Gear up Ōtautahi is recycle/reuse a community-driven project designed to help children and adults participate in sports.
Donate old, new and used sports equipment to the various Gear Up Ōtautahi wheelie bins around the city.
Please check our Facebook page(external link) for the up-to-date list of locations.
Mr 6, aka spiderman, is happy with his new ball.
Gear Up Ōtautahi started in the south of Christchurch in 2015 as a one-off sports equipment drive to be redistributed at a number of community events.
As of the 1st January 2025, Christchurch City Council will be stepping away from Gear Up Ōtautahi allowing the programme to be a fully community-led and run project. At the beginning of the rebrand, one of the main objectives was to have the Council involved and get a process up and running that worked well with key stakeholders and then when the time was right, step away to allow the project to grow naturally within the community.
That time is now and as a result, Gear Up Ōtautahi have relocated the storage facility to the Avon Hub, and partnered with Eastern Community Sport and Recreation to assist in driving our community partnerships and getting gear to those in need. It is based in the old Shirley Boys Gym, 77 North Parade.
What you can donate
Donated gear is laid out for people to look through, try on and take away at a community event.
Any type of sports equipment including shoes, balls, racquets, bats, etc in good used or new condition can be donated.
We do not accept helmets or clothing donations.
Please clean the gear before you drop it into our donation bins.
What we do with your donations
Donations are distributed to a variety of people and groups, such as community events and groups, sports clubs and schools.
Some of the donation points are also distribution points – you can find these on our Facebook page(external link).
If your gear is not suitable to use, we'll dispose of it or find another use for it, such as donating old balls to Dog Watch Sanctuary Trust.
Gear up Ōtautahi donation bin.
Host a donation bin
If you're considering hosting a donation bin or running a donation drive, please contact us to discuss how we can work with you on this.
Contact us