Tucked away in Eden Terrace is a magical secret – an empty section that’s set to flower into a community garden and DIY hub. Come along to the Minnie Street Community Day (#MinnieStreetMassive) this Saturday to find out more. As the official invitation says:
The day itself will see the establishment of the first of a number of community gardens aimed at bringing bees back into the city, the opening of a new book exchange and a bicycle recycling shop, and the painting of a new mural. There will also be stalls and free activities including free boxing lessons, face painting, a candle-making demonstration and a DJ.
Wait a minute. Did somebody say ‘bicycle recycling shop’? That’s right up our alley! So we chased up Carl Naus of Loop Groop to find out more.
Carl is a founding member of a collective of half a dozen (or so) plugged-in folk who want to change the way we think about stuff, especially in our rampantly wasteful society. If a thing can be rescued and repaired, then it absolutely should be.
And as Carl points out, bikes are one of those things.
‘Bikes are a great example of make do and mend – all sorts of things can go wrong with them, but there are very few things that can cause a bike to be totally unusable. They’re so modular and so repairable as an object. You can break them down to parts and make whole new bikes.’
Carl had a head start on bike mechanic skills thanks to his time at hands-on Tumeke Cyclespace. But Loop Groop itself emerged from his experience working for the Council, educating people about the new inorganic rubbish collection service.
On a tour of the facility where the good stuff goes to be recycled (curious? more here) he saw a massive pile of bikes and thought: ‘We need to do something with this. We need to take these trash bikes and turn them into real bikes.’
So they did, working out of an Onehunga warehouse belonging to Carl’s sister. That was 3 months ago, and they’ve rescued at least 50 bikes since then. ‘Some of them only need their tires pumped up! Others we break down for parts. Some are in bad condition but are such good quality that it’s worth it to strip them back and build them back up.’
They’ve donated some of the fixed-up bikes to Teau Aiturau, and sold others to willing buyers. As long as the bikes live to ride another day, they consider their job done.
Recently, the group leapt at the chance to move citywards, to a vacant section next to Lot 23, Sam and Natalie Tozer’s arts/ events/ creative/ cafe space. (You may remember Sam from this article about families using the Northwestern cycleway to get around).
A container has been delivered, and the Loop Groop crew are building a shed alongside – out of bits and bobs and trash, of course! – to house an all-purpose recycling and upcycling workspace with a focus on bikes.
For now, Loop Groop is a labour of love on top of everyone’s day-job, but it’s structured as a workers’ cooperative, with solid principles and a deep vision. ‘The whole point is to save the bikes and see them ridden again,’ says Carl. ‘And maybe make enough to pay ourselves, one day.’
The cooperative approach ‘comes out of wanting to have a hands-on job that we have sovereignty over… we all have a say, and we all have autonomy.’ It’s a democratic vision that extends to the whole community, encouraging a fix-it culture and giving people the tools they need to make things work again.
‘We’re really looking forward to opening up our space to the public, and helping people repair things,’ says Carl. ‘It’s all about unlocking the potential of people to make something of the resources we have, whether it be bikes – or anything.’
Loop Groop is open Saturdays midday to 4pm, and during the week by arrangement, at 21 Minnie St. You can sign up for their newsletter on their website, and stay in touch via Facebook.
And of course, you can pop along on Saturday to meet them in person, alongside all sorts of other great people – including Sarah Smuts-Kennedy, who aims to make Auckland the world’s most bee-friendly city.
Truly, this once empty lot will be a hive of activity!
