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Author: Ian Maxwell
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Mountain film festival visits
This week Wanaka hosted the New Zealand Mountain Film & Book Festival. It is a great event that showcases the natural environment and the people who challenge themselves within it. Part of the Festival includes workshops for budding camera people to improve their craft. The Wanaka Community Workshop were used by participants as an opportunity…
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A food bank for Kahu Youth
The Team at the Workshop this week completed the latest in a growing network of food banks serving communities across Upper Clutha. The Network has been established by Community Networks our one stop shop for community services operating by the Community Hub. Food banks can be found at the Community Hub as well as the…
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Storage box’s help tidy a pre school
Lets face it, from time to time kid’s can be messy. The MenShed team can help with this. This week we shipped four large wooden box’s. Each is mobile with a set of wheels. The box’s can store stuff. Stuff left about on the floor can be popped in and the box stored away –…
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MenShed Team May Report
During May 2023 the MenShed Team met at the Wanaka Community Workshop each Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to midday. Our average attendance was 14 and over the month the volunteers contributed almost 360 hours – equivalent to 9 full time person weeks. We had no work related accidents or near misses. Over May the…
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Thanks to Wheels at Wānaka
Every two years our community hosts Wheels at Wānaka, the largest event of its type in the Southern Hemisphere. Its a great event that attracts people from across New Zealand. This year the Wanaka Community Workshop was a charity that benefitted from the success of the event. Thanks to the organisers, participants and attendees the…
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Weta Workshop
Weta are giant flightless crickets unique to New Zealand. They are generally active at night with most of the small species being carnivores and scavengers while the larger species are herbivores. Because they can cope with variations in temperature, wētā are found in all sorts of places – alpine areas, forests, grasslands, caves, shrub lands and…
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Lilliput network to grow
Our network of Lilliput Libraries serving communities across the Upper Clutha is about to expand. Each library operates on a trust and exchange system. People can browse, borrow, take or leave a book. What’s not to love? These little boxes of literature popping up on our streets are each looked after by a volunteer guardian. There…
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Schooling at home and the commuity
Homeschooling is full time education out of the traditional school classroom. It is an education option that a number of families across the Upper Clutha have chosen for their children. As the name homeschooling implies education is undertaken mostly at home but also within the community. This week families who homeschool visited the Wanaka Community…
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New thinking about coffins
Death Cafe Wanaka is an opportunity to meet as a community for the purpose of talking about life’s toughest topic. The Cafe meets regularly to embrace and honor the intricacies, ambiguities and mysteries surrounding how we seek meaning within the context of death and dying. The MenShed Team are working with members of the Death Cafe…
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Keeping worms warm
Winter is comming. For the Tiger Worms resident within the compost bins located at the Wanaka Community Gardens life can be tough during Winter. This week following a request from Grow Wanaka, the volunteers who manage the Wanaka Community Garden, the MenShed team have been building “lids” for each compost bin. The lids combined with…
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What makes Wanaka strong
Wanaka is a special place. This month research students from the University of Otago were in town seeking to understand what makes our community tick. The students sought advice and comment from many. The MenShed team hosted them twice – once for the interview, the second for a hand in completing a few projects. Nothing…
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Hot metal
Almost two years back the Wanaka Community Workshop first opened with a wood working shop. A year later Fabricate, our textile and sewing work shop opened. From then to now both the wood shop and the textile shop have added new equipment and capability. This month we started work on the beginnings of a metal…
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Après cycle
For over 20 years Bike Wānaka has been supporting the development and growth of mountain biking across the Upper Clutha region. Bike Wanaka have created a place where there is a ride for everyone. From beginner cross country riders through to die hard downhillers The MenShed team are working with Bike Wanaka to create facilities…
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Its for the kids
Plunket has long been New Zealand’s largest support service for the health and wellbeing of children and their families. From their Clinic in Wanaka, Plunket’s serves families across the Upper Clutha. This week the MenShed team completed a book shelf for Plunket. Built of re-cycled materials the book shelf is a small contribution to aid…
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Repair Revolution Returns
Last week Repair Revolution returned to the Wanaka Community Workshop. It was great to have it back. Repair Revolution is an event managed by Wastebusters and supported by the Queenstown Lakes District Council. Repair Revolution brings together a range of volunteers who apply their skills and experience to repairing items residents bring in. All sorts…
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Walk the talk
Never let it be said MenShed team are not versatile. This month the Wanaka Community Workshop was transformed to host Re-fashion – a fashion show cut differently. With the support of Queenstown Lakes District Council, Wastebusters Wanaka and Fabricate led the transformation. The aim was to show what can be achieved with recycled and upcycled…
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Grounded
The Wanaka Community Workshop regularly hosts Kahu Youth – in particular the team known as Grounded. Grounded are youth who are focused on improving our natural environment. The team are aiming to enhance recycling at Mt Aspiring College – Te Kura O Tititea. To achieve this the team are building two depots to locate at…
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New workshop tables
Jim Bob has been a resident of Wanaka throughout much of his life. Being a builder there are few places across the Upper Clutha which have not benefited from his skill and experience – houses, shops, community and farm buildings. Today the MenShed team benefits from Jim Bob’s skill – and his stories! This week…
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Scoring petanque
The best evidence as to the strength of our community across the Upper Clutha is the number and range of community organisations associations and clubs. The newest is the Wanaka Petanque Club. The Club has established itself with a new outdoor terrain or court located in Three Parks near the entrance to the Recreation Centre.…
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Stuffed Stoat
The MenShed Team at the Wanaka Community Workshop make traps – traps targeting pests such as stoats and rats. It came as a surprise therefore when we were asked to create housing for a stoat. It became clear when we found out the animal was expired, dead – stuffed in fact. The aim is to…
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Welcoming new arrivals
Some 18 months ago the Wanaka Community Workshop was a new element in our community. Its great therefore that the Workshop can now play a role in welcoming new members to our community. The Workshop enables folk to practically establish themselves in their new home. They may involve creating some furniture or storage units. Workshop…
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Wheels on Wanaka
Over Easter Weekend our community hosted Wheels on Wanaka – a significant event dealing with everything on wheels. In order to aid folk getting around the large site in Three Parks a shuttle bus service is provided. The MenShed team supported the event by converting wooden pallets into seating for each of the bus stops.…
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Our trap library
The Wanaka Community Workshop is also home to Wanaka Backyard Trapping – well at least their trap library. The trap library permits members of Wanaka Backyard Trapping to borrow various types of traps targeting pests such as stoats and rats. Each week members get a chance to learn how to best use the traps. This…
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The Lions Club gives a helping hand
Thanks to the Wanaka and Districts Lion Club, the Wanaka Community Workshop have commissioned a range of new tools – battery powered drills, wood clamps and hand tools. The Lions Club and its members play a key role in ensuring our local community remains strong and vibrant. Through their support the MenShed team operating from…
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Great skills shown by Kahu youth
This week the Wanaka Community Workshop hosted members of the “Grounded Team” of Kahu Youth. The team are using the Workshop to build new infrastructure for Mt Aspiring College. The new build takes the form of two recycling bases. Each base will be capable of holding three wheelie bins providing for the separation of rubbish.…
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A safer community thanks to the Graham and Olive West Trust
Sudden cardiac arrest is one of the leading causes of death in New Zealand. It can happen to anyone – anywhere. In an emergency easy and quick access to a defibrillator can make the difference between life and death. Its scary but the chance of survival decreases by 10 percent for each minute that passes…
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Nesting box’s for Ruru
The Upper Clutha is home to a couple of night time avian predators – the native Morepork or Ruru and the Little Owl. The Morepork can be heard (and sometimes seen) in bush areas within the built up areas of Wanaka. Little Owls can be seen around dusk and dawn on the edge of bush…
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A better dog house
Wastebusters is a Wanaka icon. A place where items unwanted by some are purchased for re-use by others. Every now and then one can find a treasure – exactly what you are looking for. An example recently was a dog kennel – picked up at Wastebusters for a new pet. All that was needed was…
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Creating something special
The Wanaka Community Workshop regularly hosts visitors to our region. Taking a break from cycling Emily took the opportunity to create a play space for her two year old – a fairy tree house. “Its great to work with the MenShed team and create something special, with your hands”, said Emily. She also came back…
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Workshop attracts travelers
The Wanaka Community Workshop is proving popular with visitors. Over recent months the Workshop has hosted folk seeking to create, maintain or enhance accommodation facilities in their vans. They originate from around the world – South America, Australia, Europe and North America. Following comments on social media sites and word of mouth visitors are attracted…
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Jan/Feb 2023 Progress Report
Prepared by Ian – He is a real trooper. Attendance Attendance during normal Tuesday and Thursday sessions totaled 94. This represents about a 10% increase compared to the same period last year. In addition to our normal MenShed sessions, thanks to Allan Harvey we had a MenShed presence at the Wanaka Community Workshop most days each…
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Great Grebe emerges
The Fabricate team at the Wanaka Community Workshop are well advanced in creating a Great Grebe. Unlike the Grebes found on the Lake, this one can walk on land. Not so good at flying however! The new costume is bound to be a feature at the upcoming Wanaka A&P Show. Perhaps a new icon for…
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Learning about geko’s and skinks
Learning about geko’s and skinks @Te Kakano Aotearoa Trust Wanaka is part of the network of community groups serving the Upper Clutha. Te Kakano through working with agencies, groups and individuals across our district seeks to protect healthy ecosystems and community wellbeing for years to come. A key element of Te Kakano’s efforts is focused…
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Trap R & M
Across the Upper Clutha thousands of traps are doing the business – helping to rid our district of pests such as stoats and rats. Being located in the outdoors the traps endure a tough life. Temperatures which fluctuate seasonally from 10-12 degrees below zero to 30 degrees above with long dry periods and periodic deluges…
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Latest lilliput library
Over the last year the MenShed team have built a number of lilliput libraries. The small libraries are managed by staff of the Queenstown Lakes District Council from Wanaka Library. They can be found in Hawea, Luggate as well as Wanaka. The latest to open is right outside the Wanaka Community Workshop in Gordon Road.…
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Introducing a new machine
This week the MenShed team commissioned a new machine at the Wanaka Community Workshop. The new machine is a planer thicknessor – a presision tool which will permit the team to upcycle timber as well as improve the quality of our products. The machine was purchased with a grant from the Queenstown Lakes District Council.…
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In production for our A&P show
The team at the MenShed are gearing up for the Wanaka A&P Show. The Wanaka Community Workshop is sharing a stall with a range of environmental and community groups. Its great working together with groups who are also making a difference for our community. For the stall the team are constructing easels to display signage…
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Growing success
Late last year the team at the MenShed built raised gardens at the pre school in Hawea. The project was a joint affair with funding provided by Wanaka Rotary. In their final days at school the kids planted out their new gardens. This week we received images of the success of their efforts. What a…
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Action at fabricate
The fabricate studio within the Wanaka Community Workshop is a busy place. This week the years first learn the sew course commenced. The course runs an evening a week for 5 weeks. The end result will be a shirt and the skills learnt that can be applied to any project. This week the fabricate team…
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Wheels at Wanaka
Wheels at Wanaka is an all vehicle, all machinery history-in-motion vintage fair – including steam engines, tractors and farming heritage, cars, motor-bikes, trucks, earthmovers and heavy machinery. While Wheels at Wanaka will not take place until April, the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop is already preparing their contribution to the event. We are producing…
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Ideas from our library
Every library reviews its holdings to make way for new books. The Queenstown & Lakes Council’s library at Wanaka is no exception. This week Paula from the Wanaka Library delivered to the Wanaka Community Workshop a selection of books eliminated from their collection of great interest to the MenShed team. Each contains ideas of how…
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Riddling
The MenShed team has started the new year with a new project. Riddling is a technique associated with our wine industry – in particular with the méthode Champenoise or traditional method of making Champagne. Riddling is a process of periodically rotating a bottle a quarter of a turn while simultaneously tilting it until it’s upside down.…
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Tables back in play
We heard the outdoor play tables at the Kidsfirst kindergarten Hawea needed some love and attention. Stu, one of our MenShed team who lives locally, picked the tables up and delivered them to the Wanaka Community Workshop. Using donated materials it was a quick task to create and attached new tops on each of the…
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Christmas together
Folk at the Wanaka Community Workshop took time out this week to get together in the spirit of Christmas. Its great to get together with some great kai. Time also to talk through what we have working together accomplished this year. While a number of the team will be away over the next few weeks,…
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More traps on the way
Traps are regularly manufactured by the MenShed team operating from the Wanaka Community Workshop. This is not surprising given the importance of maintaining and enhancing the habitats across the natural environment of the Upper Clutha. We build and supply traps that meet the demanding requirements Department of Conservation which target stoats and other pests. We…
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Painted toes
We receive some odd requests at the Wanaka Community Workshop. This week the MenShed team crafted a foot – a stencil of the outline of a foot to be precise. The stencil is to be used to mark a track on the ground running through a busy community market place leading to a particular stall.…
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Thanks for the support
Wanaka is a great community – a strong and supportive community. The MenShed team experiences evidence of the strength of the Wanaka community each week. We welcome donations of construction materials, hardware, and tools – all of which we use to support the Workshop’s own contribution to the local community. This week was no exception…
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Bus stop bench seats
Over recent weeks our community across the Upper Clutha have enjoyed a new service – a community shuttle bus service serving Lake Hawea, Hawea Flat, Albertown and Wanaka. The shuttle bus service is a great initiative led by Community Network Wanaka / Link Upper Clutha. The service is currently a trial – a trial to…
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Back in service
Every so often the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop get handed a challenge. This week the challenge came in the form of a stool – a stool passed down by a family’s grandmother and looking for some damage repair. A foot was broken, chipped with peices missing. A furniture maker and wood craftsman…
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Sustainable Christmas Market
This month Wastebusters held their Sustainable Christmas Market at their Wanaka facility. The team from the Wanaka Community Workshop created a stall – our first for any market. We had for sale a range products created from upcycled textiles and construction materials. Corn Hole Game Boards & throw bags, salad servers & cloth, large and…