This thesis examines the development of the voluntary sector in Canterbury, New Zealand over the last few decades and the way in which the location and types of voluntary welfare organisations in this region have changed in recent years. It is timely to consider an issue such as this as over the last decade or so, the voluntary sector's role in regards to the provision of health and welfare services within New Zealand has become increasingly dominant. This growth has largely been a consequence of welfare state restructuring and the shifts in social and economic policies that have occurred as a result of this restructuring. The research is based on an in-depth survey of voluntary welfare organisations in the Canterbury region. This was a means through which to develop a profile of the voluntary sector in Canterbury and find out whether spatial variations have occurred in regards to the provision of services by the voluntary sector, and why they have occurred. Along with this, it is also based on a detailed study of one particular voluntary welfare organisation in Canterbury, namely Presbyterian Support (Upper South Island) which provides a large variety of services in a number of locations. The main findings of this study indicate that as a result of welfare state restructuring and a number of other factors associated with it, the voluntary sector in Canterbury has gone through considerable change in recent years.