Support Wilderland and connect our work on the land with the wider community.
Shop Manager
Steward the Wilderland roadside shop
Opened in the early days of Wilderland in the late 1960s, our roadside shop on State Highway 25 has a long history of sharing what we grow and make with the wider community. It has also provided an important source of income for continuing the work at Wilderland.
The shop has had many managers over the years as people have come and gone. We're now looking for a volunteer to take up this role and become the next steward of the shop.
This is a role with plenty of learning opportunities, responsibilities and a lot of room to make it your own. You'll work with product makers, volunteers, local suppliers and the wider Wilderland community to keep the shop running and help it evolve.
You'll have creative freedom to improve the way the shop works, what it sells, how it looks and how it represents Wilderland to the wider community.
What you'll be responsible for
Train shopkeepers
As volunteers come through Wilderland for 4 week stays, you will induct them in food safety, how to open, run and close the shop for a day-shift.
Keeping records
Making sure cleaning rosters are being done, filing shop stock invoices, maintenance, health & safety, food compliance.
Coordinate with shopkeepers
You'll organise the weekly shop roster, making sure shifts are covered and shopkeepers are informed, trained and enthusiastic about their time in the shop.
Stock the shop
Monitor stock levels and keep products topped up both on display and in storage. Place wholesale orders, carry out the annual stocktake and coordinate with the people making and harvesting products at Wilderland. You'll also have the freedom to seek out new local and organic products that would be a good fit for the shop.
Report to community
Use sales information from Shopify and what you're seeing in the shop, to help the Wilderland community understand what is working. (e.g. The jam is selling! Perhaps we should be making more jam and opening the shop more often over summer.)
The aim is to turn what happens in the shop into useful information that can help guide activity across Wilderland.
Using Shopify
Use the Shopify POS app to manage stock, process sales and monitor what is happening in the shop.
Carry out certifications
Our shop kitchen is commercially certified, which means we are able to make and sell food stuffs. You will prepare for and carry out yearly kitchen certification (MPI National Program 3).
Look after the shop building and grounds
Keep the shop and surrounding grounds tidy and welcoming, working with volunteers and other skilled people at Wilderland to maintain and improve the space.
Build our consignment offering
Showcase products made by Wilderlanders and local creatives. You'll keep track of consignment products and have the opportunity to build relationships with makers and grow the range.
What you could make your own
The shop has a long history, but we're not looking for someone simply to keep things ticking over - If you see an opportunity to make the shop better, we'd like you to have the freedom to pursue it.
Landscaping & layout
The outdoor area of the shop has a history of being a fun place for families to stop with swings and attractions. You'd have creative freedom to care for and uncover existing fruit trees, add outside furniture, improve landscaping and layout of the shop grounds.
Start marketing the shop
Work with social media and marketing to increase the number of customers coming to the shop.
Improving systems
Look for better ways to organise the shop, manage stock, coordinate volunteers and keep things running smoothly. You may find better workflows, tools or systems that make everyone's lives easier.
Design & arrangement
The layout of the shop is tried and tested, but it's not set in stone. Experiment with displays, signage, product placement and the overall experience of visiting the shop.
Open an online store
With Shopify already in place, there is potential to take the shop online. If you have a good plan and are ready to take responsibility for marketing, orders and fulfilment, this could become a project of your own.
Who you'll work with
Product makers
The people at Wilderland who are growing, harvesting, processing and making products for the shop.
Business & finance
Working closely with these roles will allow you to make smart financial choices for the betterment of Wilderland.
Short term volunteers
Your shopkeepers will often be volunteers staying at Wilderland for four weeks. You'll train them, coordinate their shifts and help make the shop a meaningful part of their time here.
Local makers & suppliers
Build relationships with local producers and creatives, discover new products and help bring more of the local community into the shop.
You'll love this role if...
You enjoy talking with people and building relationships with customers, makers and suppliers
You like taking responsibility and making things happen without needing to be told what to do
You're organised and enjoy keeping people, stock and systems on track
You enjoy being creative with spaces, products and experiences
You're interested in organic food, regenerative living and small-scale enterprise
You enjoy gardening and being involved with the land
You see things that could be better and naturally start thinking about how to improve them
You'd like to learn how a small, community-based enterprise operates
You don't need to arrive knowing everything about retail, more important is someone who is responsible, has a vision, curious, self-directed and willing to learn.
More than just a shop or job
The shop is your main area of responsibility, but you're still part of the wider Wilderland community.
When you're not working on the shop, you'll have opportunities to get involved with the gardens, food production, building projects, product making and other activities happening around Wilderland.
You'll live alongside other volunteers and community members, share meals and have the opportunity to contribute your own skills, interests and ideas.
Interested in stewarding the shop?
Awesome, please reach out to visit@wilderland.org.nz and let us know a bit about you.
