History

The MenzShed concept is now an international movement after the first MenzShed was started in Sydney, Australia, and is now well established in Europe, North America and New Zealand, though the use of a ‘z’ in MenzShed is uniquely Kiwi! The movement’s primary goal is to provide a venue where men of a certain age can gather and use, share or develop, their skills, be it in woodwork, metalwork, or other handicraft. Such an opportunity for older members to gather has been found beneficial to mental and long-term health, as members find purpose in later life, enjoy shared company, and develop new skills while contributing to their community’s well-being.

The first attempts to create a MenzShed in Golden Bay date back to 2010. But it was not until Ron Eckman made his shed available in 2019, having been Secretary to the parent New Zealand MenzShed Ltd organisation, and the Tapawera MenzShed, that dreams started to become reality, attracting a solid core of enthusiastic members.

In 2020 those founder members started to gather once a week in Roger’s spacious shed, and as word got out, work requests started to come in, including planters and benches for TDC, and predator-trap boxes for the Ramika Project.

As life started to return to normal after Covid, a well-attended founding AGM was held in November 2021, at which a committee was established to develop a proper and permanent MenzShed in Golden Bay. With the help and guidance of New Zealand MenzShed Ltd, a constitution was drawn up and agreed as a founding document; and Mohua MenzShed was registered as an Incorporated Society. With the committee formed under the capable Chairmanship of Dave Myall, an application for Charitable Status was applied for, and duly granted.

At this first AGM the scope and ambitions for Mohua MenzShed were discussed. But first – suitable, dedicated, permanent premises needed to be secured. Dave Myall, as founding Chair, established a solid foundation for Golden Bay’s growing MenzShed membership, on which a sound, long-term future could be built. In April 2024 Dave stepped down and Gordon Stevenson of Upper Tākaka stepped up as Chair, ready to take Mohua MenzShed on to the next level.

The Shed

While our first shed was a member’s spare shed space in Central Takaka, which allowed us to at last start accepting and taking on projects, in the winter of 2024 Mohua MenzShed was offered the opportunity to purchase the old Scout Den on Park Street, just to the south of Takaka.

This great old building was originally the Clifton Institute, dating back to the 1860s and located in Clifton, near Motupipi. Intended as a community hall and library, it was one of the first such community buildings in New Zealand. Falling out of use in the mid-20th century, the building was bought by the Scout Association, dismantled and rebuilt, to slightly different dimensions, as the building it now is.

The next eighteen months saw frantic renovation work, including rebuilding the interior, painting the interior and completely rewiring the building. By mid-2025, the building was ready to allow members to start work on projects, meet there on a regular basis, and enjoy their own space.

There is still much work tobe done, including renovating and securing the external cladding prior to

The Members

The current membership is over 30 men, of all ages, with a variety of skill levels, from almost non-existent to highly skilled, in both woodwork and metalwork. We welcome new members, skilled craftsmen or not, who would like to be part of our community. You may want to help with building projects, such as picnic tables or predator traps, or be involved in community support projects and fundraisers. Whatever your interest, we would enjoy meeting you.

The Community

The Mohua MenzShed has quickly become well-established within the Golden Bay community, with some great support from individuals, businesses, and organisations. This has manifested itself not only in the interest shown but in the donation of equipment, grants, time and material.

To date, most of the work done by the Mohua MenzShed has been projects requested by different parts of the community; whether it was planters for the closed access road by the GB High School for TDC, picnic tables for TDC, a bird hide for Forest & Bird, predator trap boxes for the Ramika Project and Project DeVine, or repairing the seat at Clifton Historical Cemetery, amongst others.