National Coworking Day came to Devonport last week as part of Techweek18 and Level One HQ threw open its doors to the co-working public.  We were one of more than 30 co-working spaces throughout New Zealand to take part in the event, set up to encourage as many potential, new or existing coworkers to try out New Zealand’s coworking spaces.

Among our visitors, we had Arno, a personal chef and food stylist from Nice, who has worked in five-star restaurants in the South of France and is now based in Auckland where he develops experience-based menus and runs cooking classes for a range of private and corporate clients. His business is all about giving his clients a memorable experience and he says it’s vital for him to connect with people and find out what they like. 

Graham is a Bayswater local who runs his own risk management business and enjoys meeting up with people who are into similar things.   He says the benefits of a co-working space are the commonality of ideas and outlooks, and the interaction with others.  He’s currently dividing his time between a home office and a city base but says it’s good to ground yourself in the “outside world” for a while. 

Lesley is developing her own business and says that it’s “nice to get out of the house and be around other people – it’s refreshing”.  She’s worked in all kinds of different environments but says that co-working is good for interaction and hearing about the interesting things others are doing.  She says that at Level One HQ, instead of commuting to and from the city on the ferry, you get a different perspective sitting above the terminal.  And of Level One HQ, she said, “it’s a beautiful space, well laid out and very professional.”