Locals opened on Monday 19 October in the carpark next to All Saints, owned by Beth and Nick Schryvers, who have been running Victus Coffee & Eatery on Bridge Street since 2022.
The cafe is operating out of a container with a story, established on land with a story.
In 2018, Beth founded Kairos Food Rescue, a non-profit food redistribution organisation in Christchurch. Using a donated shipping container, Beth rescued leftover cafe food from the tip and made it available to the public. “It just started from seeing a need to repurpose the wasted food that was around but also as a chance to build real connection and community in the heart of Christchurch City.”
Kairos now supplies over 55 food banks and groups, having redistributed over 80 tonnes of food in 2025. Operating out of a large warehouse, the original container became surplus to their needs. The Schryvers were given the opportunity to buy the container to use in Nelson. “It was kind of a no-brainer for us,” says Beth. “It had always been a container that was deeply rooted in empathy, kindness and creating community. We knew we could do something with it in Nelson to create community here.”
As members of All Saints, the Schryvers approached their vicar Tim Bustin about putting the container in the carpark next to the church on Vanguard Street. “It was this incredible intersection of independent ideas that all overlapped,” says Nick. “Something that reaches the community and draws people in, something that is positive, something that can connect need to resource – and there are so many awesome resources not only in the church but in this neighbourhood.”
The vision was not just to run a cafe, but be a connection point for the community.
“Working in a cafe exposes you to a lot of need,” Nick says, “but you’re also exposed to a lot of resource. One way we see community being built is actually facilitating the connecting of resource and need. Not necessarily filling all the needs ourselves, but finding people in our community that have resource and then connecting those people with the people that have need.”
Tim says the idea aligned with prayers and discussions that were already happening in the parish. “We would love the land to be an expression of the call and kaupapa of All Saints, to be a church that’s for the good of the city. Some people will never come into a church. But this gives us an opportunity to engage and encounter the community.”
The carpark was owned by two All Saints members, who bought the land 14 years ago to preserve the space next to the church with hopes it would be used to benefit the community, and were ready to sell it to the parish for a generously low price. But All Saints didn’t have the funds to purchase it, so in March this year, after 18 months of discernment by church leadership, the vision of buying the land for the good of the community was pitched to the congregation.
“People sensed that this could be a good thing and a God thing,” says Tim. 113 church members, from teenagers to seniors, pledged money to bring the vision to life. Within 10 days, the church raised $340,000. The church now owns the land and rents it to the Schryvers.
When the container’s foundations were being poured, a number of church members joined the Schryvers family to write and throw prayers into the holes before they were filled with concrete. “So it’s literally built on top of the prayers of faithful people,” says Beth.
Locals’ first day open has welcomed a steady flow of visitors enjoying coffee and fresh baking on a sunny Monday.
The parish is exploring what it might look like to invite other containers onto the land, building on Locals’ presence. Tim would like to see other businesses or non-profits that share the same values of hospitality and positive community impact. He says it will be a journey of faith and discernment for All Saints. “We’ll be asking: How do we step into what we believe God’s inviting us into? How do we step forward with faith, with trust, and with wisdom and discernment? We’re excited to move into that.”
Locals is open from Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 2pm, on 24 Vanguard Street.
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We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
Locals opened on Monday 19 October in the carpark next to All Saints, owned by Beth and Nick Schryvers, who have been running Victus Coffee & Eatery on Bridge Street since 2022.
The cafe is operating out of a container with a story, established on land with a story.
In 2018, Beth founded Kairos Food Rescue, a non-profit food redistribution organisation in Christchurch. Using a donated shipping container, Beth rescued leftover cafe food from the tip and made it available to the public. “It just started from seeing a need to repurpose the wasted food that was around but also as a chance to build real connection and community in the heart of Christchurch City.”
Kairos now supplies over 55 food banks and groups, having redistributed over 80 tonnes of food in 2025. Operating out of a large warehouse, the original container became surplus to their needs. The Schryvers were given the opportunity to buy the container to use in Nelson. “It was kind of a no-brainer for us,” says Beth. “It had always been a container that was deeply rooted in empathy, kindness and creating community. We knew we could do something with it in Nelson to create community here.”
As members of All Saints, the Schryvers approached their vicar Tim Bustin about putting the container in the carpark next to the church on Vanguard Street. “It was this incredible intersection of independent ideas that all overlapped,” says Nick. “Something that reaches the community and draws people in, something that is positive, something that can connect need to resource – and there are so many awesome resources not only in the church but in this neighbourhood.”
The vision was not just to run a cafe, but be a connection point for the community.
“Working in a cafe exposes you to a lot of need,” Nick says, “but you’re also exposed to a lot of resource. One way we see community being built is actually facilitating the connecting of resource and need. Not necessarily filling all the needs ourselves, but finding people in our community that have resource and then connecting those people with the people that have need.”
Tim says the idea aligned with prayers and discussions that were already happening in the parish. “We would love the land to be an expression of the call and kaupapa of All Saints, to be a church that’s for the good of the city. Some people will never come into a church. But this gives us an opportunity to engage and encounter the community.”
The carpark was owned by two All Saints members, who bought the land 14 years ago to preserve the space next to the church with hopes it would be used to benefit the community, and were ready to sell it to the parish for a generously low price. But All Saints didn’t have the funds to purchase it, so in March this year, after 18 months of discernment by church leadership, the vision of buying the land for the good of the community was pitched to the congregation.
“People sensed that this could be a good thing and a God thing,” says Tim. 113 church members, from teenagers to seniors, pledged money to bring the vision to life. Within 10 days, the church raised $340,000. The church now owns the land and rents it to the Schryvers.
When the container’s foundations were being poured, a number of church members joined the Schryvers family to write and throw prayers into the holes before they were filled with concrete. “So it’s literally built on top of the prayers of faithful people,” says Beth.
Locals’ first day open has welcomed a steady flow of visitors enjoying coffee and fresh baking on a sunny Monday.
The parish is exploring what it might look like to invite other containers onto the land, building on Locals’ presence. Tim would like to see other businesses or non-profits that share the same values of hospitality and positive community impact. He says it will be a journey of faith and discernment for All Saints. “We’ll be asking: How do we step into what we believe God’s inviting us into? How do we step forward with faith, with trust, and with wisdom and discernment? We’re excited to move into that.”
Locals is open from Monday to Friday, 6:30am to 2pm, on 24 Vanguard Street.
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
