Manzana Kaitiaki: Ché Zara Blomfield

Ché photographed by Kate Battersby at a tree-planting day on Waiheke Island hosted by Chlöe Swarbrick.

Ché is a creative strategist and community-builder. Her work focuses on creating connections that foster a stronger approach to our world’s most pressing issues. Her experience is in creative collaboration and communication, as the founder of The Composing Rooms and Mañana Today.

You have a lot of experience in the realm of creative projects and artwork. What relevance do you feel this has to the kinds of social equity projects that Manzana supports?

As a curator and director of an art gallery, I had experience working with a wide range of individuals, on sometimes very complex projects with firm deadlines (the exhibition opening). In general, from a project management point of view, that gave me a lot of problem-solving skills. I look for solutions for even the most abstract or unthinkable problems.

Moving back to Aotearoa after 13 years abroad was a big shock. Ultimately the biggest problem I see here is the lack of community. I see this, especially in Auckland, as a result of the city being built around cars and roads, not people.

Art can aid creative thinking. Thinking outside the box. Imagining something different, and therefore art provides a lens through which we can see cities and communities as different to how they are now.

At Manzana, we are so lucky to have a growing community of contributing artists and creatives who have contributed to the space to inspire the entrepreneurs, or just offer a space for reflection. I see so much value in art… and I don’t mean in the monetary sense! Although I appreciate how there is often a symbiosis between art and charity. Artists often have open minds as well as hearts.

What are you most excited to see happening at Manzana this year?

I’m so excited to see some of our entrepreneurial residents develop and see them succeed in some of their milestones.

What are your goals for 2022?

Make Manzana financially sustainable, get a couple of clients for Mañana Today, and of course: publish the book. I’ve been working on one marking ten years since I started The Composing Rooms in 2010 (it’s already two years late!!)