Category: News

  • Upgraded nest platforms for Grebes

    Upgraded nest platforms for Grebes

    This week John Darby who has led the program to save the endangered Great Crested Grebe’s for the last decade visited the Wanaka Community Workshop. John was accompanied by Dave Thomas and Markus Hermanns.

    They were checking out the refurbishment of a second batch of nesting platforms.

    The Great Crested Grebe is a water bird that uses floating nests. With Lake Wanaka fluctuating water levels their nests can be left high and dry. As the birds cannot walk on land due to their anatomy – their legs are far back on their body – this is a significant problem.

    The nesting platforms which are anchored to the lake bottom have been designed by John. The design is continually improved in the light of experience.

    Members of the MenShed, operating from the Wanaka Community Workshop, are restoring and upgrading the platforms to the latest design.

    John, Dave and Markus with Tom Dodd (second from right) from the Wanaka Community Workshop check out the refurbished nesting platform that will be used for the 2022-23 breeding season.

  • Bike stands from construction waste

    Bike stands from construction waste

    Tired of picking your bike up off the floor? Weary of trying to balance your cycle up against a wall?

    The Wanaka Community Workshop has the answer to your problem – a bike stand.

    The stands are made from construction waste that would otherwise have ended up in a landfill.

    Simple, stable and custom designed to fit different tyre widths – from the fattest fat to a slim road racer.

    Funds raised from the sale of bike stands will be ploughed back into community initiatives undertaken by the Wanaka Community Workshop.

    Graham Stuart and Barrie Foote preparing components for the bike stands.
    Barrie’s bike stands are available from the Wanaka Community Workshop for $20 each.

  • Sarah makes a difference

    Sarah and her rat trap

    Over the holidays Sarah has been picking cherries in the Upper Clutha. This week before heading back north to University she dropped into the Wanaka Community Workshop. Sarah was looking to make a contribution to our community.

    She joined the team from the Mens Shed for a morning.

    We are currently building a batch of sophisticated rat rats. The design of the trap reflects lessons learnt in the bush not only to more effectively catch the intended prey but also ensure kea and weka are protected.

    Electric drill in hand Sarah joined the production line. She soon completed her first trap that will soon be deployed into our natural environment.

    Its great to welcome visitors such as Sarah seeking to make a contribution to our community.

  • Better Brew Ups

    Better Brew Ups

    It may surprise some but its not all work at the Mens Shed.

    We also enjoy the odd brew – a cuppa.

    Indeed the time for a cuppa is a key part of our day. A time to catch up and share stories.

    Without running water in our kitchen our brew ups were more akin to camping.

    Good news!

    This month Neil Green of the firm BC Plumbing & Maintenance came to our rescue with his time and skills. We now have water!

    But that is not all.

    We have installed a dishwasher. A dishwasher which was gifted by one of our volunteers. Also a microwave oven that our supporters purchased from the Hospice Shop just two doors down from the Wanaka Community Workshop.

    Not only can we now serve a descent brew but a hot pie as well!

    Luxury.

    Neil (third from right) enjoys a cuppa with the team at the Mens Shed

  • Fresh hands make light work

    Fresh hands make light work

    Catie (right) and Gillian building a floating nesting platform destined for Wanaka’s Great Crested Grebes.

    Its always great to welcome folk who drop into the Wanaka Community Centre.

    This week Catie called in to give a hand to the supporters of the MenShed. Catie is working in town over the University holidays, heard about the MenShed and thought she would give it a go.

    We were busy.

    The supporters are currently building bike stands, rat traps, a stand to collect batteries for recycling, neighborhood book exchange / libraries. However with Catie’s support we finished the last of a second batch of nesting platforms.

    Being a budding engineer she had a few ideas were we could improve our operations. We will work on these too.

  • A great place to get involved

    A great place to get involved

    Gillian and her husband moved to Wanaka in July.

    Gillian’s family had holidayed here for years. Taking the plunge and relocating south from Auckland meant they needed to engage with the community here in Wanaka.

    They joined the MenShed.

    “It was great to learn new skills” said Gillian.

    But what I love most about the MenShed and the Wanaka Community Workshop is the opportunity to meet others from across the community.

    “To feel I am contributing in some small way to the great community we have joined at Wanaka is really satisfying.”

    “I knew little or nothing about working with wood when I started, said Gillian. The people at the MenShed have been great. Within a couple of months I was able to use the facilities and equipment at the Wanaka Community Workshop to build a rocking horse for my granddaughter.

    Most of the members of the MenShed are blokes. But its not for men, its for any person who want to make a difference. Come on over and see if its for you.

    As part of the team at the MenShed, Gillian’s first project was building Kea proof stoat traps which are now deployed by environmental groups across the Upper Clutha

  • Family icon restored to glory

    Family icon restored to glory

    Early in 2021 long term Wanaka resident Lindsay dropped into the Wanaka Community Workshop.

    She presented a challenge.

    Could we restore a garden seat which her granddad had owned?

    At the MensShed we have people like Stu Simpson who like a challenge.

    With new woodwork and refurbished steel work the seat, resplendent in classic kiwi red, was recently returned to Lindsay’s garden.

    With Stu looking on, Lindsay tries out her seat she first used as a child
  • 10/02/2022 – Fundraising Sale

    10/02/2022 – Fundraising Sale

    The first panel was lifted on the 29th of November, three weeks and 300 volunteer hours (and a few sausage rolls) later we have some wood stacked up ready to sell.

    14th and 15th of January, between 0900 and 1500 we will have the gates open for buying / collecting wood. Pricing will vary with size and quality.

    Before 1/11/2021
    During 06/12/2021
    Last bit 07/12/2021
    Ready for fundraiser 10/01/2022

  • 17/12/2021 – Mons Royale Circular Design Challenge

    17/12/2021 – Mons Royale Circular Design Challenge

    Stoked Bike Stand

    Mons Royale founder and CEO Hamish Acland attended a Bike-vember event where participants built their own bike rack from waste materials. He and his son Ted enjoyed it so much they came back with the Mons Royale Wanaka Headquarters team.

    The brief was to lead four teams through a circular design process creating bike racks for the Mons Royale office. Time was limited to two hours.

    Key to this event was to design using the materials available (all recycled / diverted waste), without creating more waste. Volunteers Angus Rowley, Jules Adams, Thom Dodds and Ben Acland each looked after a group and used the power tools.

    End result was one floor single stand, one wall single stand, two under seat multi bike racks. One of the surprise results was the ‘Stoked Bike Stand’, made using plywood offcuts from Stoked Hot Tubs. This design used materials that the Wanaka Community Workshop had not found a use for. Now the MenShed group is finessing this design to create a repeatable product for commercial sale. Taking waste wood, creating value for the Wanaka Community Workshop so the cycle can continue.

    Start by viewing some ideas taken from the internet
    Find materials
    Create
    Finishing touches
    Testing
    Presenting.
  • 15/12/2021 – Recycling Former Mitre10 Wood Rack

    15/12/2021 – Recycling Former Mitre10 Wood Rack

    Angus Rowley inspecting the next stage of the deconstruction.

    During the shift from Anderson Road to the new Three Parks location Mitre10 Mega there was a massive clean up, many items nuts, bolts, screws, tools were put aside as they were missing items or in broken packaging. The Wanaka Community Workshop was the lucky recipient of large quantities of this.

    During the collection of these items, the question was asked, “what are you doing with that huge wood storage structure?” Four months later the call came, did we want to bring our volunteers in to dismantle it and keep the materials. Gwil and Ben don’t say no (often) and so one week of work turned into two of hard slog.

    Jules Adams taking one of thousands of nails another board.

    Now we have a massive amount of untreated plywood, Oregon framing timber, and mdf board.

    A portion of the timber stacked ready for its next life.

    Untreated wood is perfect for making things like Mud Kitchens and other items at Pre-Schools where treated timber is avoided. An example of a busy kid making mud pancakes below will become a product offered for sale to the public soon.

  • Tuesday and Thursday Morning Sessions are Growing Strongly

    Tuesday and Thursday Morning Sessions are Growing Strongly

    The Tuesday and Thursday morning sessions, 9am-12pm, are really starting to crank. We started with Alan, two more Alan’s showed up and now we have up to a dozen regulars making rat traps, shelving, organizing the workshop and working on their own projects.

    Alan and the new “WCW Standard Shelving Unit” set to take over the international shelving world.
    Donnell (from Dunlop Builders) and Alan working on the Garden Bench for the Take Kārara Primary School, NB: Donnell is actually the one who did all the tricky power tool work.
    The Garden Bench mentioned above, next up are floors and ends from recycled timber
  • 4KT Elephant Workshop

    4KT Elephant Workshop

    On the 18th April 2021 the 4KT Elephant Workshop happened at the Wanaka Community Workshop.

    A wonderful event that resulted in beautiful elephants going home with the happy makers.

  • Sign Making

    Sign Making

    We’re getting some stuff done. Today Dunlop Building dropped off some great materials and we started making the first sign. Evolution!

  • We Have A Building!

    We Have A Building!

    The building is rented at 15 Gordon Road and will be open for the first time on Thursday 1st April 2021. Drop in and see what is happening. If you can bring us any timber, a saw bench or some volunteer labour all the better!

  • Meetings and Decisions

    Meetings and Decisions

    The hardest thing to sort out has been a physical location for the Workshop. We’ve talking to Council about locating a building on Council land and looked at every option we can think of.

    In order to actually get this thing started we’ve decided to lease a building on Gordon Road, Wanaka for the following reasons:

    • If we were to try and build a shed on Council land it would take 1-2 years and be a big investment in effort before we even got to the fun bit of getting the workshop working.
    • We don’t yet know how big or small to build a shed, so rapid prototyping in a low risk easy exit lease will get runs on the board.
    • Ben has a building which he is willing to lease below market rate and on terms beneficial to the WCW in order to get the project going.

    This is exciting! We can actually start to think about the next steps and can reasonably expect to get the establishment open in the next few months.

  • 2020 is coming to a close…

    2020 is coming to a close…

    The end of the year is here and while we haven’t achieved what we were hoping to, a locked in physical location to start the Wanaka Community Workshop journey, we have started a Charitable Trust, done a lot of research and feel like we’re closer to making the idea a reality.

    We’re feeling confident we’ll hit the ground running after the holiday period.