Barbara Belger (back row, second from left), with fellow coordinators at a recent Tai Tokerau TimeBank hui. Photo/Supplied.
Barbara Belger (back row, second from left), with fellow coordinators at a recent Tai Tokerau TimeBank hui. Photo/Supplied.
After the end of a 33-year-long marriage, Jess Sweeney found herself uncertain whether she'd lose her home.
She also wondered how she'd maintain it on her own if she did manage to stay.
Little did she know TimeBanking would transform the uncertainty into an opportunity to have her practical needs met, and make life-enriching community connections she didn't know she was missing.
TimeBanking is a means of trading skills and goods in a community.
The organisation calls it a "complementary currency", which builds on the magic of pay it forward.
The concept was created in the 1980s by American lawyer and indigenous rights activist Edgar Cahn to address social issues arising from inequality, and to alleviate social exclusion.
Cahn saw it as a new way to link untapped social capacity and unmet social needs, and thus allow communities to come together to express their strengths.
Sweeney said she'd been looking for someone to let the light back into her garden when she found Tai Tokerau TimeBank.
"Since joining, I've discovered a sense of community which seems lacking in modern life," she said.
"People are helping each other without expectation of material gain.
"I've made new friends, and have a new optimism for the future."
She also emphasised its value for creating a feeling of financial freedom.
"I'm encouraging people to do it, especially those who are in a similar situation to me – older and not super well-off financially."
Last year, TimeBanks.org surveyed its global membership, with 77 per cent of respondents saying the system had enabled them to feel less financially stressed.
"I'm trading for things I couldn't have afforded to pay a local business for," Sweeney said.
Tai Tokerau TimeBank currently has 560 members, who've exchanged more than 30,000 hours across more than 7300 exchanges.
It's the third largest of Aotearoa's 27 TimeBanks in terms of membership and number of exchanges made.
Sweeney, who lives south of Kaeo, joined about a year ago and said it wasn't just about what you traded.
'I've ended up making new friends while doing it. And it absolutely fosters a sense of community,' said Jess Sweeney after joining TimeBank a year ago.Photo/ Supplied.
"It's a much more joyful thing to do something for someone, knowing someone else will do something for you."
Fellow TimeBankers have helped her trim a tree that was blocking her window, and chainsaw foliage she couldn't have managed on her own.
In exchange, she has supported working bees, traded plants and herbs and recently helped a woman organise her library.
"My first job out of school was at the oldest public library in England," Sweeney said.
"So I managed to get her section of books on plants organised, and it was a very pleasant morning.
"She also invited me to a movie as an extra 'thank you'.
"It wouldn't be the same if you were just being paid to do something."
Although prospective members may struggle to think about something they can confidently trade, Tai Tokerau TimeBank local coordinator Barbara Belger was adamant that "everybody has something to offer".
This is in fact one of the core values of TimeBank.
Belger said she discovered the concept while living in Lyttelton, where the local TimeBank was a pivotal point of connection for post-earthquake recovery.
"The main focus for me is that it creates community, and helps us to know about each other's skills," Belger said.
"When you register as a member, you list your skills and interests, and the search function allows people to find you."
Among Belger's responsibilities, she helps new members learn how to use the platform through orientation sessions, and ensuring technology is not an obstacle to unlocking the value of their skills.
"At the moment, it's very much about building resilience," she said.
"People are learning about preserving their own food, making soap, and other practical necessities."
Belger said organisations could also register, allowing people to pay in time credits and also receive credits from the organisation.
There are currently 58 organisational members in Tai Tokerau, including various trust programmes and community groups.
"It broadens what people have access to; it's no longer just person-to-person," Belger said.
"Whangaroa Health Services is a member, so the services they offer are accessible to members without the exchange of money."
Belger also explained new members were always vetted.
"Because they enter other people's houses, and provide services like childcare, we need that point of safety."
The organisation said new members were often looking for ways to connect with others in their communities, and a lot of new people to the area tended to sign up.
"It is indeed bringing much to my life," Sweeney said.
"I've ended up making new friends while doing it. And it absolutely fosters a sense of community."
Tai Tokerau Timebank is funded by Lottery Grants Board, LW Nelson Trust, Pub Charities, Far North District Council (Te Hiku, and Kaikohe-Hokianga Community Boards), Whangarei District Council, and Ministry of Social Development.
It is growing rapidly, and currently seeking to hire a paid part-time coordinator in the Kaikohe area.
