About The Southern Centre

Introduction

The Southern Centre is a multi sensory facility in Christchurch, New Zealand, located within Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre from 2012. Multi sensory environments focus on stimulating your senses, which means the various pieces of equipment are based around sights, sounds, textures and smells. Originally developed for people with disabilities, they provide a great opportunity for people to interact, have fun and discover at their own pace. The Southern Centre, however, is a one-of-a-kind environment and is inclusive to all people!

History

The original concept for multi sensory rooms began in the Netherlands in the late 1970s and grew in popularity in both the UK and Europe. The types and functions of sensory rooms have changed and morphed over the years and the Southern Centre is an extremely dynamic version of the early rooms. This innovation and creativity has seen the Southern Centre recognised on the international stage, winning the World Leisure Award for Innovation and Excellence.

Staff

The Southern Centre team are supported by the Pioneer Team within the Christchurch City Council's Recreation and Sport Unit. We are a small but very fun team who are keen to work with all groups, creating sessions suited to each participant.

Supporters

The Southern Centre is operated under a very successful partnership between the Christchurch City Council and the Southern Centre Charitable Trust. The Christchurch City Council manages the daily operation of the Southern Centre, which includes staffing, general building requirements, processes and overhead costs. The Trust is responsible for sourcing funding for the specialised equipment in the room, which includes new equipment projects and maintenance of equipment.