Category: Uncategorized
MINT Christmas Project
This week the Workshop welcomed the crew from MINT. While MINT are regular users of the Workshop their December visit was special – a get together with a Christmas focus. With the support of MenShed members this month’s project was a “organic” Christmas Tree largely build from driftwood collected around the lake shore. The crew…
Mud kitchen in action
This week members of the MenShed team were invited for morning tea at Kids First – a pre school located at Hawea Flat. Recently the team delivered a second mud kitchen for use by the kids as play equipment. The two mud kitchens (one with a stove!) followed a couple of built up gardens where…
Spinning for Volunteers
Volunteering is a way of life across the Upper Clutha. Many people across our community contribute through giving their time to activities which make our community strong – culture & arts, sports & recreation, spiritual, the natural environment and others who just need a helping hand. Volunteer South is a local agency which works to…
Signs for Te Kakano
Te Kākano Aotearoa Trust is a Wānaka non-profit organisation that is making a difference for our natural environment. The Trust eco-sources seeds from the Upper Clutha area, raises seedlings in their nursery, and then facilitates community-based native planting and habitat restoration. They do a great job. This week the MenShed Team made a small contribution…
Christmas at the Workshop
Christmas is a time for family and friends together. This week the team who regularly get together at the Wanaka Community Workshop 2023 met at the workshop to celebrate Christmas. Wellbeing is important for all. While we love designing and building stuff for our community we also enjoy each others company. Christmas is a time…
MenShed team in July
July was a great month for the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop. Team members hosted 24 kids undertaking a holiday program with the Wanaka Recreation Centre. Each went home with a small wooden crate. We also hosted 9 folk from MINT who each went home with a bird feeder. During July the team…
Lots of Lilliput’s
The Upper Clutha community is a community that reads. The evidence is that the Wanaka Community Workshop is full of Lilliput Libraries. The libraries each containing a small book exchange are popping up all over the town. Four new libraries at the Workshop will be managed by the Friends of Wanaka Library. A fifth is…
A Lake Front Toy Library
This week the team at the MenShed completed their first Beach Toy Library. It is a simple idea. An idea borrowed from an example spotted in Tauranga. The Library contains wooden toys, buckets and spades which kids can access when playing on the lake shore. With toys going back into the library they are available…
Night school coffins
Death Cafe Wanaka is group that embraces and honours the intricacies, ambiguities and mysteries surrounding how one may seek meaning within the context of death and dying. This week the MenShed team have been working with members of the Death Cafe to finalise how they can access the Wanaka Community Workshop and construct coffins for themselves…
All dressed up
Wanaka has had its fair share of inversions of late – a layer of cloud trapped below slightly warmer air above. The grey cloud layer above the town lets little sun through. As a result those of us on the ground feel the cold. Despite the temperature the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop…
Mid year Christmas
The MenShed team meet at the Wanaka Community Workshop every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am to midday. At this time we get stuff done. We also gather for social occasions – where little is done. More a time for friends to gather to enjoy some great tucker and share a few stories. Our most recent…
MINT delivers for the birds
MINT is a community agency who works towards forging great lives for those with intellectual disabilities in the Upper Clutha Region. As part of their regular program MINT regularly attends the Wanaka Community Workshop. At the Workshop the team from MINT work with wood or fabric. This week’s visit was a bit special. The visit…
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…
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…
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 –…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…