Craft the power to transform

In the heart of Ōtautahi Christchurch at the western end of Worcester Boulevard are the neo-Gothic buildings of the Arts Centre – Te Matatiki Toi Ora.

These heritage grey stone buildings are an important link to times past, while close by modern glass, steel and concrete buildings rise from sites emptied by the Canterbury earthquakes. In the old Boys’ High School foyer at the Arts Centre, an imposing wooden staircase leads up to the craft workshop of Rekindle, where director Juliet Arnott has found a home for craft practitioners to preserve, hone and teach their timehonoured skills.

Wood rescue

Juliet originally started Rekindle a decade ago with the goal of diverting hundreds of tonnes of wood ‘waste’ from landfill. This social enterprise provided employment for nearly 20 artisans who used the wood – much of it sourced from Canterbury’s condemned earthquake-damaged buildings – to create furniture.

Since 2016 Rekindle’s primary goal has shifted