Check out their website…

www.HawkesbayWoodturners.org.nz

In 1988 an advertisement was placed in the Napier and Hastings newspapers inviting people to register for a woodturning demonstration. The response was such that two demonstrations had to be held. The demonstrator was Tairongo Amoamo who was the Secretary of the National Association of Woodturners which was formed in 1986.

With the encouragement of Tairongo and Ken Sagar, then President of NAW, a meeting was called of people interested in forming a woodturning group. From this meeting a steering committee was formed and the Inaugural meeting of the Hawke‟s Bay Woodturners Guild was held on 29 May 1989 with 37 people attending.

The Guild started in 1989, first meeting in a secondary school woodwork room and then moving to the Pakowhai Hall in the 1990‟s.

Since it started the Guild has gone from strength to strength. There are now just over one hundred members. The Guild owns thousands of dollars worth of equipment including 15 lathes, other machinery, library, and shop. There is also a Gallery where members‟ turnings are available for sale to the public on Saturdays and Sundays. Certificate of Woodturning courses are held each week under the auspices of Aoraki Polytechnic. Over the last 19 years many overseas and New Zealand Woodturners have demonstrated ensuring the ongoing up skilling of members.

In 2005 the opportunity came up to be part of the Waiohiki Creative Arts village in the old dairy factory. With Guild labour the building was relined, painted inside and out, and electrical work carried out. Tiered seating was built to accommodate members at club nights, and workshops and demonstrations during the day, at night, and at weekends. A gallery to sell members woodturning and woodworking items was also built. The Guild was able to take on the project because of funding from Eastern and Central for materials and the skills and expertise of its members eg, building, engineering, and electrical.

In September 2007 the Guild hosted the New Zealand Woodskills Symposium over three days. There were nine overseas demonstrators from the USA (3), Britain (2) and Australia (4) and seven demonstrators from New Zealand. The overseas demonstrators were very strong in their praise of the organisation of the Symposium.

The Guild has recently agreed to tutor woodturning and woodworking skills to Hohepa residents in their workshop at Clive and to the folk at Kauri House in Hastings who have suffered a brain injury. In December each year the Guild supplies turned wooden bowls filled with sweets for elderly residents in council flats, alternatively in Hastings and Napier.