About Us

228 tonnes of textile waste goes to our local tip in Whanganui every year. This is an extraordinary amount, and here at the Ministry of Mahi we aim to do our part to take care of our future by making use of these wasted resources.

The Ministry of Mahi is a community art studio with sewing machines and recycled fabrics, ready for you to learn and make! We have space to run small workshops which you can book here.

We have a large amount of fabrics, including fabric donated from sewists in Whanganui and fabric harvested from discarded clothing and decor. This is available for anyone who comes along during opening hours to make use of for koha/donation.

The Ministry of Mahi stands for decolonisation, kaitiakitanga and manaakitanga. We aim to honour Te Tiriti by taking care of what is here.

Where are we?

The back entrance to the Ministry of Works building – Entrance is 8 St Hill Street, down the driveway and up the stairs, follow the rainbow signs!

Opening Times

Sunday and Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 11am – 8pm
Wednesday: 11am – 8pm
Thursday: 11am – 8pm
Friday: 11am – 6pm
Saturday: 2pm – 6pm

Memberships

We have memberships on offer for those who want to take full advantage of our services:

• Free access during opening hours
• An artist page on our website
• Sell your creations online with us
• 20% discount on workshop space hire
• Storage for your projects
• Sell your work at our market stall at the Whanganui River Markets
• Advertise on our Facebook and Instagram pages

The Future of The Ministry of Mahi

With 10 members we can start brainstorming becoming an incorporated society. Currently The Ministry of Mahi is run by Dani Shenanigan, however it is our goal to create a guild of makers that can benefit each other. Membership fees will be used to invest in new tools and materials decided by the collective.