Check Out the Lyttelton Timebank – ‘Back to the Future’
Here in Golden Bay, which is tucked away between two National Parks in the North West of the South Island of New Zealand, we have a very successful complementary currency in operation known as ‘HANDS’ (How About Non Dollar System). I use it often, for a whole plethora of reasons, and am in fact about to head off to a twilight HANDS Market this evening where my family will sell our wares and pick up a few goodies. The most amazing thing about our local currency is its inbuilt capacity to strengthen community.
And a similar thing is happening in Lyttleton, Christchurch. Though they’re using a different system, it too has the same goal of strengthening community. Some of you may have heard of the amazing benefits of having that Timebank system in place while Lyttelton recovered from the big Christchurch quakes. It meant that they had a data-base detailing the skills and offerings of over three hundred members on hand. So when someone needed a planner, or another vital skill during those first few weeks of chaos, they could find one, fast.
With Timebanking, the key currency is time. And all time is equal. Quite the novel concept? Your time as a Lawyer is equal to my time as a Mother. I think that’s fantastic. Here’s the brief from the website:
“Time Banking is a way of trading skills in a community. It uses time, rather than money, as the measurement tool. Members of a Time Bank share their skills with other members within the community and are given time credits for the work they do.With the credits they gain, each member can ‘buy’ someone else’s time, and get the service they need.”
I continue to hear amazing stories about the Lyttelton Timebank. Today I finally googled it and yes indeed, I was of course, very impressed. Check out the way cool video (created by 3 News NZ):
Timebanks and complementary systems are popping up all over New Zealand. They are serving to pull our communities back together. In the future, thanks to the reestablishment of these ancient systems, many of us may enjoy strong, mutually supportive relationships with our neighbours.
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Tags: christchurch, Christchurch Recover, HANDS, timebanking
Thanks for sharing this story, Charlotte. Timebanking is a great way to build a resilient community, and let all people work together and get to know eachother again. A group of enthusiast have also started setting up timebanking in Wellington South. We are quite excited, and it is slightly different since will be in a more densily populated area. But we already have over a 100 people interested. So we think it is going to be a success.
So anyone in Wellington, come and subscribe, and start trading time! Contact our coordinator, Hannah .
– Willemijn
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