Co-working space opens

A new hot-desk hub for freelancing professionals and contractors will open at 104 Moir Street Mangawhai next week.

The Kindred Coworking shared workspace has two office rooms with capacity for 20 workstations, as well as a meeting room nicknamed ‘the shed’ with capacity for nine.

The building is set in a garden and backs onto a working orchard where the shed meeting room is located.

Founders, Siobhan Reid and Misty Sansom, envision the coworking space as a hub where small business owners can work, network and share ideas.

They intend to hold workshops and events with guest speakers once it is properly established.
Siobhan and Misty found there was a gap in the market in Mangawhai after looking for office space and finding virtually no options.

They were part of a group of working parents in Mangawhai who each pitched in for a nanny and worked together in each other’s homes.

However, the arrangement came to an end when the Miniwhais care centre opened and provided parents with a childcare option in the area.

“A couple of weeks later I realised that I missed the vibrancy of working with other people, and it turned out others felt the same way,” Misty says. “Often when people are doing a start-up business from home, it can be quite lonely. Being able to throw ideas back and forth with others is really helpful,” she says.

Siobhan says that when she tried working at home as a lawyer, her house had never been cleaner because of her procrastination.

There will be an open day on Sunday, February 9, from noon to 2pm,  ahead of an official opening on Monday, February 10.