MENZSHED - Akaroa

MENZSHED are a registered charity that facilitates the running of Men's Sheds running across New Zealand.  These are community groups for men, where men can: come together to share their skills, enjoy social time and work on practical tasks as a group, or work on their own projects. Men Shed's provide a supportive and beneficial environment for Men to learn new skills, as well as working on the things they love doing. As well as group and personal projects, Shed's also do work for community projects and events.

MENZSHED aims to:

• Bring sheds together to enable them to establish relationships and collaborate where appropriate.
• Promote the concept to communities without sheds, and support groups as they go through the establishment phase – and this includes linking new groups with nearby established sheds and our team of regional representatives.
• Establish national sponsor relationships.  Sheds often initiate relationships at a local level too.
• Encourage sheds to act autonomously.  We encourage sheds to make their own decisions and rules but we have resources to assist.
• Operate at minimal cost to sheds.  Member sheds pay a $25.00 annual fee.
• Organise national conferences, which are currently on a two-year cycle.
• Allow sheds to drive the organisation rather than the organisation driving the sheds.

Some sheds also provide opportunities for women members to come together, through the facilitation of women's groups, however, their main focus is creating a community space for men.