What is Time Banking?
Time Banking is about sharing time and skills between fellow Time Bank members. Trades are measured by the time it takes to complete the trade. Everyone's time is equal, so an hour of your time with your skills will be paid back to you with an hour of someone else's time and skills. No money changes hands.
Time Banking honours the unique gifts, talents and resources that each of us has to share - such as tutoring, garden work, simple repairs, running errands, storytelling, whatever.. One of the key aims of Time Banking is strengthening the community through reciprocity.
The Lyttelton Time Bank
The Lyttelton Time Bank is the first Time Bank in New Zealand. It is run as a project within Project Lyttelton, a grass roots community group www.lyttelton.net.nz. Time Banks started in the United States and have rapidly spread worldwide.
Time Bank members can organise trades with other members and record the hours traded over the internet. For those who prefer, trades can be made by simply phoning the Time Bank coordinator.
A feature of the Lyttelton Time Bank is the Community Treasure Chest. People who do not want their time credits can donate them for someone else or a group such as Plunket to use.
Some Lyttelton Time Bank stories
- Our youngest members are two small boys who put out the rubbish and recycling bins for an older woman on their way to school and bring them back in on their way home.
- Hair cuts are given.
- A young woman with Down Syndrome earns points stamping envelopes and preparing mail outs.
- A teenage boy helps people with computer problems.
- A Time Banker researched and located a suitable electronic piano for purchase by someone who was not sure what they were looking for.
- A teenage girl gets sewing supervision as she makes her own formal dress.
- A recently widowed woman gets help to turn her garden into more lawn as her late husband was the gardener.
- An older man who was temporarily unable to drive was driven to medical appointments.
- A lady with a long term illness gets her gardening done.
- Time Bankers teach others new skills, like knitting, baking sour dough bread, or how to raise chickens.
- Plunket has Time Bankers collect during their annual Appeal week using the Community Treasure Chest to 'pay' the collectors.
Time Bank in Diamond Harbour
Jacinda's Article in the August 2010 Herald
Timebank Winter Market
Recently the Stage Room was abuzz with the Timebank midwinter market. The event was put on as a way of introducing timebanking and it attracted a good mix of established and new members and people interested in joining.
The evening began with a shared potluck dinner followed by a market place. Ann Thornton was kept busy all night with various darning jobs people had brought along for mending. Reiki and shoulder massage sessions were keenly taken up. Gardening and knitting advice was given, shoes were polished, and the troop of kids were entertained by some wonderful storytelling and then delighted in having their faces painted. The room hummed with lively conversation and laughter the whole evening.
The market, a first of its kind, was a huge success and clearly demonstrated the vast array of skills we have. Timebank is a way a community can trade skills and pay in time rather than money. Members received 1.5 time credits for the one and a half hours they worked. These hours have been logged into their Timebank account and they can spend the time credits at a later date.
Watch out for the next market in spring. I hear there will be a real whiz with an ironing board there. a good excuse to let the ironing pile up the next few weeks!
Jacinda's Article in the April 2010 Herald
It is the connections between people that make a community a warm and friendly place to live. The more we do for each other, the more we help and look out for each other the richer our lives become. This is the type of community to which most of us want to belong.
Timebanking, where members share their skills with other members and receive time credits for the time they put in, is a very effective way to help build and maintain this type of connected community. Timebanking brings wealth into our lives through building friendships across social groups, getting jobs done that we cannot do ourselves and getting our needs met by others in our own community.
In the Timebank everyone's time is valued equally, no matter what type of work is undertaken: one hour = one time credit. With this time credit, the recipient can get something done which they need.
The Timebank database lists offers and requests placed by all the members. Skills range from gardening and cooking to sailing trips, help with your computer, feeding the cat or walking the dog.
The Lyttelton Timebank was the first one established in New Zealand and was opened up to our side of the harbour last year. We are looking to increase our membership and stimulate trading around Diamond Harbour.
Interested in joining the Timebank?
Brochures are available at the library.
To find out more about the Timebank and how to join, please call Jacinda on 329 4424 or go to www.lyttelton.net.nz/timebank.