From fields and lakes to farms and roads, horse carriages
and tram-lines to a restaurant, to a home for creators.
473 Dominion Road has always been a gathering place.
We want to acknowledge the land our space resides on was originally taken care of by Maori Settlements, long before us. We’ve come to learn that it was the Wai-o-hua people until the mid-18th Century before Ngāti Whātua. We believe it is our responsibility to continually learn about our history, and learn about the foundations we are built upon and seek out the injustice that continues to take place because of it. To support the resilience, celebrate the culture, and acknowledge the first communities that make Aotearoa what it is today.
Pre-MoveSpace - mid-1970s
Long before any creative mischief took place, my grandfather & aunt/uncle opened their second restaurant in the building next to what is now MoveSpace. They opened Raj Bombay (one of New Zealand’s first Indian Restaurants) in 1974 - 471 Dominion Road. Originally serving European and Indian food, it was the traditional sweet treats and curries that attracted the likes of local mayors, community leaders to the restaurant. It was only a few years in, they expanded operations to 473 Dominion Road, where they had catering options, served weddings, conferences & functions.
With my aunt & uncle both living upstairs, and my dad helping out after school, this place was at the heart of their time here in Auckland. 15 successful years on, the restaurant closed up shop, and the building leased out to a number of businesses, from architects, beauty salons, hairdressers and jewellery makers, before part of the building became available…
The Place Between - 2016-late 2017
Years on, May 2016 - it was made aware to my brother and I that the upstairs of once previously Raj Bombay had become available. It was in my grandmother’s words ‘unlease-able’ with the previous tenant not leaving it in the greatest condition, with stained old carpet & broken electrical wiring. With the space not quite able to be an apartment and with no obvious space for a shower or kitchen, Mikesh & I saw an opportunity for a gathering place, and community centre. Both Mikesh and I were engaged in social impact projects, and were a part of a number of grass-roots communities. Though sharing similar visions for a more just, equitable & sustainable world, our actions looked different with Mikesh engaging in activist circles and I in social entrepreneurship communities, though undoubtedly had many cross-overs, they also had some fundamental differences.
It led to a meeting of communities, and a diverse range of activities from tea ceremonies, sunday feasts & film screenings. With over 100 people involved in the ideating & supporting of the creation of a community centre, we were never short of ideas. We experimented with skill & time exchanges, gift economies, book, tool & toy swaps, The Place Between in a lot of ways was an opportunity for Mikesh and I to explore a lot of these ideas & theories we read about and admired, and put them into practice. We came across challenges in group decision making, sustainable financing, vision alignment & wider community engagement, but found success in small meaningful gatherings, and the experimentation of community practices.
The Place Between, was supported by over 100 individuals, but couldn’t of been the way it was if it wasn’t for Hannah Shingler, and her tireless work in supporting the renovations of the space. Shaye Boddington supporting the earth plastering of what was cracked walls, and making beautiful clayed walls. Shevonee & Gaia Rowntree, and Jihye whom volunteered their time & skills creating murals in the space. Kerry-Leigh who brought people together for Sunday feasts with food salvaged from dumpsters, and generally supported the flourishing of the space. Gary whom supported us with transport and support to the flourishing of the space. It was a year and half in, late 2017 before Mikesh and I decided to prioritise other projects, and let The Place Between close up and give life for a new project at the space.
MoveStudio late 2017- mid 2018
After The Place Between closed, I felt the opportunity for a new life for the space, and an opportunity to create what was then called MoveStudio. One of the primary challenges of The Place Between was having regular and substantial financial contributions from members of our community, and therefore at MoveStudio I decided to set up a few desks and hire them out as hot-desks.
The space was small, but had character. There was 6 of us that could fit in the ‘main space’, we had a small meeting rooms & a beanbag lounge. Suggie was our first member ever, paying $70 for full-time use of the space to work on his film editing. Friends of ours came to use the space over time, and even attracted people we hadn’t personally known. Trent Hohaia & Maiera being some of the earliest members, who both came to the space to study & write. It was only 4 months later that a new opportunity arose…
MoveSpace - April 10th 2018 - Origin Story
I remember my grandmother & dad telling me to put the downstairs part of 473 Dominion Road onto Trademe to advertise for new tenants. At that point in time, I was 22, and had recently returned to university to study and hadn’t conceived of the possibility of the space. However as I showed around new prospective tenants for the building, I felt more uninspired by their ideas for the place (laundromat, antique store) and more inspired to expand MoveStudio into now MoveSpace.
However, being 4 months into study, my first point of call was to try and find organisations or individuals who may want to keep it temporarily before I could spend more time on it, post my study in Jan 2019. As the pressure mounted with not being able to find anyone who wanted to use the building, it became increasingly aware to me that my grandmother & father were far more interested in someone taking a 10-year-lease and not being too involved, than to take a punt on expansion of what they saw as a relatively unsuccessful project (The Place Between & MoveStudio).
It was at that point I had become more passionate than ever, to do whatever it takes to try and convince them to see beyond their ‘healthy-investment’ to something in my opinion far more interesting. Knowing that one day I’d love to drive past 473 Dominion Road and tell my future kids the stories of a space, where friends were made, important projects started, and lives changed, and not that there’s a 2 for 1 deal at the laundromat we own. It was that stubbornness, and passion that drove my family to give my idea a go, initially for a 3-month trial, that has now become a 3 year and counting story, with innumerable stories in between.
2 months after getting the keys, and 20 different events in our empty space to attract friends, locals, and community members to ideate possibilities for the space we had our opening party. Where I perhaps carelessly announced to my tentatively supportive parents that I had once again dropped out of uni to pursue a project. MoveSpace, a place between home & work where creators of all kinds can create and share what they love with the world.