Hammering and sawing in men’s sheds around the country will stop temporarily in April, when Menzshed New Zealand members gather for their national conference in Dunedin.
The conference (April 17-19) will be jointly hosted by the North Dunedin Shed Society and the Taieri Blokes’ Shed, and is expected to attract more than 100 members from affiliated sheds across the country.
A large delegation from the Australian Men’s Shed movement is also expected to attend.
The sheds provide men with opportunities to work on projects and socialise.
Alongside working on their own projects, they are involved in a lot of community projects, including making park benches, Lilliput libraries, stoat trap boxes, wooden palings for fences, sign posts, and planter boxes.
The theme for the conference is "Communities and wellbeing bring sheddies together".
Guest speakers and panels will discuss a range of topics, including shed management and logistics, men’s health and wellbeing, project and community relationships, and innovative technologies.
Menz Shed New Zealand president Trevor Scott said the movement had been gaining momentum over the past 10 years, and there were now more than 100 across the country and a further 30 in development.
"It’s great to see the efforts of our shed members across the country coming to fruition and the movement as a whole growing so quickly in New Zealand."
