Only 1% of plumbers in Aotearoa are women[2]. In construction, the number barely reaches 3%[1]. Now, a groundbreaking new workshop space in central Pōneke aims to change that. 'Cahoots Workshop' – the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – will be a makerspace for women and gender diverse people to build skills, confidence, and community in the trades and hands-on creativity.

“It’s shocking how low the numbers are of women in the trades,” says Julie Anne Genter, MP for Rongotai “and it’s not just a matter of promoting it - it is about creating community, creating space for people to feel welcome and encouraged and this [Cahoots Workshop] is a place for them”

Cahoots Workshop, currently being built on Hopper Street in downtown Pōneke, is queer- and trans-led. Reflecting the inner suburbs of Pōneke, where almost 20% of the population identifies as LGBTQIA+[3], it offers a radical new approach to practical learning and empowerment.

Akin to a Menzshed or traditional makerspace – but exclusive to women and gender diverse people – Cahoots will challenge the default paradigm where cisgender men dominate spaces and skills that shape the practical world.

“We need a safe, supportive space, outside the world of systematic and entrenched discrimination, so that we can build confidence and reclaim practical skills,” says Jade Musther (she/they), Cahoots Founder “and so we’re building one!”

Cahoots Workshop is currently fundraising to finalise the build and bring the space to life. Supporters can follow the journey, see behind-the-scenes progress, and find out how to get involved via Instagram: @cahoots.nz and the website: www.cahoots.nz.

Notes:

* Women in New Zealand’s Construction Industry: Barriers and Wellbeing Enablers; Hetaswi Patel and Firas Majthoub Almughrabi https://doi.org/10.34074/rere.00410

** Plumbers, Gasfitters, and Drainlayers Board: 2024 Annual Report; https://www.pgdb.co.nz/media/44lpkhjo/pgdb-annual-report-2024.pdf

*** 2023 Census; Stats NZ Tatauranga Aotearoa; https://www.stats.govt.nz/2023-census/

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