Stranger Social: Afternoon Tea Potluck

Let's share kai! Join us at 3pm-5pm on Sunday 9th August, at Āiotanga Community Space, for our new Stranger Social: Afternoon Tea Potluck

📍 Āiotanga Community Space: 2F/22 Emily Place, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010
🗓 Sunday, 9th August 2026
🕕 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM

As winter in August unfolds, we warmly manaaki you again, in the daytime! 🌞🎉 Please gather with us, at our first event of the month, Stranger Social: Afternoon Tea Potluck

We will be approaching the middle of winter this August, which is closer to the final quarter of the year. And, this is a great time to plan new beginnings, as well as reflect on and celebrate all that has happened to-date. So, what better way to do that, than warmly gathering over shared finger food? 🍽🥤

And, you are most welcome to come along and test out if this event, or our wider Launch Community, is a fit for you.

Please also feel welcome to show up solo. This daytime event will include opportunities for us to share kai and chit-chat together, including with fellow ‘strangers’. These ‘Stranger Socials’ are an opportunity to build and shape an ‘unlikely community’, through working relationships and whanaungatanga (kinship). They are also designed to assist you in feeling welcomed, introduced and included into our community, from the start. Moreover, they're also a chance to meet people you wouldn't normally run into. On the other hand, if you wish to bring a plus one or a plus two, that’s fine too. After all, we’re here to build community together! 🙂🥤

If desired, why not also explore your creative, finger food cooking skills? This event is also an opportunity for emboldenment, by showcasing your culinary talent! 🎊🌟 We welcome a variety of finger food (microwave- friendly) dishes, as this is a gift to us all: No matter how big, small, simple, complex, mild or spicy, cold or hot. Just as long as something is thoughtfully created from your heart, this is better than nothing at all. We're not here to judge. Instead, we hope that by coming together intentionally, through easy-to-share, (microwave- friendly) kai and non-alcoholic beverage/s, the walls we sometimes put up (including unconsciously) amongst ourselves will start to melt - just as sweets do in our mouths 🍭🍬

Logistics:
What: Afternoon tea potluck, reflection and celebration 🎉
Where: Āiotanga Community Space: 2F/22 Emily Place, Auckland CBD (1010)
When: 3pm-5pm. Sunday 9th August, 2026
Who: You (and if desired a plus one/two)

Cost:
Free (with your easy-to-share kai or non-alcoholic beverage/s offering & an RSVP for you & your plus one/two). Donations/koha are very welcome too, such as a gold coin, to help our ever- growing community ‘keep the lights on’ (if possible), thanks 🙂

Here in Aotearoa New Zealand, we refer to the state of wellbeing concept - mauri ora: mauri (life force) and ora (safe, well, or alive) - from Te Ao Māori. So, in the spirit of reflection, we wish to open this event up as an opportunity for attendees to offer feedback, in conjunction with our shared, value-additive te oranga (participation in society). Our Launch Community organisers are constantly learning. With your feedback, The Launch Community can accommodate you better. Thus, we then all grow, ‘unlikely community’, together.

Alternatively, for those of you who may not wish to speak in front of other folk/s at one of our events, feel free to speak directly to our Launch Community ‘Event Host’. Moreover, if you prefer, you can also connect with us privately, if you have questions/feedback/suggestions that you think would be valuable. Or, you can fill out our Launch Community Form, via a QR Code. This process will have an option for you to remain anonymous. We are here, ready to learn from you.

What is the Launch Community?

We're an experiment in an ‘unlikely community’. Most groups form around shared interests. We're more interested in what happens when you practice connection with people you don't already know. We think isolation wears us down. And, connection across different experiences makes us stronger.

Our gatherings are welcoming, joyful, and grounded in real human connection. You don't need to be "launching" anything specific. This is about creating space for whatever you want to pursue through community.

How this gathering will work:

This event will begin at 3pm, with a brief welcome. And then, an 'Icebreaker': to get to know each other better. At around 3:15pm, we will enjoy our Stranger Social: Afternoon Tea Potluck together. There may also be a few other fun and entertaining surprises, depending on how the event unfolds. So, please keep your eyes peeled, as well as your hearts and minds open! 🤩❤️

You’ll leave with:
- Intriguing memories! Of our shared kai and storytelling
- The thrill of meeting new people
- The benefit of meaningful discussions/kinship, with fellow Launch Community folk/s
- New insights about life, with maybe a touch of creative whimsy! 🎨 🌟

Who comes to Launch Community events?

We have all sorts of people in The Launch Community. Many of us are working on projects or goals and looking for community. Some are new to Auckland. Generally, we're people getting out of our comfort zones a bit and looking for our way into community. What we have in common is wanting real connection with different people we can share with and learn from. Please check out our Instagram, to get a feel for what we're all about (@the_launch_hub).

Please Note:
RSVPs are required to ensure your place. To avoid being disappointed, please complete your RSVP, by 2.30pm Sunday 9th August. Also, if you are bringing other folk/s to join in with us, please remember to RSVP for your plus one/plus two as well.

All Launch Community events are alcohol-free: And this Stranger Social: Afternoon Tea Potluck event is no different. However, feel free to have a drink elsewhere, afterwards amongst yourselves (if desired).

And, by attending any Launch Community event, you're agreeing to uphold our ‘Launch Community Guidelines’. Please read them here

Ka kite anō koutou! Thanks, all the best 💫🚀

Launch Community Organisers