A small seed had grown to maturity," proclaimed "Our History." Its origins traced back to a time when Dr. Fromow, the resident doctor at Whitianga Hospital, voiced his concerns about the unemployed and less fortunate in the district. The Anglican Vicar, Reverend Keith King, and the Presbyterian Minister, Reverend Stuart McKenzie, shared these concerns. It was on March 17, 1983, that they established the Whitianga Social Services Group during a meeting at Mercury Bay House.
By 1992, the service had significantly expanded. What began in the back of a disused building with just one part-time staff member and not even a telephone had evolved into a service with salaried workers and volunteers.
In the early 2000s, The Resource Centre on Coghill Street was outgrowing its space, prompting the decision to form a trust. This move was also seen as a way to facilitate government funding, given the impending establishment of a Charities Commission.
In 2001, the new Trust, with the assistance of Joan Gaskell and Mr Peter Wyatt, secured the old hospital as a suitable location, which had been vacant for several years. Negotiations for a lease began, as the hospital required repairs and extensive internal renovations to make it suitable. With the help of a Work & Income employment scheme and local businesses, the transition to the new Social Services Centre took nearly six months.
Over the following eight years, the services continued to expand. Given the potential Treaty Settlement, it was decided to secure a building of their own due to a six-month "out clause" in the lease. In December 2009, the first sod was turned on the new Whitianga Social Services Centre site, with Trust Patron Frank O'Toole presiding over the ceremony. The event was attended by some of the key individuals who had first conceived the idea of social services, including Anglican Vicar Reverend Keith King and Presbyterian Minister Stuart McKenzie. Rev. King and Ngati Hei representative Joe Davis blessed the new site at Cook Drive, with Rev. King expressing his satisfaction at how "such a small seed had now grown to maturity.