About us

We are an inclusive community-led space, with amazing facilities, organised by its members for its members.
A space for individuals, communities, and social enterprise groups to call home.
You can read more about our communities here. Or scroll down to find out who's who and the history of the Hub.

Our Vision

To grow an inclusive place within the community for getting together to make, create, share skills, repair, recycle, move, dance, up-cycle, and hatch ideas.

Our Mission

To provide, administer and develop the Community Hub in ways that enable people to lead and develop activities and events to take place here. To generate several Hub-Led initiatives to share our skills, joys, visions.

History of the Hub

The Gribblehirst Community Hub traces its roots back to 2014 when the Edendale Bowling Club building in Gribblehirst Park was returned to Auckland Council. At that time, the concept of a community-led space and a men’s shed was still relatively new to both the Council and the Albert-Eden Local Board. In 2016, they tentatively approved the first leases for the ageing building to two newly established trusts. From there, the Hub and the Community Shed took on the challenge of upgrading the building and its surroundings, while also fostering their respective communities. Auckland Council agreed to upgrade the exterior of the building, and DIA/Lotteries funding then enabled the Hub to do an extensive rebuild of its kitchen and bathroom area, which transformed our space. After years of hard work and disruption, the Hub celebrated its official re-opening with a Ministerial event in 2021. Brief Timeline of the Gribblehirst Community Hub: - Late 2014: The former Edendale Bowling Club building became available for community submissions. - October 2014: Ellen Schindler of Grow Sandringham submitted a proposal to the Local Board. - 2015: The proposal gained momentum, evolving into a collaboration between Grow Sandringham, Auckland Central Community Shed (with Patrick Harris, Henry Langguth, and Warwick Russell), and Make Like a Tree (with Cath O’Brien). - Early 2016: This collaboration became the Gribblehirst Community Hub Trust, registered as a charity in April 2016, driven by the shared vision of Denise Bijoux, Ellen Schindler, and Helen Coyte for the Hub (upstairs) and the Shed (downstairs). - 2016: The Local Board granted the group a one-year lease with a one-year right of renewal, narrowly passed by the casting vote of then-chair Peter Haynes. - The subsequent renewal two years later was much more clear-cut with strong Local Board support. - 2018-2019: Council upgraded the exterior of the building, including painting, reroofing, possum-proofing, and rebuilding the internal stairs. - The Hub continues to go from strength to strength, continually growing its membership and upgrading its facilities. The Hub extends heartfelt gratitude to everyone whose vision, creativity, and tenacity made this idea a reality. We thank you all.

The Hub, in its current form, reopened in August 2021. Click here to read the address by the then-chair, Hugh Batten, which details its history and acknowledges the contributions of everyone involved.