Newtown’s a village for recent arrival to Wellington
Saturday, 13 September 2025
Faith, family, food and great coffee — Anglican Assistant Bishop of Wellington Anashuya (Ana) Fletcher has it all in Newtown.
Where do you live?
In Newtown, down the end near the zoo. Friends gifted us an annual pass to the zoo and the kids love going there. Even from home we’ve been hearing the lions a lot recently.
My favourite thing about this part of Wellington is …
There’s a local cafe, Newday, on Constable St, the new owners are amazing and they have great coffee, and my favourite banana bread. And it’s on the way to and from the school run for a date with my husband [Paul Fletcher, priest at St Tom’s, Newtown]. Sometimes we walk to Island Bay and stop in at Coucou which has an incredible range of baking. I’m making my way through the cabinet, trying everything.
A hidden gem in my neighbourhood is …
Newtown feels like it’s a village in the city. It’s impossible to walk down the street without seeing someone you know. It’s a beautiful part of living here, the supermarket, the school gate, you always see someone you know.
To get to work in Thorndon I travel by …
Bus. If I’m just going to Thorndon for the day I take the bus, it’s an amazing bus service from Newtown. We’re a one-car family but if I have to go further than Thorndon I take our car.
If you’re looking for somewhere to eat you can’t go past …
A fun morning date at Neo Cafe and Eatery on Willis St. We’re slowly exploring our way in the city but we like Kisa on Cuba St for a date night. It’s Middle-Eastern food, really yummy and shared plates.
My favourite place to take a visitor to Wellington would be …
If they had kids, scootering from Evans Bay to Oriental Parade. It’s such a pretty city so you get the view as you come round the corner, and going up Mt Victoria. After seven years living in Whanganui we’re still enjoying the city as tourists so each weekend is like an adventure.
The perfect Saturday is …
Friday! My sabbath is Friday, it’s a great day off. We’re able to pray and play and rest both with and without our kids. We’re off our devices, not available to the different people in our lives. We notice it when we don’t have our Friday. Starting with coffee together is a weekly routine. We love having brunch but we’re trying to be better with our budgeting. Sometimes we walk to Island Bay for a stroll around the bays. In moving to Wellington we’ve discovered you’re close to beautiful things, Newtown is good, but you drive for five minutes, or go over a hill and there’s the ocean and drive 10 minutes and you’re in the bush.
When I need to clear my head, I go to …
Holistically, about myself, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual all go together. Moving my body is good for my head. Recently it was a three-hour walk for retreat, and I went to a cafe. I love eating good food and drinking good coffee — mine’s a small flat white — and a lot of my life revolves around that! Paul and I were in a group of friends who founded Common Good Coffee fair trade organic coffee. But it still supplies coffee to homes, NGOs, cafes and businesses and it’s sold online with $5 from each kilo sold going to spark good in places affected by extreme poverty and modern slavery.
My guilty pleasure in the city is …
Fried chicken! Chicking Newtown, Platform 145 in the city and there’s always KFC in Kilbirnie. I had Popeyes in the States and there’s one in the Hutt Valley I haven’t yet tried.
If I were mayor for a day I would …
I don’t have a good view of the city as a whole yet, but I think at local government level we’d be thinking about how we work together to address the real needs of people, and wellbeing. With the general state of the world, with loss of jobs in the city and the huge emotional and mental toll that takes, how do we care well for one another and what might a local body offer?