Trade School Kitchen Is Back in Business

When Trade School Kitchen cafe opened in Naenae in 2018, they couldn’t have predicted the challenging business environment they were about to enter. Soon after opening their doors, the nearby Naenae pool and recreation centre closed due to earthquake risk - a key part of the community and the Trade School Kitchen’s business. And then, only six weeks ago, Covid-19 hit with the estimate that one in five hospitality businesses would close in 2020. 

For the team at Trade School Kitchen, this is nothing new for Naenae. “Naenae in the 1980s was a thriving community with a proud heritage. Hilary Court was the first pedestrian only mall in all of New Zealand. It had a movie theatre and three banks, but it has dwindled over the past few decades” says Nic Drew-Crawshaw. When Nic, a member of the local St David's Parish stepped into the chair role in late 2019, it was with the specific goal of supporting the cafe to get to a sustainable footing, so it could continue offering manaakitanga to the Naenae community, and provide dignified work to those needing some extra support. The Trade School Kitchen team know they are facing a battle to run an ethically conscious social business in an area that is facing hard times, but they are committed to bringing Jesus’ way of renewal to the neighbourhood. 

It’s one of many projects that have grown in partnership with St David’s Parish in Naenae. In 2015, members set up the first Fruit and Vege coop in the Hutt Valley, packing and distributing low cost fruit and vege bags to their community where many have limited access to affordable nutritious food. In 2017, parishioners staged a sit-in at an empty lot of Housing New Zealand land which had been promised as emergency accommodation by the government. 2018 saw the launch of the Trade School Kitchen, and in 2019 they opened ‘Te Puna Manawa’, a place of peace in the local community. The Trade School Kitchen is just one part of a Kingdom strategy to share a story of hope within their neighbourhood. 

And just as lockdown has forced many of us to consider how the Church must change, Trade School Kitchen have taken the opportunity innovate and carve a new path. When Prime Minister Jacinda Arden announced the move to level 3, the team rushed into gear developing new systems to make socially distanced coffee available. This included building a new takeaway window and counter in the side of their shop. 

When that little window opened, the team were able to see all of the goodwill and hope they have built in the neighbourhood. “We were worried we’d open and only have five customers, but on the first day of level 3 we had one of the biggest days we’ve ever had at Trade School Kitchen,” said Nic.  “Lots of people have talked to us about how much they love Trade School Kitchen and how much they missed us. A local once called it the living room of Naenae.” And that is exactly what Trade School Kitchen aims to be, a space of life that brings life to the neighbourhood. 

Trade School Kitchen, 17 Everest Ave, Naenae

Opening Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-3pm, Sat - 9am-2pm, Sun - closed
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