Speight’s recently ran a nationwide competition, in which 10 lucky Kiwis won an epic dream shed. Anyone who entered the competition had to have a bunch of mates willing to help them build the shed.
In a culture where DIY has become de rigueur, it’s good to remember that “doing it yourself” usually means “doing it with a lot of help from your mates”, as beer brand Speight’s found out recently when it set up a promotion for Kiwis to win a shed. The only condition of entry was that they build it together with their mates.
Following an unprecedented number of entries, the winners have been announced and each and every one of them has a unique story that links closely to the Speight’s traditional Kiwi values, such as generosity, strength, integrity, loyalty and honesty.
The winners and their shed names are listed below:
Dudley Tate: Auckland – THE FLAGON
Dudley’s dream is a good one – build a shed where everyone’s welcome to come together for a few yarns and a couple of cold ones. A tribute to his granddad who built a shed many moons ago for just the same reason. Dudley has already built his shed thanks to some great mates with building skills and helpful neighbours.
Liam Oxford: Christchurch – THE SWAMP
After two years of dreaming about a shed, Liam now has a place to get together with his mates he has served his country with and have a few cold Speight’s while remembering all the good times. Now a constable in Canterbury he has some tales to tell and following a working bee weekend with his mates, a shed to tell them in!
Owen Sidwell: Waikato – HUNTER GATHERER
Owen had his sights set on a place for him and his carnivorous mates to gather for a cold one after a hard hunt. The shed will also be a place for the family to enjoy the fruits (and meats) of their labour. Luckily he is a tradie, which gives him a head start to having that dream fulfilled.
Jackie Harrigan: Manawatu – THE GENTLEMAN’S LIBRARY
Jackie’s need for a shed was pretty intense. Her menfolk have a large collection of books – 70 years of rugby books, 50 years of aviation books – all needing a place to call home. And now she has it – a Speight’s Shed to be called The Gentleman’s Library – with the added bonus of getting some storage back in the house!
Jon Parker: Papamoa – THE BOYS’ HOUSE
As a father of three boys, Jon was looking for a place to show them how to be men. Pulling apart engines – especially since mum said no to doing it in the lounge! Now that he’s confirmed as a winner, he also gets to rip out the veggie patch to allow for space for the shed – it’s a dream come true!
Daryl Taylor: Otago – THE CASTLE
Now the king of his castle at the local fishing village, this shed will be a meeting spot for people to discuss fishing, the Highlanders, a few yarns and a BBQ to enjoy the catch of the day. There will be no shortage of muscle to help him get this shed up just like there’ll be no shortage of people to help him enjoy it.
Zaylee Bolstad: Dunedin – LONDON STREET
Entering for her best mate Jess, this shed will be home to all the Speight’s memorabilia collected over the years from their flat in London Street. These women are determined to show the fellas the power of the sisterhood!
Jacki Trillo: Canterbury – THE FOX & FEELY
Jacki entered the competition on behalf of her hubby, Feely. They have some pretty strong Speight’s connections – Feely proposed on the promise of a Speight’s and their goldfish was called Speight’s – sadly the goldfish is no longer with them, but the shed will be a new hub for their family and friends.
Daryn Murray: Southland – MASTER SUITE
Daryn’s wife Charmaine nominated him after she realised he needed a special place to entertain mates, relatives and visitors. A shearer by day and on the sea when the weather allows, they had no money left over for landscaping once they built their house so this will take pride of place on their land.
Edward Taylor: Otago – TAYLOR’S CRICKET CLUB
Edward reckons this Speight’s Shed will make a fine clubhouse for his unique brand of backyard cricket. Him and his mates have a long history of establishing new rules for their annual cricket day matches. Now he is delighted he gets to add this Speight’s Pavilion at the bowling end for the after-match cold Speight’s.
Ben Wheeler, Category Marketing Director – Beer, at Lion, says: “We had thousands of entries – which suggested the old spirit of mateship and blokes communicating with their mates is very much alive. With shows like The Block being so popular, it’s good to see that being house proud also means working with your mates to get things done – with probably a cold drink as a thanks to them afterwards. No matter how modern the home renovation, good old-fashioned mateship prevails.”
Speight’s undertook a national survey (504 males aged 18-65) designed to test the theory that men would still come to the aid of their mates (as in helping them to build such shed). The survey discovered that 51% of Kiwi men spend time with mates at least once a week – but 39% wanted to spend more time with mates. Helping out alongside a mate on their home project is a great way to catch up with mates while still being productive.
The Speight’s Shed promotion, however, suggests that even though Kiwi mateship has changed over the decades, our men – and more importantly our women – are still relying on much of the old Kiwi mateship traditions, repurposed alongside their recycled timber tables. Spending time together in the DIY context provides Kiwis the feel good factor, as well as the satisfaction of a job well done.
Check out www.facebook.com/SpeightsNZ to see these dream sheds going up around New Zealand in coming weeks.
