SepticSceptic: There was a couple of articles in a local paper about DIY Sheds, and they have retirees, ect willing to teach, or assist. One is in Forrest Hill, Auckland
www.mensshednorthshore.org.nz, and menzshed.org.nz

Haven't checked out myself, so YMMV

Hi

I was the co-ordinator for Men Shed Hamilton for a few years and highly recommend this type of environment. Some sheds have community working bees - other peoples work, other peoples tools, other peoples material and some offer exposure to tools and resources in their sheds to help you learn. Some sheds have working bees for members so you can get some help making a raised planter within reasonable company on the weekend, that kind of thing. The websites above will help you find a local chapter/club or you can contact local community services to find out what is available.

Another popular option is to contact the big hardware stores (Mitre10, Bunnings, Placemakers) - they often have DIY nights where you can learn a specific skill, like tile a bathroom, sharpen tools etc.

My biggest hints, based on expereince - start small, stick to ONE project at a time (until completion) and plan as much detail as possible until you get confident.

Good luck!

I've never really looked at them properly, so I don't know how easy / good / "tutorialy" they are, but the Living magazine section of the Herald on Sunday always has a DIY project page which builds a variety of things. There's probably also a DIY area on the Herald website with back copies of the articles.

You might also want to check the "Night Classes" at your local high schools (some are run at weekends rather than nights). I know most of the North Shore high schools still run them, but some schools stopped providing Night Classes when the government stopped funding them.