Windrose House is an intentional co-living community based in Otautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. We are rooted in six shared values: love, joy, communication, sustainability, growth, and community stewardship.
Our home has a long history. The house was originally built in 1871 by J.B. Way and his family, and was known as Remuera — a Te Reo Maori word roughly translating to “burnt hem of a garment.” Over the decades it has transformed from a grand family estate with stables and gardens, to a chapel, a halfway house, and most recently a backpackers hostel. Today it lives on as Windrose House — a vibrant, community-focused home nestled near Hagley Park in the heart of the city.
We are a queer-inclusive, vegan-friendly, creativity-loving home made up of people from all walks of life and corners of the world. Our community spans over 11 nationalities and several languages. Between us, we have outdoor guides, landscapers, technologists, council workers, teachers, circus artists, engineers, musicians, activists, community organisers, and a few who defy easy description. We are committed to honouring Te Tiriti o Waitangi and to learning what it means to be Tangata Tiriti — Treaty partners — in everyday, grounded ways.
What ties us together is a shared curiosity about how to live well with others: with humour, openness to personal growth, and enough self-awareness to know we are all still figuring it out. Community is not something that just happens — it is something we build together. It takes care, communication, and a willingness to stretch, and in return it offers a rare kind of richness and connection.
Daily life at Windrose blends routine with spontaneity. We share meals four to six times a week, cook together, maintain the house collaboratively, and make decisions collectively. We draw on tools like Non-Violent Communication and consent-based practices to navigate conflict with care. Governance is participatory — residents propose, vote, and shape how the house runs through a mix of digital channels and regular in-person family meetings.
Beyond the house, we are inspired by principles of communal effort, radical inclusion, gifting, decommodification, and radical self-expression. We aspire to be a positive example of urban community life — one that is joyful, sustainable, and deeply human.
We welcome people who are curious about intentional living and want more than just a place to sleep.
Intentional co-living urban community rooted in love, joy, sustainability, growth and community stewardship.
We have two pathways to membership:
Guests can apply to stay for up to 2 months via our guest application form, with extensions possible depending on availability. Guests staying longer than one week are welcomed into our community spaces and communication channels.
Residents go through a structured recruitment process. Applicants submit an expression of interest, are interviewed by a recruitment buddy, and if progressed, enter an Explorer period — a trial phase where both the applicant and the community get to know each other. Explorers participate in house life, shared meals, and meetings. A community vote then determines whether they become a full resident. Decisions are made collectively by current residents using a temperature-read voting system.
Throughout both pathways, we prioritise fit with our shared values of love, joy, communication, sustainability, growth, and community stewardship — as well as a genuine openness to communal living.
We welcome visitors and guests! The best way to connect with us is through our Linktree: https://linktr.ee/windrosehouse
To visit as a guest (up to 2 months, with extensions possible depending on availability): https://tr.ee/DFdokvceG6
To apply to live with us as a resident: https://tr.ee/-CC89f_LLO
For general enquiries, email us at wi**************@***il.com (we respond within 8-48 hours) or DM us on Facebook for events and dinner invites (4-8 hours).
The whole membership decides collectively.
More than 50% agreement needed.
Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.
Windrose operates as a non-hierarchical community with no fixed leaders. We rotate a chair role for our fortnightly family meetings, and members self-organise into focus groups covering areas like human dynamics, guest liaison, and recruitment. These roles centralise information flow without creating formal leadership positions — initiative is shared, not assigned.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular fees: $18
Labor: Yes (1 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Large Scale Kitchen, Internet
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).
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