My Account
Kim Coghlan
While working from home either full-time or part-time is the new norm for many people, it can come at a cost.
According to Stats NZ, more than 40 per cent of employed Kiwis did at least some of their work from home during the Covid-19 level 4 and level 3 lockdowns last year. Having made the break from 40 hours in the office, many have chosen to maintain some sort of work-from-home regime.
However, what people often miss most about being in an office is the people, specifically meeting and socialising with colleagues, impromptu face-to-face time, and being a part of the office community. With this in mind, Matakana Country Park has designed a shared workspace which can comfortably accommodate up to 12 remote workers, more if people choose to hot desk.
Located above Brambles Cafe and Art Matakana, the airy, open plan design includes a kitchen and lounge, photocopier and scanner, WiFi, a dedicated meeting space and plenty of parking. Park co-owner Kim Coghlan says it offers workers a corporate environment in the country.
“We’ve heard a lot of people complaining about the drive to Auckland, battling the congestion and the difficulty of parking,” Kim says. “We thought the upstairs space lent itself to being a place where diverse business people could work remotely but still feel connected.
“Sole operators have told me that it also allows them to draw a line between work time and home time.”
A desk costs $395 plus GST per month (or $295 if it is a shared desk) and monthly tenants have seven day a week access. A hot desk is $25 a day.
Kim says the shared space is ideal for new businesses that aren’t ready to commit to the financial overheads that come with leasing a premises and hiring staff.
“It gives them time to grow their business and test their ideas in a corporate environment, without breaking the budget.”
