Kiwi business sells invisible gifts this Christmas

Kiwi business sells invisible gifts this Christmas.

A web-based Tauranga business that launched this month is giving Kiwis unique new gift ideas for Christmas. They can’t be wrapped, put on a shelf or re-gifted, and they’re invisible.

If you’ve watched cult classic movie The Matrix you’ll remember the scene in which Keanu Reeves, aka Neo, learns Kung Fu and Jujitsu instantly, simply by downloading the skills straight into his brain. Although it’s still not quite as easy as that, Gift of Skill is making learning new skills much more accessible and convenient for Kiwis.

There’s plenty of things we all wish we could do, but not many of us ever get around to actually learning them. That’s where Gift of Skill’s founder, Ben Rickard, says the business is meeting a need that reduced funding for community education classes created. “I believe there are many people out there who want to give gifts that are more than just stuff. We’ve come up with the answer to that classic cliché ‘for the man who has everything’”.

And because learning a new skill doesn’t come with packaging, batteries or plastic parts it’s the ultimate green gift. “Learning a new skill is a gift that actually lasts forever, and at the same time doesn’t put any strain on our natural resources. It could also be the start of a rewarding hobby, a new career or simply be a fun and unique experience.

Skills such as cheesemaking, dancing, sailing, a range of sports including windsurfing, golf and tennis, hobbies, crafts such as sewing and embroidery, music and singing lessons, driving, cooking skills and car and home maintenance are all available through Gift of Skill.

With Gift of Skill, all a person needs to do once they’ve received their voucher (which you can buy from www.giftofskill.co.nz) is go to the website, choose the skill they want to learn and the Gift of Skill team will do the rest. “We find a local skill expert and match them to the voucher recipient to arrange their introductory lesson. After that it’s up to the customer to decide if they want to carry on and arrange further lessons, but that’s the easy part.”

After the withdrawal of much of the funding that supported Adult Community Education programmes in New Zealand in 2009, a gap has emerged for the type of classes that this funding supported. Gift of Skill enables providers of what used to be evening classes to connect to their potential audience nationwide.

So there it is, a new and unique gift idea, helping people learn the skills they’ve always wanted, supporting local instructors and businesses, reducing the amount of stuff that clutters up our lives and preserving our natural resources.

You can visit www.giftofskill.co.nz to see what it’s all about, join Gift of Skill on Facebook.

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