A new charitable trust is the latest step in the development of a community workshop space for Wanaka, which organisers hope will open in the new year.

Wanaka resident Ben Acland’s original concept of a workshop, which would collect surplus building materials from local building sites for retired people to work with, has evolved into a multi-use workshop proposal for the whole community.

Ben, who moved to Wanaka to help his brother Hamish start clothing business Mons Royale, now uses his spare time in the community with groups like Wanaka’s Better Building, and he is determined to rescue “perfectly good” building materials from landfill.

A shed for all

“People told me my original idea was a ‘men’s shed’,” Ben said, so he investigated men’s sheds and discovered that they generally only operate five hours a day twice a week. The Wanaka Bloke’s Shed, which was set up in 2008, closed in 2011. 

Ben advertised his idea and asked for feedback. 

The feedback he received included “it shouldn't be just a men’s shed”, Ben said, with some saying it shouldn’t just be for retired people, and other groups saying they were looking for similar spaces.

Wastebusters’ Repair Revolution fits well with the workshop concept.

“So it became a shed that would be used for tools and equipment right across the spectrum, and then a ‘community shed’.”

Gwilym Griffith-Jones, the founder of Cactus Outdoor (a company renowned for being New Zealand made and high quality), came on board, and his first suggestion was the name should reflect more than a shed. Gwilym thought a ‘workshop’ better reflected the skills, creativity and learning environment that would match the concept’s purpose. 

The pair have now registered the Wanaka Community Workshop Trust, a charitable trust, to enable them to apply for community funding. 

The Wanaka Community Workshop’s founding principles describe the workshop as a space where multiple groups can use shared tools and materials to make, repair, and create. The concept aims to bring people together in a way which builds a resilient community, retaining knowledge and reducing waste.

Community support

The Kahu Youth Trust has seen value in the concept, saying the Community Workshop's commitment to upcycling and community partnership aligns with its own vision to support initiatives that benefit Upper Clutha youth and provide opportunities to connect youth with the wider community.

“...a collaboration between Kahu Youth Trust and the Wanaka Community Workshop has the potential to provide relevant, meaningful and positive activities for Upper Clutha youth that will help to build life skills and confidence while inspiring our young people to play a greater role in shaping the future of our community," Kahu Youth Trust said in a letter of support.

Another potential partner is Wanaka Wastebusters, which has developed Repair Revolution cafe-style events where locals can bring along their broken treasures and receive free advice and repairs.

The Repair Revolution project aims to reduce waste by offering an alternative to ‘throwaway culture’, demonstrate how satisfying making repairs can be and model the ‘circular economy’ in action. Wastebusters has a Repair Revolution tool trailer full of equipment for repairers to use. 

There would be a repair function to the community workshop, Ben confirmed. “Wastebusters has said if we have the facilities they will work with us to repair items that arrive at Wastebusters, as they do not have any space on site. And if we build up knowledge around what they’re doing, that aspect could become more permanent.”

Ben and Gwilym are also hoping the new Trust will be able to run a range of workshops.

“Potentially we could hire the space out for workshops, for example, by someone who can do knife sharpening,” Ben said.

He suggested that two days a week the space will operate exclusively as a ‘men's shed’, and the remaining days and evenings would be open to the community and other groups to make efficient use of the building, tools, and administration.

Next steps

As for a building, Ben said there are a few ideas in the mix. 

“There are some workable options, with varying timeframes,” he said, adding the old settling ponds adjacent to Three Parks is a potential longer term option. However, Ben also has a workshop which may be fit for purpose.

In the meantime, Ben is encouraging people who are interested in the concept to fill out the Trust’s online google form to indicate how they may want to use the shed.

“We’re also getting proposals together to approach the local trusts,” Ben said. 

“We need volunteers, and we need a lot of community support to prove to the funders that we’ve got [the] community behind us.”

Follow progress on the Trust’s Facebook page.

PHOTOS: Supplied