
Tools, Community and Sharing
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The Newtown Tool Library is a volunteer run community tool sharing space. Currently located at 9 Constable Street, Newtown. It offers tools, advice and workshops — a place of sharing skills and know-how among the community, empowering individuals and reducing overall waste by sharing and reusing.
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The Newtown Tool Library was established in 2016 and continues to thrive in Newtown thanks to all of its members, volunteers, the Newtown Community Centre and donators of finances and tools.
Vision Statement
Tools are available for anyone in our community that needs them.
Encouraging self-reliance, creativity and resilience.
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Empowering individuals through workshops on techniques and DIY projects.
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Promoting a do it yourself attitude.
Reducing our environmental footprint.
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Sharing tools will reduce the consumption of new tools.
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Educating community members on proper use and maintenance of tools for longer durability.
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Encouraging item repair instead of discarding.
Improving housing conditions.
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Easy access to tools and learning materials for home improvements.
Foster a sense of community and mutual support.
Our Team
Hedy
Tool Librarian
I‘m a Newtown creative who likes volunteering and I needed to learn about tools to become more self-sufficient. Access not ownership is our mighty mantra and the NTL toolUniverse is mighty helpful so I spread the word as much as possible. It's a great team, and a resource with benefits on a great scale: the regular Repair Cafes being another fabulous project. I am investing in not only my upskilling, but yours, and our children’s. I love having littlies come in and help get the tools, see them used in their homes and returning them. They are learning not to shop!
Eryn
Newtown Community Centre Coordinator
Eryn is the slightly scruffy punk of the Newtown Community Centre – a people person and passionate advocate. She’s got “mad Aroha” for inclusion, art, community, music, conversation and laughter. As an artist she loves to make stuff, as NCCC coordinator she loves to make stuff happen!
Ellie
Newtown Community Centre Coordinator
Ellie is one of the Kaiwhakahaere/Coordinators at the NCCC. She would like to live under the ocean, but until she grows gills, she is loving being a part of the Newtown community. When she’s not snorkelling, you’ll find her attempting to do the mahi to be a decent Tiriti partner, supporting grassroots activism and drinking coffee. She loves the Newtown Tool Library, thinks the mahi they do to make tools accessible is rad and aspires to one day be confident enough to use more than a hammer!
Freya
Tool Librarian
Freya is a maker of things: house vans, cakes, crochet, gardens, the list goes on. She is usually obsessively making something. She jumped at the opportunity of helping with the tool library's existence and loves turning up on a Saturday to hear all about what people have made with the tools they borrowed.
Ben
Past Co-coordinator
Ben Phillips was born in Newtown to a gardener and a librarian so has DIY and cataloging in the blood. He still lives close by with his family and is trying to finish all those little projects while excitedly starting new ones. He has a background in environmental management and zero waste and works as a builder/landscaper around Wellington.
Renee
Past Newtown Community Centre Coordinator
Renee is a coffee fiend and one day aspires to join the circus (not very realistically). She is passionate about community development (some would say that she's all things Newtown) and loved being a part of the team at the Community Centre.
Renee has been a massive support to the Newtown Tool Library and we have a huge appreciation for her and her mahi.