How New Zealand Redefined the Humble Shed

A love letter to the small town institution of turning the shed into a venue to host you friends and family.

I’ve wanted to make a comic that dives into/celebrates the shed, and how we as a country adapted it as “third place” as part of my series highlighting uniquely Kiwi things (such as The School Pool, The Marae Kitchen, and Raro), but didn’t know how to tackle it without it glorifying drinking.

But a couple of months ago, I went home for my nana’s unveiling, and afterward, the family went back to my mum’s house for kai, drinks, and sharing stories and songs, all in the shed.

We had also held her wake at home, in the shed. I realised just how many big moments in my life had passed through that shed: Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases, graduations, and good ol’ celebrations. Turning the shed into a branch off of the whare where friends and family hang out for drinks, catchups, and celebrations was a core part of my upbringing in a small NZ town. Sometimes we’d go across town to my auties or uncles and commune in their sheds, the shed seemed not to be a place to park a car in small communities.

As I eventually visited other small towns and more outer reaches of the city, I realized that this was a country-wide phenomenon, with that in mind, I finally had an angle to approach this (6-page) comic - It has a bit of humor, but also quite a bit of love - It might be my favorite in the series yet.

So, without further adieu, a love letter to the humble shed: