Category: News
Last quarter 2023 activities
The last quarter of 2023 has been a busy and successful period at the Wanaka Community Workshop. Volunteer/Wo(Men)Shed Sessions – Wood working Our Volunteer sessions continue to be vibrant and the core of the Community Workshop. Average attendance by the MenShed team who as advertised in local media gather each Tuesday and Thursday mornings at…
Puteketeke, Making a Difference
The MenShed team build traps at the Wanaka Community Workshop – lots of traps. Every day the traps are doing their work protecting our natural environment across the Upper Clutha. Some are located along the shoreline of Lake Wanaka protecting our iconic Puteketeke – the Australasian Crested Grebe, as they lay eggs and raise their…
Furoshiki Fabric Gift Wrapping Workshop – Christmas 2023
Come along to Fabricate for a Furoshiki fabric gift wrapping workshop, just in time for Christmas! You can wrap anything using just a bit of fabric. Best part is you can use the fabric over and over again. No sellotape or ribbons required.. All proceeds donated to Wānaka Community Networks/LINK for the community Xmas hampers…
Hayes Engineering Works
This month the MenShed Team from the Wanaka Community Workshop took some time out and visited the historic Hayes engineering shop at Oturehua. Coffee and a tour displaying how the water and wind powered machinery of the 1920’s worked. What’s not to like! The team love to gather each week at the Wanaka Community Workshop.…
The Workshop Hosts Dillastrate at Rhyme & Reason’s First Outdoor Gig
Friday 15th September saw Dillastrate and The Emily Alice Band perform in the Wānaka Community Workshop yard. Rhyme & Reason, the brewery next door, pulled out all the stops to organise an amazing outdoor event combining the outside area of their area with ours to create a safe and secure outdoor venue with excellent music…
The Adventure Film School Visits the Wānaka Community Workshop
In June we had the Adventure Film School, which is adjunct to the Mountain Film Festival in Wānaka, visit our Community Workshop. The students and Ross Mackay, their tutor, were amazing and everyone had a great time. Check out the video – it really sums up what we are about.
MenShed Team in June
Winter arrived this month accompanied by cool temperatures under the inversion cloud layer and the occasional frost. Attendance at our regular Tuesday and Thursday mornings totaled 102 representing 306 work hours or 7.5 full time equivalents. We had no workplace accidents – following reminder briefings regarding the importance of wearing safety equipment utilisation has improved.…
Fabricate Jan / Feb / Mar / Apr 2023 Report
This is the first report for Fabricate so a bit of a summary first: JANUARY / FEBRUARY We were commissioned to make bird costumes for Wai Wānaka for the A&P show. We made the Grebe and Tui completely out of the donated material we had at Fabricate. March We collaborated with Wānaka Wastebusters for their…
Fabricate May 2023 Report
MAY 2023 Hours this Month: (estimate) NB: We realise that we need to improve the recording of hours that the area is used. We will try improve recording of hours to include the total number of hours that the area is used. Donations Received Remember whatever you need for your project – check us out…
A Big Thanks to Bramwell Scaffolding
After we used up all the larger size timber in our stack for the Bike Wanaka – Lismore Park Picnic Table we decided more Picnic Tables were in our future. But what to make them from? A quick email blast out to Wānaka scaffolding companies and we had an immediate response from Bramwell Scaffolding who…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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,…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Corn Hole Game for MINT
The Wanaka Community Workshop hosts MINT each month. MINT supports those in Upper Clutha Area with intellectual disabilities. This month the MINT team started on their largest project at the Workshop – two Corn Hole Game Boards and eight cloth bags with which to play. The Boards are being built with the support of the…
Spoons and Boxes
The Wanaka Community Workshop welcomes donations of wood and construction materials. The MenShed Team use the material to create products which support the local community. Some of this material is large. Some is small – just off-cuts. This week the team have been focusing re-using the off-cuts. We have been building a range of wooden…
Planters and tool box’s
MINT is an organisation which works with members of our community who have intellectual difficulties. Every month the MenShed team operating from the Wanaka Community Workshop hosts a visit from MINT. The visit is part of a comprehensive program developed by MINT. For each visit the MenShed team fabricate a project for our visitors to…
Repair Revolution
This week the Wanaka Community Workshop hosted the Wanaka Repair Event. The Repair Event was organised and delivered by Wanaka Wastebusters. The Wanaka Repair Event was one of four similar events that Wanaka Wastebusters have organised across the district. The Event bought together volunteers who repaired clothing, electrical and electronic goods, bicycles and furniture. Local…
Working to reduce waste
This week the MenShed team hosted a film crew. The crew were at the Wanaka Community Workshop preparing a video for BREEN Construction. With their head office in Alexandra BREEN Construction has been a leader of the construction industry across the Upper Clutha since 1939. Part of that leadership focuses upon minimising construction waste. The…
In the dog box
This week Gerald and Jim Bob completed one of the largest projects undertaken by the MenShed team. Six Dog Boxes. The Dog Box’s will house dogs that are deployed to manage a range of animal pests across our region. Each has been built from materials that would have otherwise gone to waste. Great stuff Gerald…
WAO Summit
This week Wanaka has hosted the WAO Summit as part of the 2022 Festival for Sustaintability. The Wanaka Community Workshop was an active participant in the Festival. The Workshop hosted a cycle maintenance event early in October. During the Summit the Workshop hosted a session focussed upon reducing waste resulting from construction. Members of the…
Making a difference
Every so often folk drop into the Wanaka Community Workshop seeking that something be repaired. Recently the team from the MenShed completed a stand for a peice of garden art. It was an important peice, designed and built by their late Dad. It’s great having the opportunity to make a difference.
A step up for the bus trial
A three month trial of a community bus service linking Wanaka, Albert Town Hawea Flat and Lake Hawea is underway. The trial has been developed by Community Networks / LINK. This week the Team at the MenShed operating from the Wanaka Community Workshop received a call for help. Could we construct a light but strong…
Biketober
During this month the Wanaka Community Workshop hosted a couple of training sessions. Each session attracted people in search of advice on how best to maintain their bikes. The sessions were part of a much larger Biketober program of events which run right through the month of October. Biketober is managed and deployed by WAO…
A visit from Pact
Pact is a Otago based agency supporting people to lead fulfilling lives in the community. In our district Pact supports over 300 adults and youth with intellectual disabilities, mental health issues and young people referred from Oranga Tamariki. Recently the MenShed team hosted our first visit from Pact that included support people along with those…
fabricate is on a roll
fabricate is up and running at the Wanaka Community Workshop. fabricate is all about textiles and sewing. Program’s to teach sewing and pattern making skills has commenced. More are planned. Members of our community are are dropping in to undertake their own work and repairs. Its great to see people learning new skills – taking…
A helping hand
The Wanaka Community Workshop provides a range of opportunities for our local community. This includes travelers who pass through our town and region. Recent projects undertaken by the MenShed team have benefited from the time and skills of visitors from France. As members of the Workshop during their period in Wanaka our visitors took the…
Thanks
Over the last month the MenShed completed a few projects for the Montessori Childrens House in Wanaka. The projects included a table for kids to practice their wood working skills, a cupboard in which to store their wood working tools and finally, a table upon which they can grow plants and seedlings. This week Montessori…
Kids nail it
Recently the team at the MenShed completed a work table for the kids at Montessori Childrens House – a pre school in Wanaka. This week a small cupboard was delivered by the team. Mounted on wheels for easy moving about, the cupboard will store the tools the kids can use on the work table. Its…
Kahu Youth visits
With school holidays the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop this week hosted a holiday program organised by Kahu Youth. We loved having them. Everyone took away a simple planter box they built from recycled materials. A few lessons were learnt and many took home a little paint – on their clothes.
Grow Wanaka collaboration
Grow Wanaka has created vibrant educational hub at their community garden where folk can learn, connect and grow The community garden is located on Outlet Road, Wanaka – just above the Clutha River. Community Networks food security project operating from the Wanaka Community Hub have led the development of food banks and food exchanges across…
New desks for MINT
Over recent weeks the team at the MenShed has designed and built two tables for the MINT Trust. The tables can be adjusted – the tops can be raised or lowered. The tops can also be set at an angle making them suitable for drawing or painting. Construction of the tables has involved fine wood…
A safe spot for skinks
Skinks and geckos are lizards – the only two native families of lizard found in New Zealand. Our skink and gecko species have been around a long time – at least 20 million years. They occur only in New Zealand. Some species are restricted to habitats found only in Otago. As these habitats change, our skinks and gecko’s…
Saws join the workshop
Wanaka is a great community. This week members of our community invested their support for the Wanaka Community Workshop by donating machinery. In turn the machinery will be used by the Workshop to support the Wanaka community Our scroll saw has seen great service with its previous owner. Over the last decade over 4000 wooden…