Category: Uncategorized

Community Link is an agency that ensures people in need of support across the Upper Clutha are connected with those who can help. In addition Community Link operates a range of services such as our Foodbank, transport to our local hospitals and Meals on Wheels. Community Link operates from The Hub in McDougall Street. Thanks…

Every now and then the volunteers at the Wanaka Community Workshop take a day off. Previous days have involved trips into Central Otago. This time we stayed local visiting the Wanaka Transport and Toy Museum. The Museum houses a great collection – many of us found examples of our first motor vehicle among the collection.…

The Hawea Play Group is a great community organisation. Based at Hawea Flat the Group serves Mum’s and Dad’s across one of our fastest growing regions in the Upper Clutha. Recently the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop has partnered with the Hawea Play Group in replacing play equipment. Built from recycled materials a…

Miles Anderson, our local Member of Parliament, recently opened an electorate office in Wanaka. The MenShed team were delighted to be asked if we could help with some furnishing for the new office. This week the team delivered some shelving. The bookcase was built from recycled materials which had been donated to the Wanaka Community…

The MenShed Team at the Wanaka Community Workshop are proud to work alongside community groups across the Upper Clutha. Recently the Team completed building and installing “doggie gates”. Their design enables dogs to easily pass rabbit proof fences established as part of a project by Wai Wanaka. The project is all about enhance native plantings…

Each of us can recall their best childhood toy. Some of us are fortunate to be able to pass their best toy to their child or grandchild. Even better should their child or grandchild also love it. This week the MenShed team had the opportunity to undertake some running repairs to a large Tonka Toy…

The MenShed team often respond to small projects and repairs sought by local residents. The projects are often just a bit unusual or commercial alternatives are not readily available. This week Gillian finished a pot stand – a stand that could cope with a 50 kilo pot and plant. The heavy duty stand also needed…

We are fortunate at the Wanaka Community Workshop in having a decent sized trailer. We regularly use the trailer to pick up wood and construction materials donated to the workshop as well as deliver completed projects. Members can also borrow the trailer. This week members used the trailer to transport a load from Albertown to…

The team at the MenShed regularly construct traps for the removal of unwanted pests. We also build accommodation for animals, insects and birds we wish to see more of. This week the team were working on nesting box’s for owls. The Upper Clutha is home to a couple of night time avian predators – the…

Riding for the Disabled is an organisation that has long played a key role in communities across New Zealand. Wanaka is no exception. The MenShed Team at the Wanaka Community Workshop this week completed a bridge for use by horses and their riders. Built to a specified design the bridge provides an obstacle intended to…

It’s great to receive a new challenge. This week the MenShed team completed a finish line tower for Aspiring Athletics. The tower will be placed at their Three Parks track for the 2024-25 Season. Its role is to provide a space for an official whose role is to determine who won. Created from upcycled materials…

In addition to projects for community groups, from time to time the MenShed undertake projects for households and small firms. The funds raised go toward the operational costs of the workshop – costs such as electricity, repairs, maintenance and rent. Often these projects are quite specialised. This week the team delivered a couple of covers…

We are well equipped at the Wanaka Community Workshop. While we purchase gear from time to time, most of our kit has been donated. A few weeks back we greatly received a machine that plane’s and thins wooden boards. It had sat unused for a few years but with some care, some repairs, an electrical…

Every so often folk drop into the Wanaka Community Workshop with something to repair. This week the item was a long loved lounge chair created from wood recycled from a wine barrel. Fortunately we had in stock wooden boards sourced from a couple of wine barrels. These together with the application of some skill soon…

Wanaka is a creative town – people who are innovative and artistic. We are fortunate at the Wanaka Community Workshop that such people are part of our community. Over recent days Fabricate, our textile workshop, has hosted the creation of a brace of giant hares. Created with imagination using upcycled fabric. Each is stuffed with…

Its great to see the work of the MenShed team appreciated. A few months back we but together what is basically a large crate using wood recycled from wooden pallets. We named it a Beach Toy Library and placed it on the foreshore of Lake Wanaka along with a few wooden toys. The Beach Toy…

The minds of the Fabricate team are innovative. Over recent weeks the team have been producing a range of monsters – round monsters, yellow monsters – each with faces that have great smiles. The monsters are fun and have proved popular with kids – and a few older folk as well!

Work is underway at Beacon Point to enhance the natural environment. Wai Wanaka and Wanaka Backyard Trapping are leading this work. Seedlings are being established and paths upgraded. A key focus is to reduce the adverse impact of pests including rabbits and stoats. This week the team at the MenShed delivered traps that will be…

Over recent weeks the our team has benefited from the skills bought to us by Ian, a visitor to our town from Nelson. Ian has been busy building a range of wooden toys. They are great. Each is built from recycling wood. This week the first shipment of toys departed for the playgrounds of a…

The team at the Wanaka Community Workshop benefit from donations of tools and equipment from communities across the Upper Clutha. Some of these items are iconic – tools which have seen service for years. True hand tools – no electric cords, no batteries. A few of the designs even stumped our members – how were…

This week the team was out and about raising funds for the Community Workshop. Thanks to Cadrona we had four daily ski passes as prizes for our raffle. We also had help from the Cadrona fairy’s – two great personalities who channeled folk to purchase a ticket. The fairy’s day job is welcoming people to…

This week the MenShed team delivered our third Doggie Stick Library. This new library is located along the shore of Lake Hawea. Each is intended to promote a smile – especially with regard to the classic titles each library contains We have had some great feedback from dog walkers and walkers concerning the two libraries…

Fabricate is an important element of the Wanaka Community Workshop. Fabricate is our textile workshop. It comes with a range of sewing machines, materials, tools and equipment. Most important are the people – people with the ideas, the skills and the drive to get stuff done. Recently Fabricate celebrated two years of operation. Clare and…

The MenShed Team have been building cycle stands from recycled timber since the formation of the Wanaka Community Workshop. They are now found in households across the Upper Clutha. Recently a family sought small versions of the cycle stands for their kids bikes. We had not even thought about kids bikes! Clearly we were stuck…

Classic snow sports equipment relied upon simple materials, especially wood. Recently the MenShed team completed work to refurbish a snow sledge. The steel runners were cleaned off and repainted while recycled timber was used to create the platform. The owner will use the sled for a few runs before it becomes a key display item…

There is snow on the hills and the fingers are numb after a morning bike ride to the Workshop. Must be time for the mid year Christmas lunch! The Wanaka Community Workshop is not just about making stuff. It is also about wellbeing, getting folk together to learn, share stories and views. Food always play…

It’s great when we get a chance to learn new things, especially if it involves some new peice of kit! This week the MenShed team benefited from a visitor. In town for four weeks he spotted the opportunity to volunteer at the Workshop. He did not just bring his experience and skills but a nifty…

A few months back the MenShed team built a few wooden stools. They were a project designed for folk new to woodworking to test their skills. The chairs then went to artist Chrissi Weeks as a subject for her children’s art classes. This week they came back. A splash of color within the Workshop. A…

Volunteers at Fabricate have been busy creating a range of yoga bolsters. A yoga bolster is an accessory popular among practitioners of the art. The bolster is used to provide comfort, support poses and increase stretching during restorative postures and deep breathing exercises. Our bolsters are full of fabric processed by our shredder. Funded via a…

Over the last couple of years the lilliput library network serving the Upper Clutha community has expended. Many of the small libraries have been built by the MenShed team. While the team are great at building they are not so great at painting. To overcome this for some of our projects we partner with local…

Its great to welcome folks new to Wanaka. The town is gearing for the Winter season and we are welcoming visitors and seasonal workers alike. Its even better when, before the ski season commences in earnest, they drop into the Workshop to see what they can do for our community. We are always delighted to…

In Wanaka we all love winter – skis and snowboards abound. Perhaps the simple art of sledging is less popular than it once was. This week the MenShed team completed the repair and renovation of a classic snow sledge. The steel frame was found in the back of a garage it was dropped off by…

Feels like winter is now well on its way. Its not only humans who feel the effects, the tiger worms at the Wanaka Community Gardens slow down as well. This time around the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop aim to make life for the worms just a little easier with new accommodation. The…

Its great to reinforce the value of recycling. Using timber and materials donated by our local construction sector this week the MenShed team completed a run of “tidy’s” for our local Primary School. The “run” was quite large, enough for three classes of kids. Each “Tidy” is a simple wooden box. Each will provide a…

Grow Wanaka is our district’s community garden – and more – teaching folk how to grow food in the dry and the cold. The garden and the people who volunteer to create and manage it are significant assets for our community – get to the Outlet and have a look for yourself. This week the…

Every so often the “kid” emerges from our MenShed team members. What emerged this week was a toy garage. Something for the grandchild to play with. Built from recycled timber and modelled from a photograph found on the web lets hope the toy lasts for years. That said the 2 year old for which it…

The network of small informal book exchanges serving communities across the Upper Clutha continues to grow. Called Lilliput Libraries each is managed by a local community group, business or household. The MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop have used recycled materials to build many, most have two doors but some, slightly smaller, have a…

Recently the principal of one of our local primary schools paid a visit to the Wanaka Community Workshop. It seems there was trouble when the kids were using sticky tape. I am sure each of us have struggled to find the “end” on the roll or managed to turn the tape such that it simply…

The MenShed team like to think of themselves creating good stuff. But that is nothing compared to what others create building on the foundation we have provided. This week taking advantage of a sunny autumnal afternoon a corn hole board was being recreated as art. Some paint, inspiration and skill can make a real difference.…

This week the MenShed team completed production of a run of large “double end” traps. Each trap contains not one but two DOC200 mechanisms. The traps are built tough – stainless steel and with features to ensure hat Kea and Weka cannot find their way inside. The traps need to be tough – they are…

The generosity of the Upper Clutha community never ceases to amaze. This week the team at Fabricate have been busy working through recent donations of cloth and textiles. The material is in demand being upcycled and used as raw material to create new items of clothing as well as blankets and throws. With winter imminent…

The MenShed team this week delivered a pantry to the Aspiring Beginnings Early Learning Centre. At the Centre the kids are learning the grow vegetables. The pantry will enable the vege’s to be displayed to Mum’s and Dad’s who can pick them up and continue the learning at home by creating meals with their kids.…

Wanaka hosts visitors from around the world. Many are here for weeks or months seeking work to support their journey. Van’s are popular among visitors given that they provide both transport and accommodation. The Wanaka Community Workshop is increasingly attracting visitors seeking to use the facilities and tools to refurbish and upgrade their vans. With…

Much of our work at the Wanaka Community Workshop is undertaken with powered tools and equipment. These rang from large table saws through sewing machines to small tools such as drills. The safe use of electricity is associated with a annual check – this involves testing the machine then attaching a tag indicating all is…

This week the Wanaka Community Workshop hosted the Repair Revolution. The Repair Revolution is a program managed by Wastebusters. It provides an opportunity for people to bring along household items to be repaired and returned to use. Repair is a more sustainable and cheaper alternative to disposing the item and purchasing a replacement. The Wanaka…

The MenShed team gather at the Wanaka Community Workshop every Tuesday and Thursday mornings. The team spend most of their time together building projects which meet the needs of community agencies across the Upper Clutha. However the team also enjoy each others company. At every session we take the opportunity to share some kai and…

Recent weeks have seen the MenShed team re-cycle a host of wooden planks previously used for scaffolding in our local construction sector. The planks have reached the end of their useful life as scaffolding. They are perfect for creating outdoor tables and seating. The design is reflective of what the Vikings may have created –…

Every so often a project walks in the door at the Wanaka Community Workshop. This time the project involved a couple of toy cots. Both were suffering from the impact of a six year old using them as a bed – joints pulled apart and a few broken elements. Thanks to the skills of a…

The first quarter of 2023 has been busy, very busy at the Wanaka Community Workshop. MenShed Throughout the period the MenShed team came together to work on a range of community projects every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Attendance totaled 332 representing 1,162 hours of volunteer effort – 7.2 full time equivalents over the period. No…

The MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop are currently busy producing a range of DOC 200 traps. Each is destined for a local business or community group who will deploy the traps to protect endangered species from pests such as stoats and rats. The traps are designed to kill pests yet ensure inquisitive birds…