Your cart is currently empty!
Wānaka Community Workshop News
-
Too few candles?
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…
-
Viking tables and chairs
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 –…
-
Cots for kids
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…
-
Jan – March 2024 Activity Report
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…
-
DOC trap production
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…
-
Foundation for light engineering
With the creation of a foundation for our metal work table the capacity of the Wanaka Community Workshop to undertake welding and light engineering took a step forward this week. The relocation of our work table to a more convenient location adjacent to the Workshop comes shortly after our initial training in the use of…
-
Seed to seedling
Teaching kids about the value of plants and the practical aspects of growing food is something we should all encourage. This week the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop have been completing two large “seedling tables” for a local school. The tables will provide the foundation for kids getting their seeds started before the…
-
Light engineering
The wood workshop and Fabrication, our textile workshop are the two key elements of the Wanaka Community Workshop. That said the MenShed team who normally spend their time in the wood workshop are keen to establish a capacity to undertake light engineering. A table suitable for working with metal has been built. This week the…
-
Importance of wellbeing
The Wanaka Community Workshop is itself a community. It is an important outcome that members enjoy each others company, are valued and are able to contribute. This week following a training session focused upon light engineering and welding the MenShed team got together for lunch. Sharing kai is a great way to catch up and…
-
Production stages
Upper Clutha is know for outdoor sports but we know the arts are key to the great lifestyle we in our community enjoys. Over recent weeks the MenShed Team at the Wanaka Community Workshop have designed and built a series of mobile stages. The stages will be used by students at Mt Aspiring College for…
-
Seats for Skater’s
It is great kids across the Upper Clutha are active. Our district is crammed full of outdoor opportunity. From time to time even the most active need to take a break. This week the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop completed three solid and rather rustic seats to provide a resting opportunity for kids…
-
Fabrication of throwing bags
The Fabricate and MenShed teams at the Wanaka Community Workshop this week completed a joint project resulting in the production of popular Corn Hole Game sets. “Its great to work on a project together” said Sue, a volunteer from Fabricate. “Each game set comes with eight throw bags filled with clean river”. The game sets…
-
Sorting tools
The Wanaka Community Workshop is a busy place. In order to get stuff built the Workshop is equipped with a wide range of tools. It may surprise folk but from time to time the Workshop is untidy – messy even. This week members of the MenShed team are working to put things right. New shelving…
-
Production of traps accelerated
Across the Upper Clutha families and environmental groups are working hard to manage down predators that threaten our iconic wildlife. Much of this work relies on effective trapping. The MenShed Team at the Wanaka Community Workshop are supporting this work building traps – lots of traps. Over recent weeks our store of traps has reduced…
-
A new doggie icon
Given the popularity of our initial Doggie Stick Library the MenShed team have completed a second. The new Library is located adjacent to the lakeside track leading to the Wanaka Tree. The library has already featured on social media. Given the number of folk taking photo’s of their library with their dog or just selfies,…
-
Getting vans ready to occupy
Every year the Upper Clutha community hosts thousands of overseas visitors. Many are long term visitors to New Zealand who convert vans in order to freedom camp throughout the nation. The Wanaka Community Workshop regularly hosts such travelers who are seeking to upgrade their vans with beds, storage, kitchen and toilet facilities. Summer is our…
-
Organizers for Wānaka’s Take Karera School
Schools need to be organised and the busyness of a primary school meant the cardboard boxes that were being used by Estelle and the team at Take Karera Primary School were frequently wearing out. We offered to help out and have now made 40 x 4 litre Small Parts Boxes, 2 x Compartment Lego Boxes,…
-
Anyone for Cornhole
This week the team at the MenShed have been busy building corn hole game boards. We built our first board over a year ago. In response to demand from households, firms and community groups our team has been regularly producing corn hole game boards. Its a great game and its always satisfying seeing folk enjoying…
-
Beach toy repairs
Wanaka is busy – hosting an average of 18,000 visitors daily during our peak visitor season. Many of our visitors are kids who have been making great use of the Beach Toy Library located on the lakefront near the Water Sports Facility. As a result a number of the wooden toys built by the MenShed…
-
Minaret Peak wine
Every so often the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop get the opportunity to support local business. The funds raised go toward meeting our operational costs such as electricity. The Upper Clutha is home to a highly regarded wine sector. Minaret Peak is a long standing wine grower of our region. This week the…
-
New lilliput library open
Over the last couple of years the MenShed team operating from the Wanaka Community Workshop have built Lilliput Libraries. Today these libraries serve local communities throughout Wanaka as well as Lake Hawea and Luggate. This week the most recent addition to the network is ready to open. The lilliput library is located within the Wanaka…
-
All action at the Workshop
This week members of the MenShed welcomed kids participating in the holiday program managed by the Wanaka Recreation Centre. We had prepared for the visit by fabricating components of wooden crates ready for assembly. The kids used a simple jig to complete the job with some precise (and not so precise) hammering. Its great to…
-
Community delivers
The Wanaka Community Workshop is part of our community here in Upper Clutha. We often see real evidence of the support of our community through the donation of building materials, plant and equipment. This week members of the MenShed team have collected (and will soon sort) power and hand tools, equipment as well as a…
-
Doggie refreshment station
Summer across the Upper Clutha is hot and dry. Dry for humans and dry for dogs. A keen cyclist visiting the region decided to do something about the problem. Do something for the dogs who accompany their owners when biking the trails in Sticky Forest. The stand was quickly created using recycled materials at the…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Viking Table
We’re still working through our big stack of Scaffold Planks from Bramwell Scaffolding (big thanks to those guys). This week the team are creating a large table and benches for customers of the food caravan out the front of the Workshop at 15 Gordon Road. Gillian and Donelle picked this project up and have had…
-
A library for Kirimoko
This week the MenShed Team erected the regions latest Lilliput Library. Built from recycled materials and painted by a local artist the library will serve the Kirimoko community off Aubrey Road in Wanaka. If the number of local adults and kids, who stopped on their way to school and work when the library was being…
-
Doggie stick library
The MenShed team have introduced a new service to Wanaka – a Doggie Stick Library. The idea is a bit quirky but was thought to be a great fit for Wanaka. Built from recycled materials the library has been placed in Bremner Bay. The library provides for “classic” sticks named after “Spot”, “Hercules Morse” and…
-
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.…
-
Triangle tables
This week the MenShed team completed two outdoor tables. Both were built from recycled materials which had been previously used in the construction sector. The tables were unusual being designed as a pair to fit adjacent to a curved wall. As a result each has three legs! It sounds unusual but it works. The tables…
-
Lilliput Bright Spots
Over recent weeks the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop have partnered with artist Chrissy Wickes and the children who attend her art classes. The outcome is a range of bright cheerful lilliput libraries. The first is now operational in Gordon Road Wanaka. A second will be located in Kirimoko. The third will be…
-
Essential maintenance
A lot of timber is cut at the Wanaka Community Workshop. As a result saws, all sorts of saws, are core to the Workshop’s ability to undertake projects. To sustain the Workshop’s capacity maintenance and upkeep of our equipment is essential. This week the MenShed team replaced and rebalanced blades in both our table saw…
-
Lots on the go
With warm sunny days activity at the Wanaka Community Workshop is up. We have projects underway for a host of groups across the Upper Clutha – from lilliput libraries to donation stands, from tables and traps to Christmas decorations. The workshop have also hosted visits from the Wastebuster Repair Revolution, Wao Conference attendees and team…
-
Picnic tables on the way
This week the MenShed team at the Wanaka Community Workshop are completing a couple of picnic tables. Built from upcycled materials which had a previous life as scaffolding, the picnic tables will soon have a new life in the outdoors. We at the Workshop appreciate the donation of building materials by firms and members of…
-
Less clutter at Hawea
This week Sue completed a job for the Hawea Flat Primary School. The job involved using recycled timber to create a series of wooden box’s to store kids toys and education materials. Each is mounted on caster wheels so that they can be easily moved about. The wooden box’s are the latest in a number…
-
Protect your post
The Wanaka Community Workshop regularly benefit from donations of timber from building firms involved with the vibrant construction sector operating across the Upper Clutha. This week Barry from the MenShed team created a new product from the materials provided. The result is a range of graceful letterbox’s. They are now available for sale through our…
-
Cup Library for Meditation Event at the Wānaka Recreation Centre
To combat single use coffee cups Maria asked us to make up a Cup Library where clean cups (in this case sourced from Wastebusters Wānaka) could be hung up for use at gatherings, the idea is the dirty cups are put back in crates on the floor then cleaned and put back on the board.…
-
School Holiday Programme visits the Workshop again
We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day during the school holidays for the QLDC Sport and Recreation’s Wānaka-based holiday programme visit in September. Everyone went home with a toolbox they’d made themselves and some hug smiles. Thanks to Allan, Taj, Alan and Barrie for all the mahi cutting the parts, making the nailing…
-
August 2023 – Wānaka Community Workshop
We had a great August. With spring just around the corner we had a few members off sick with winter maladies but enjoyed some beautiful sunny days at the Workshop. Projects Completed Hours New Members Welcomed We signed up 11 new members this month and are getting close to the magic 100 paid up members.…
-
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…
-
Food Stand for Wānaka Primary School
Debbie at Wānaka Primary School contacted us regarding building a Food Stand for their Environment Group. Barrie and the team recycled a bunch of pallets into the main body and we made our first attempt at a standard way of reusing bike wheels, something I’ve wanted to do for ages. Living in a big mountain…
-
Mud Kitchen for KidsFirst Lake Hāwea
Lets face it, kids generally love mud. The combination makes for great play. This week the team at the Wo(Men)Shed finished a mud kitchen. It is destined for the local KidsFirst local pre school. Designed to be located outdoors in the playground the kitchen provides easy access to a shelf, basins and of course the…
-
Wānaka Rec Kids Holiday Programme Winter 2023
We were lucky enough to have two teams of smaller builders come to the workshop last week with the Wānaka Rec Centre Holiday Programme. They bought their own hammers and used them with gusto. Allan had pre-prepared the components for the Small Crate Project we have been developing as a standard project lesson we can…
Got any book recommendations?