As the largest co-work space in New Zealand nears completion, two aspects concerning the internal structure and operation of the building are being finalised.

That's the internal finish level - the technical specifications through to the colours of the desks relating to different membership types – and the cultural side - how up to 60 different organisations will work together under one roof.

The Bay of Plenty Garden and Arts Festival will be the first major event to be held at The Kollective later this year.

Festival director Marc Anderson took some time out to speak with The Kollective manager Gordy Lockhart and Tauranga Historic Village team leader Balir Graham about The Kollective and how the development is going. Watch the video above to see the interview.

'We are right in the middle of working with the organisations that are residential members, to complete the member etiquette and values document,” says The Kollective manager Gordy Lockhart.

'The members are agreeing with themselves how they are going to work together in the space for best effect and that's right through from how are they going to collaborate with each other to achieve maximum efficiency, all the way through to who is going to empty the dishwasher.

'It's a crucial document. We have been describing it as our Magna Carta. It is how these guys operate in this environment, it is the first time it has ever been done in New Zealand.

'More importantly it's about them and how are they going to get the best success from it. So it's always been the idea that those guys drive it for the success it will ultimately be.”

The document will also be an important part of the ‘on boarding' for any new members, says Gordy. A major part of the induction process for new members will be hearing the values that the members have signed up to.

It is not set in stone. Gordy sees The Kollective ultimately being run by an elected member council.

'They will be responsible for the document and the constant revising of it. So if something isn't working they will adjust it for the betterment of the community.

'It will be really interesting. We've had lots of discussion about the evaluative process of The Kollective. The fiscal side is easy, but the cultural side is in reality something that will change year on year.

'It will be a constantly evolving process to make sure the membership get the best out of it. Realistically the building is not the most important aspect. The most important aspect is the community behind it. It's the community that needs to work, not the building.”

TECT bought the land within the Historic Village grounds from the Tauranga City Council to build the community hub, and partly develop some adjoining green space for communal Village use.

CBC Construction is the main contractor. The community hub will be managed by SociaLink - a separate trust providing support for the social sector.

The co-working facility will provide support to community organisations within Tauranga and the Western Bay.