts create extraordinary change.

Extraordinary gifts create extraordinary change.

If you're interested in making a major contribution to this once-in-a-generation project, our Major Donor Manager, Debbie Madden, would love to hear from you.

Please contact her directly at debbie.madden@spca.nz

Get in touch today

Wiri FAQs

I want to donate, but am hesitant to donate online – is there any other way I can give?

Absolutely! You can easily call our helpful team on 0800 888 444 to make a donation over the phone. Alternatively, all SPCA Centres and Op Shops will facilitate in-person donations at their tills if you would like to donate in person.

My business may want to help with construction, fit out or funding. Who can I contact?

Thank you - we are so appreciative that you want to get involved!

Please contact our Partnerships Manager - Simon Diprose - on 021 997 669 or via email at simon.diprose@spca.nz

How is the new Centre different from the current Māngere facility?

The new Wiri Centre isn’t just a replacement, it’s a transformation. While the Māngere facility has served Auckland for over 40 years, it was never designed to meet the scale or standards of modern animal care. The new Centre is purpose-built from the ground up to do exactly that.

But more than that, Wiri offers the space and infrastructure needed to build a modern, future-proof Centre that Māngere simply couldn’t accommodate.

Here’s how the new Centre will help:

  • Faster rehabilitation = more animals helped: With purpose-built facilities, animals will recover more quickly, meaning they can be rehomed faster, and SPCA can welcome even more animals in need.
  • Expanded care: For the first time, SPCA Auckland will be able to care for aquatic animals alongside cats, dogs, birds, and small mammals.
  • Community connection: A dedicated community centre will offer education, outreach, and a place for locals to connect with SPCA’s purpose and each other.
  • Better outcomes for animals and people: Improved layout and hygiene standards mean healthier animals, less stress for staff and volunteers, and a safer experience for visitors and adopters.

Wiri isn’t just a new location, it’s a leap forward in how SPCA supports animals and the people who care about them.

Here’s how Wiri will be different:

  • Purpose-built design: Every room, corridor, and enclosure has been thoughtfully planned to support animal health, reduce stress, and streamline rehabilitation.
  • Expanded capacity: With better facilities and faster recovery times, SPCA will be able to care for more animals, helping them heal and find homes more quickly.
  • New species cared for: For the first time, aquatic animals will be welcomed alongside cats, dogs, birds, and small mammals.
  • Community hub: A dedicated space for education, outreach, and events will help build stronger connections between SPCA and the local community.
  • Modern hygiene and safety standards: No more patch jobs or duct tape, Wiri will meet the highest standards for cleanliness, safety, and infection control.

In short, the new Centre will be a place where animals thrive, staff and volunteers are supported, and the community feels proud to be part of something lasting.

Why not renovate/rebuild at Māngere?

Renovating or rebuilding the Māngere Centre was not a viable option due to its age, condition, and site limitations.

  • The building is over 40 years old and has been added to in stages, resulting in a fragmented layout that is inefficient and stressful for animals.
  • It can no longer be cleaned to the highest hygienic standard. Cracks and damaged surfaces harbour disease, increasing illness and prolonging animals’ stay.
  • The site is at full capacity, with no room to expand to meet Auckland’s growing demand for animal welfare services.
  • Redevelopment would have required shutting down parts of the centre, disrupting critical animal care.
  • Selling the Māngere site generated funds, which is helping fund the new Wiri Animal Centre - a purpose-built, future-focused nationally impactful facility that will better serve animals, staff, and the Auckland community for decades to come.

How will my donation be used? Will it definitely go towards the Wiri build?

Yes, all money raised as part of this appeal will go towards the build, fit out and ongoing operational and running costs of the Wiri Centre. We want every donor to feel confident that their generosity is making a direct impact.

Here’s how SPCA ensures transparency and accountability:

  • Dedicated campaign: This fundraising appeal is specifically for the construction of the new Centre at Wiri. All donations made through this campaign are earmarked for that purpose.
  • Clear tracking: SPCA monitors and reports on funds raised for the Wiri build separately from other operational budgets.
  • Public updates: Progress on the build - including milestones like slab pouring, roofing, and opening - will be shared with supporters via the SPCA website.
  • Donor care: If you ever have questions about your donation, SPCA’s Supporter Care team is available to provide clarity and reassurance.

Every dollar you give helps lay the foundation – literally - for a safer, healthier future for thousands of animals. Your support is building more than a shelter. It’s building hope.

Can I visit the new Centre once it’s open to see where my donation went?

Absolutely, you’re warmly invited to visit the new Wiri Centre once it opens. We’d love for supporters to see firsthand the impact of their generosity and the difference it’s making for thousands of animals.

While we won’t be able to point to a specific brick or kennel and say, “this is yours,” your donation will be part of every wall, every pawprint, and every life saved inside. The Centre is being built thanks to the collective kindness of animal lovers like you, and your support will be felt in every corner.

We’ll share updates on opening dates and visiting opportunities as the build progresses, so you can come see the future you helped create.

How many animals need help right now?

This number changes every single day, but last year we had 5464 animals through our Māngere Centre. In addition to this, SPCA helps animals in communities through rescue, rehabilitation, fostering, finding forever homes, desexing initiatives, education, and pet food banks.

What is the proposed capacity of Wiri - how many animals can we help?

Last year alone, our Māngere Centre cared for 5,500 animals. Our new Wiri Centre would offer vulnerable animals a chance to heal and recover in a cleaner, calmer space. It will draw on global best practice to reduce stress, prevent disease, and support recovery. All of this means shorter Centre stays and the opportunity to help an extra 2,000 animals a year.

What’s happening to the animals at Māngere in the meantime?

Our team of dedicated employees, volunteers, and fosters will continue to provide care for animals who are sick, injured, neglected, abused, or vulnerable. We will continue to operate from the Māngere Centre until we can move into Wiri.

Are you thinking of updating or rebuilding other Centres around the country?

Yes, and our Māngere Centre isn’t the first to be rebuilt or updated. This year, we updated our Hobsonville Centre (Auckland) to increase capacity, and reopened our Hokitika Centre to better serve the sick, injured, and vulnerable animals of the area. We have also progressed plans to carry out roof repairs for our Christchurch Centre, relocate and upgrade our facilities in Whangārei, and improve the dog runs in Tauranga.

Isn’t SPCA Government-funded? Why do you need donations?

Of the total cost for SPCA to operate, only about 10% is funded by a Government contribution, and this funding is earmarked specifically for our Inspectorate services. This means that all animal care costs from vet checks, vaccinations, desexing, bedding, toys, medication and so much more is funded through kind donations from New Zealand’s animal lovers.

How does this project align with SPCA’s vision and values?

This new Centre at Wiri is a direct reflection of SPCA’s commitment to animal welfare, community care, and compassionate action - Together with our communities, SPCA has been protecting New Zealand’s animals for over 150 years – animals who are sick, injured, neglected, abused or vulnerable. Wiri s more than a building, it’s a promise to uphold the values that have guided SPCA for the last and next 150 years.

  • Compassion: The current Māngere Centre is no longer suitable. Building a new facility ensures animals are cared for in a clean, healthy, and purpose-built environment, because every animal deserves dignity and comfort.
  • Integrity: Rather than patching up a failing structure, SPCA is taking a transparent, forward-thinking approach, investing in a long-term solution that meets modern standards.
  • Community: The new Centre will include a dedicated space for community engagement, education, and connection - bringing people and animals together in meaningful ways.

This build is more than bricks and mortar. It’s a living embodiment of SPCA’s vision: a society where all animals are treated with kindness and respect.

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