Seven-year-old Maison Mai’s hammer is a blur as he works on constructing his own Easter box, with supervision from Mitre 10 MEGA Masterton events coordinator Samantha Matuszek.
Late last month, Mitre 10 staff held an Easter-themed carpentry workshop for 28 tamariki at Lakeview School – where children learned to make Easter baskets [later filled with various goodies] for their friends and whānau.
Matuszek said Mitre 10 runs monthly free workshops on its Ngaumutawa Rd site for children and their parents, but has now started holding more events “out in the community” – including at Idea Services and Wairarapa College’s Whare Āwhina Supported Learning Centre.
Matuszek said the workshops in schools “reflect [Mitre 10’s] values by providing opportunities for young minds to learn new skills – while demonstrating creativity and instilling confidence and a sense of accomplishment”.
“The Lakeview School workshop was so fun! And the reactions we got from some of the students has led to our team members smiling for days,” she said.
The community workshops are lead by Mitre 10 staffer Tony Jones [also known as “Tony the Builder”], who Matuszek said was “such a natural, and adored by all the kids and adults”.
Last week, Mitre 10 Mega also hosted a Ladies Night event, which raised over $2000 for the Wellington Free Ambulance station build in Masterton.