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Join us in Ōtepoti Dunedin this Labour Weekend

Workshop Coordinator & Communicator Recruitment

Resourceful Craft is looking for a new part-time Workshop Coordinator & Communicator to facilitate our workshop programme. If you live in Ōtautahi, have excellent organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills, and are committed to our resourceful craft kaupapa, this opportunity might be for you!

Applications close 11 October 2024.

For further information please email info@resourcefulcraft.org.nz

About us:

Resourceful Craft is a programme of craft workshops teaching resourceful skills for the wellbeing of people and planet. It is based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, with additional opportunities in Whakatū Nelson and Ōtepoti Dunedin. The organisation supports a team of highly skilled craftspeople, connecting them to people who are eager to learn and facilitating those workshops. Resourceful Craft is an offshoot of Rekindle Ltd., supported by funding from Creative New Zealand and Christchurch City Council. We share traditional craft practices that will provide people with new skills and a refreshed relationship with the local materials and resources that surround them. A crucial part of our approach is growing in understanding of our relationships to the whenua, and the impact of colonisation on craft practices and in many other areas of life in Aotearoa. In Ōtautahi we acknowledge the awa (rivers) Ōtākaro Avon and Ōpāwaho Heathcote which give life to this area, and mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and Ngāi Tahu whānui. We also mihi to those who whakapapa to Waitaha and Ngāti Māmoe, who are closely connected to this land. We are committed to honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi, and understanding its vital relevance today. 

Role:
This is a part time, fixed term from 4 November 2024 to 5 Nov 2026, for at least 12 hours per week, working from home.

The core responsibilities are: liaising with craft tutors, venues, and the public; social media, e-newsletter, and other comms; monitoring workshop sales and managing bookings; answering queries from the public; other administrative tasks as assigned by the Manager; accounts payable and receivable.

Person specification
It is essential that the person in this role feels a genuine commitment to: our organisational values and to pursuing our kaupapa towards greater impact, and greater participation in resourceful craft; supporting and growing the way our organisation honours Te Tiriti o Waitangi; promoting bookings and the image of the Project through engaging communications across various social media and communication platforms; providing excellent customer service to clients; supporting craft tutors; living in Ōtautahi for the duration of the contract.

It is desirable that the incumbent: is able to commit for the duration of the contract; has excellent organisation, communication and interpersonal skills; has experience with social media and direct marketing comms; pays attention to detail, and is methodical and process focussed; has data entry and computer skills; works well as part of a team and shows initiative; feels strongly about the wellbeing of our planet and communities; has an interest in the arts and cultural wellbeing and is committed to acting with respect to Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

 

TO APPLY, PLEASE: 

• Contact Ali at info@resourcefulcraft.org.nz for a full role description.
• Email a Cover Letter introducing yourself and explaining why you are applying for this role and why you would be a good choice for it, along with your Curriculum Vitae to info@resourcefulcraft.org.nz by or before 11 October 2024.

Trustee Recruitment

Rekindle Charitable Trust is seeking new voluntary trustees to help govern the ‘Resourceful Craft’ programme. We are looking to appoint up to 3 trustees, with the priority being a treasurer. We are also looking for someone who has experience in health/wellbeing but these areas of expertise are not requirements, we welcome applications from anyone who is committed to this kaupapa. 

Applications close 6 October 2024.

For further information please email info@resourcefulcraft.org.nz 

About us:

Resourceful Craft is a programme of craft workshops teaching resourceful skills for the wellbeing of people and planet. It is based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, with additional opportunities in Whakatū Nelson and Ōtepoti Dunedin. The organisation supports a team of highly skilled craftspeople, connecting them to people who are eager to learn and facilitating those workshops. Resourceful Craft is an offshoot of Rekindle Ltd., supported by funding from Creative New Zealand and Christchurch City Council. We share traditional craft practices that will provide people with new skills and a refreshed relationship with the local materials and resources that surround them. A crucial part of our approach is growing in understanding of our relationships to the whenua, and the impact of colonisation on craft practices and in many other areas of life in Aotearoa. In Ōtautahi we acknowledge the awa (rivers) Ōtākaro Avon and Ōpāwaho Heathcote which give life to this area, and mana whenua Ngāi Tūāhuriri, and Ngāi Tahu whānui. We also mihi to those who whakapapa to Waitaha and Ngāti Māmoe, who are closely connected to this land. We are committed to honouring te Tiriti o Waitangi, and understanding its vital relevance today. 

 

Role:
Trustees would be expected to attend monthly meetings and engage in all communications external to these meetings (emails, phone calls, external meetings with other members of the trust and/or trust manager). The hours will vary according to what is happening within the charity but can be estimated at around 6-10 hours monthly. Trustees would also be expected to attend annual strategic planning workshops, and they will be invited to attend optional social events e.g. pot luck dinners. 

 

TO APPLY, PLEASE PROVIDE: 

• Letter introducing yourself and explaining why you are applying for this role. Please tell us the main things that you do with your time (paid and unpaid), why you are interested in joining the trust and what skills you would bring.
  Confirm that you are eligible to be an officer of a charitable trust 
• Curriculum Vitae. Please include any governance experience and referees.
• Email to info@resourcefulcraft.org.nz by or before 6 October

 

Further information about Resourceful Craft

The materials for many of these workshops include locally foraged and carefully harvested fibres and foliage, green wood supplied by friendly urban arborists, and repurposed textiles that might otherwise have gone to waste. We also offer chances for people to learn to care for their tools and breathe new life into worn out clothing. In addition, we provide opportunities for people to come together with others on a regular basis to practise their skills at our monthly club sessions, where the craftspeople can get to know the participants and better support them in their resourceful craft journey. From spoon carving to basket weaving, drop spindle spinning to soap making, brush making to eco-printing, whether it be all weekend or for just a few hours, we aim to offer something for everyone in our Ōtautahi Christchurch workshop programme. We are also travelling to Whakatū Nelson in March to teach a full programme at Fairfield House, and heading back to Ōtepoti at Labour Weekend with support from the team at Otago Polytechnic Te Kura Matatini ki Otago. 

The word resource was originally derived from the Latin resurgō meaning rise again. Life on Earth is deeply resourceful in the inherent ability of all life to continually rise again, to resource itself. Perhaps the form of life will change or decay, but it will always rise again in some shape or form. Resourcefulness requires us to engage with our inner resources whilst strengthening our relationship with the life around us, and in this ongoing exchange we realise the inseparable nature of life on Earth. Through the lens of resourcefulness the relationship between human and non-human wellbeing is inseparable and so when we care for earth we cannot help but care for ourselves. We live in a world confronted by social and environmental challenges. These problems are inextricably linked yet so vast and complex it is difficult to face them together. As these challenges worsen, the need to find solutions that address both human and environmental wellbeing in an interconnected manner grows increasingly vital. Professor Tim Haywood (2006) says “Resourcefulness involves the development and exercise of human capacities, and thus fulfils part of the substance of a good human life; it also eases pressure on finite natural phenomena that are needed as resources in (roughly) inverse proportion to resourcefulness.”

Whakatū Nelson, we are coming to you!

The Resourceful Craft 2024 programme has launched!

Haere mai ki Resourceful Craft 2024! A year-long programme of craft workshops teaching resourceful skills for the wellbeing of people and planet.

Resourceful Craft 2024 is an offshoot of Rekindle, being run as a separate project by a charitable entity. We, the tīma at Resource Craft 2024, are delighted to announce that our workshop programme, run with support from Creative New Zealand, has launched.

Workshops will be taught by the talented craftspeople you have come to know and love, in community venues across Ōtautahi Christchurch and in Rīkona Lincoln, and groups of craftspeople will tour to Whakatū Nelson as well as to Ōtepoti Dunedin. Private workshops will be available by arrangement.

You are in the right place - download our full programme here, or enrol through our workshop booking pages by location:

Ōtautahi Christchurch & Rīkona Lincoln
Whakatū Nelson
Ōtepoti Dunedin

We are also running Resourceful Craft Clubs, where you can practice your skills at our monthly club sessions. See more here.

We hope to have you join us for a resourceful craft experience this year.

We Are Hiring!

Do you have great communication skills and attention to detail? Do you like organising, working as part of a team and showing initiative? Do you feel strongly about the wellbeing of our planet and communities, and have an interest in the arts and cultural wellbeing?

Our workshop coordinator Ngaio is making room to pursue her toi practice, and so we are looking for someone to step into this role. This administrative position is 15 hours a week spread across the week working partly from the Rekindle workshop in Ōtautahi Christchurch. Duties include scheduling classes; liaising with craft tutors, other organisations and the public; listing workshops online and on Facebook; scheduling and posting on social media platforms; monitoring workshop sales; managing bookings and the website; answering queries from the public, and other tasks assigned by Rekindle’s Manager.

Please contact info@rekindle.org.nz for a full role description before applying to make sure that this is a good fit.

Applications close on 31 March 2023.

Esta Tonkin appointed as interim Rekindle Manager

Esta Tonkin is a craftsperson who works with textiles. She has a background in science (ecology) and tertiary education, including teaching environmental management, and zero waste management, and is a Māma of two. Esta values compassion highly and is passionate about addressing issues of equity and inclusion in Aotearoa. She is really looking forward to pursing meaningful, values-based, creative work with our team and we are really excited to have her on board for the next year, while our current Manager Hannah Wilson Black is away on parental leave.

 

Join our Rekindle whānau!

Our manager Hannah is taking a break from November with a pēpi on the way, and we are looking for someone to step into this role for 20 hour per week parental leave cover till 30 September 2023. This position involves working closely with our Workshop Coordinator, our Rekindle team of talented Craftspeople and Volunteers, our Board and Advisors, community groups, funders, and other stakeholders. The person we are looking for is a natural relationship builder and communicator, has experience balancing multi-faceted values-driven projects, a passion for resourcefulness, and is committed to continuing to develop the way we put Te Tiriti o Waitangi into practice. With multiple programmes on the go, and more in the pipelines, it’s set to be an exciting year. For more info, a full role description, and details of how to apply, please contact us at info@rekindle.org.nz. Applications close on 17 October, but please apply at your earliest convenience.

Rekindle in Ōtepoti Dunedin for Labour Weekend

Rekindle is pleased to announce that it is heading south Labour Weekend to present a series of workshops in Ōtepoti Dunedin. 

With 16 workshops on offer from 22-24 October, this is a chance for people to develop their craft skills or try their hand at making what we need from what we have around us, for the good of people and planet. 

Eco-printing, making baskets and trays from foraged materials, felt-making, and spoon carving are some of the resourceful craft skills on offer. Through these workshops, Rekindle promotes the sense of purpose that comes with transforming local materials through skill sharing, and the care and connection to each other and the planet that is inherent in craft. 

The classes are taught by experienced Ōtautahi Christchurch-based craft practitioners - Simone Bensdorp, Douglas Horrell, Diana Duncan and Gemma Stratton, all of whom teach these skills and many more at the Rekindle workshop at Te Matatiki Te Ora The Arts Centre in Christchurch. 

The workshops are expected to be popular as Rekindle’s last southern sojourn in September 2020 sold out within days. Otago Polytechnic is the host for the weekend, while support from Res.Awesome has also enabled this trip. 

Rekindle manager Hannah Wilson Black says, 'We're thrilled to be able to bring Rekindle resourceful craft workshops to Ōtepoti. We hope that through learning these new skills people will increase their awareness in their relationship with this planet and discover resourceful ways of utilising local and sustainable resources to make the things that they need.' 

For listings and bookings; check out the website here.

 

Rekindle's approach to the Covid traffic light system

With the approach of the government’s Covid-19 traffic light system, we wanted to share Rekindle’s policy with you all so that you have clarity and peace of mind when booking in for a future workshop.

We have taken the health, safety and wellbeing of staff, volunteers and members of the public into consideration, and thought carefully about how we can run workshops and deliver a fulfilling craft experience with a degree of certainty.

We have had a lot of discussion about this, as we have young children, vulnerable members of the population and those with elderly parents in our wider Rekindle family.

As we wish to operate as safely as possible, and protect the health of our communities, Rekindle will be running vaccinate mandated workshops from the implementation of the traffic light system, at all levels of the traffic light system.

This means that from Covid-19 traffic light system confirmation, anyone 12 and over attending a workshop at Rekindle must be fully vaccinated. Tutors teaching these classes are fully vaccinated.

Please note that medical exemptions are included in the vaccine passport programme.

We will review our policy in light of any new government mandates and as the situation evolves.

We are working hard to deliver some online workshops too, so that if you have chosen not to get the vaccine, or do not feel comfortable participating in publicly accessible workshops at this time, you can still participate.

We respect your personal choice as to whether or not you get the vaccine, and we ask that you respect ours. Be kind and stay safe.