Open days held to introduce coworking to the curious

On Tuesday, May 22, thirty-one coworking spaces across New Zealand will be opening their doors for free so curious locals can tour their spaces, find out about coworking, and experience coworking firsthand.

National Coworking Day was first celebrated in 2017 and saw 28 spaces welcome hundreds of people for tours, free coworking, and a range of events.

This year more spaces are involved, and as well as running events, 60% of them will be providing prospective coworkers with free working spaces for a whole week (May 21 to 25).

Coworking spaces provide workspaces and amenities but unlike a traditional office, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organisation.

Coworkers are often independent contractors, small businesses, remote-workers, or people who travel frequently.

Coworking offers a solution to the problem of isolation many people experience when they work from home and help to build communities of people who collaborate with and support each other.

Globally, more than 1.2 million people work in coworking spaces, a figure that is increasing daily.

"This year there will spaces open from Kerikeri in the North right down to Dunedin in the South," says National Coworking Day organiser Kevin Double.

"People in larger cities might be aware of coworking spaces, but there has been incredible growth in regional coworking spaces too," he says.

National Coworking Day 2018 will also see the launch of an international twinned coworking scheme which will see coworking spaces in New Zealand twinned with coworking spaces around the world.

This aspect of the day has been organised with the support of Coworker.com, an international organisation that helps connect people with coworking spaces in over 115 countries around the world.

Organisers hope the twinning scheme will help encourage connections between coworking spaces and their communities of people around the world; highlighting their commonalities and celebrating their differences.

"It's also a great way to help connect the New Zealand coworking community and the businesses that work in them with the rest of the world," says Double.

National Coworking Day is organised by Double Farley Creative Partners with the support of the Cowork Hui and Coworker.com.

It is also an official Techweek 2018 event.

Details on participating coworking spaces can be found on the National Coworking Day New Zealand website.