February 2025 Newsletter
Helen Gerry
For the Full Newsletter, please use this link.
Read MoreBlog
Praesent commodo cursus magna, vel scelerisque nisl consectetur et. Curabitur blandit tempus porttitor. Fusce dapibus, tellus ac cursus commodo, tortor mauris condimentum nibh, ut fermentum massa justo sit amet risus. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum. Cras mattis consectetur purus sit amet fermentum.
Josephine Jelicich - Homestyle Magazine Article
Helen Gerry
Graduating from the full time Furniture Makers’ programme in 2018, read about what Josephine Jelicich is doing now.
Read MoreJanuary 2025 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
And just like that, it's January. 2025.
The weather has been a bit fickle, with the summer sun blazing to thunder and hailstorms crashing down. Despite the unpredictable weather, the tick over from midnight at the end of one year to the start of the next year is energizing and there's a collective rise in spirits with the possibilities a new year brings. Coming off the back of last year, which was a difficult year for many, there seems to be a shift in the atmosphere. People want to smile more, worry less, and spend more time doing things we love, with people we enjoy. Here at the school, we feel that way, too. We're excited about 2025 and and the possibilities of what's to come.
Read MoreDecember 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Is it really that time? Holidays and the end of the year? It always seems to come as a bit of a shock that we're here already. Don't you think?
It's also that time when we tend to reflect on the past year. 2024 was a little different for the school, a time of transitions and readjustments. There was no Full Time Furniture Makers Programme this year, which had only been misseed twice before, in 2011 and 2016. So we packed in as many short courses as we could. Was wonderful to meet new students and see our returning students again.
Read MoreNovember 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Welcome to the November newsletter
As the weather turns on a dime from glorious sunshine to downpours, this has also been a month of mixed emotions. We've had some wonderful news in hearing of Lou and James' engagement, and we wish them every possible happiness together. We've also being struck with tragedy that has shaken all who knew Will Bayliss.
With the end of the year in sight, we want to send to you, our whānau, our gratitude that we have you to share our highs and lows with.
October 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Welcome to the October newsletter
It's been busy in the workshop this month, with 7 short courses running in October. The mornings are still chilly, but the afternoons are warming up nicely. We're enjoying having more days with the roller doors open and lunches outside on the picnic tables
Read MoreSeptember 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Welcome to the latest newsletter
And welcome to Spring - the sun is shining, the daffodils are out, the days are getting longer and the workshop is getting warmer!
Read MoreJuly 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Our Open Day at the end of last month was a ROARING success with over 100 people calling in to check us out, say hello and watch some demos. It was great to see so many people showing enthusiasm and interest in what we do here, and of course the ever-entertaining steam bending demonstration always goes down a treat. Thank you to everyone who made the day such a success.
Read MoreJune 2024 Newsletter
Cheril Barber
Greetings from the workshop - thanks for taking the time to read our latest newsletter and hopefully there's something that sparks your interest.
We are just about half way through the year and already plans are well underway for the 2025 short course programme which will be up on the website in the next few weeks.
You may not realise that we are a not-for-profit organisation and a registered charity based on the fact that we are the only dedicated woodworking school in New Zealand. As part of our requirements to the Charities Services / Ngā Rātonga Kaupapa Atawhai we have to annually report on our finances and performance. A very heartwarming statistic we can share with you is that in both 2022 and 2023 the percentage of our students who return for another course is a whopping 59%. This figure may. be a little distorted post-Covid, but even so it feels like a good excuse to brag! Seriously though, our sincere thanks to you, our students, for supporting the school by continuing to enrol in our courses and workshops.
Read MoreFellowship Reflections
Helen Gerry
Keren Oertly, graduate of the 2023 Furniture Makers’ Programme has recently returned from the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA where she was awarded a 12-week scholarship to develop a project within the Fellowship programme. What an absolutely amazing experience to be immersed in such a creative environment - something we would just love to have as part of our happenings here and something we aspire to in the future.
Keren has kindly written and shared with us her Maine experience