For over a decade, The Hub has provided an inclusive space for thousands of people in \u014ctautahi. But now the former school it called home is being sold off, and its future is up in the air.<\/p>\n
The sun is shining on Phillipstown for The Hub\u2019s Spring Gala, and east Christchurch is out in force. Veteran activist John Minto is bopping to reggae in a Free Palestine T-shirt and Labour MP Duncan Webb is sweating at the grill in the midst of his free sausage sizzle. The long line of hungry punters snakes past the craft zone where kids are making poi and painting game pieces. Around the corner, the mara kai is popping with marigolds, herbs and leafy greens. \u201cYes, you can harvest for yourself,\u201d the sign reads. \u201cPlease only take enough for tonight\u2019s meal.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a vision of community and connection so idyllic that it seems almost unbelievable. Outside The Hub offices, local crooner Mel Towers sings \u2018What a Wonderful World\u2019 over the PA as strangers shake hands at the shared tables and tiny tots in Marvel T-shirts do danger runs across the dance floor. Even passive observers like me are not immune to the magnetic pull, as a young mum with a big dog soon asks me to take her shy little boy inside to get some water. There, I get chatting to a friendly volunteer who mows The Hub\u2019s lawns every week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard they\u2019re going to tear this place down,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n
The craft zone at The Hub Spring Gala. (Image: Alex Casey)<\/p>\n
The Hub has been operating from the former school site since 2013, when Phillipstown Primary was closed down in the aftermath of the 2011 earthquakes. For over a decade, the old classrooms have become home for dozens of community organisations including the Linwood Islamic Trust, The Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resources Centre, The Green Lab and \u014ctautahi Creative Spaces. There\u2019s also a giant market-grade garden growing organic food, as well as free or koha classes such as ukulele, bonsai workshops, crafts and parenting groups.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of neighbourhoods around the motu have community hubs, but we\u2019re a little bit unique in that we\u2019re more of a collective,\u201d says The Hub\u2019s trust manager Sander Kriek. \u201cWe\u2019re a safe, vibrant space with lots of constant activity and a real melting pot of community-led stuff, community development stuff, and social service provision.\u201d Because of the school layout, the different groups will often commune in the shared outdoor spaces. On Wednesdays, for example, Mums n\u2019 Bubs meets alongside the homeless support group.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s beautiful to see everyone just running around together, because they\u2019re all just people,\u201d says Kriek. \u201cWhether you\u2019re homeless, or a corporate person, or the prime minister, we\u2019ve just created this cool atmosphere where everyone can come together.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sudi Dargipour and Sander Kriek outside The Hub\u2019s offices, aka former classrooms. (Image: Alex Casey)<\/p>\n
\u014ctautahi Creative Spaces is another group that has been operating out of The Hub for over a decade, offering access to art studios and supplies for people who have experienced mental distress and trauma. \u201cBeing in this space is like a launchpad for our artists to be part of other things, whether it\u2019s helping in the garden, coming to the festivals or being part of other groups,\u201d says director Kim Morton. \u201cIt\u2019s a really safe space for people to branch out, because our artists might live in small spaces with no garden or struggle with isolation, so it really lifts spirits.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Through creative practices, the group has helped hundreds of people in \u014ctautahi over the last decade. Following the March 15 terror attacks on the Linwood and Al Noor mosques, \u014ctautahi Creative Spaces held art therapy workshops for those in the Muslim community affected by the tragedy, including the 51 Threads project<\/a>. This is how Sudi Dargipour, now The Hub\u2019s chairperson, first became involved. \u201cI have a real emotional attachment to that place being a safe place \u2013 you go there and you can just forget about everything outside, and just be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Although The Hub has hosted thousands of community events, employed over 150 people and chalked up 78,000 hours of volunteer work over the last decade, Kriek says the situation with the Ministry of Education, who own the land, has always been tenuous. Leases never extended beyond a year or two, and recent requests to fix infrastructure like broken pipes, or make the buildings more accessible, were declined. Then, at the end of September, Kriek was informed that the crown would begin the disposals process \u2013 or in other words, the land was to be sold.\u00a0<\/p>\nA site map of The Hub, home to many local community groups. Image: Alex Casey<\/p>\n