On Bridge Street, where art and commerce collide opposite the Court Buildings, an exciting new space has been quietly gaining momentum. Hosting gigs, comedy, art, games nights, films and all kinds of independent expression, it’s a multi-generational hub that blends scenes and radiates co-operation, optimism and collectivism. Alan Proctor-Thomson, one of the driving forces behind it, shares more about WAA! with Justin Eade.
Alan, a designer and video artist, says the name ‘WAA!’ stands for Whakatū Arts and Action, but the club also like the sound ‘WAA!’ because it’s like a scared excitement – you’re not quite sure about it, it’s fun, but perhaps a bit messy too.
The club came about organically, as people really wanted this space, says Alan. “I’ve got friends in different scenes… the music and arts scenes, the activist scene and the community work scene, and we’re all just in our own separate buildings and silos and we all say ‘wouldn’t it be better if we had a place that supported more community and more solidarity.’”
A social media post written by Alan proposing such a space sparked a lot of discussion, it was shared widely, and wheels began to turn, including discussions that it had been nearly 25 years since the Artery (later The Hub), closed down to become another Nelson carpark. This caused a whole generation to miss out on an all-age community venue.
Previous similar spaces in Nelson had folded under staff costs and ever-shrinking grants, so the crew decided to go independent, with something they could fit around their work lives.
Their solution was to crowdfund it themselves. A weekly membership of $10 per family (less than a beer in town) meant they weren't dependent on door sales, grants or a bar to survive. They started with 30 people and now they nearly have 100.
Members get free entry to weeknight events, and heavily discounted rates for bigger nights. Some dropped their Spotify and Netflix accounts to support the space.
WAA! was born, in August 2025. The building was almost purpose-built for what they needed. Everything in the space was donated: the PA system, the lights, the furniture, the projector, the drum kits, heat pump, even the arcade machines. They built the sound dampening panels themselves and sewed the red curtains. Beside the main room there's an arcade machine hallway, a Twin Peaks-esque meeting room, a kitchenette, a shared office, a recording studio, and a cosy side lounge. They deliberately prioritise pre-internet tech: vinyl records, art books, early game consoles, and no AI posters.
So what’s the space primarily for? “We’re constantly thinking ‘is there enough stuff for youth? Is there stuff to do with political action? Is there enough independent art and music expression?’ We’re trying to make sure that people are meeting each other and that kids (and adults) have something more interesting to do than being at home looking at their screens. But it is a multi-generational space as well. We do all-age gigs, because we want the kids to see adults having fun, and adults sharing their interests with kids. Weintentionally create opportunities for people to mix and do things that go across traditional age and social scene divides. There aren’t many spaces like that now,” says Alan.
The gigs are typically two or three hours long, it’s all good-natured and there’s never any trouble. They also have a youth group, games nights, crafting sessions, poetry nights and even a hip hop and chess night. The overall purpose is to provide a gathering place that is fun, creative and brings the community together, and to create a niche, smaller venue that will have longevity. WAA! can host up to 60-70 people, and with the outside courtyard they can fit more.
With the lease and running costs being covered completely by the $10 weekly membership, the artists and musicians take all the door sales, which Alan says is very unique and allows Nelson to be a more viable option for traveling performers. “It also means if a band is really good and we like them, but they might only draw ten people, that’s cool, because we don’t need to survive off ticket sales.”
The programming is deliberately varied: music gigs, stand-up comedy (their monthly night is called WAA! HAA!), poetry sharing, film nights, The Repair Cafe, Spanish practice, Latin dancing, open artist nights, low-fi line dancing, chess and hip-hop, movie roulette, and vinyl listening parties. They've become a main venue for the Nelson Fringe Festival, the New Zealand Independent Film Festival, Whakatū Pride, and soon the Nelson Arts Festival, and Clay Week.
Some of the more memorable shows and moments have been Guitar Wolf from Tokyo, and getting the legendary Shayne Carter from ‘Straightjacket Fits’ and ‘Dimmer’ right at the start – at that point the club had hardly any gear or a stage and Shayne did a mid-week double set and put on a great show. Most acts have been preferring to host all-ages nights. “Guitar Wolf, which would normally have been just for adults, had a lot of teens there and that was one of my favourite nights” says Alan, “just seeing them there, having a fun time. There were young guys experiencing their first mosh pit – having a moment of being boisterous in a safe space, bumping into each other, the camaraderie, going on an adventure - kids need those kind of spaces. An antidote to the manosphere.”
There’s a group of about 15 or 16 core members who co-ordinate and make collective decisions at WAA! Despite having the legal framework of an Incorporated Society, they try to keep things fairly informal, with no hierarchy and few in-person meetings. “It was really important to not have just one person driving it, to prevent burn outs and egos,” Alan says.
It is all driven by unpaid member volunteers and they try and do things by consensus. They run everything through group chats using different channels - a volunteer group, social chat, tool sharing, mutual aid, and so on. They were ready to go within about two months of finding the space.
For Alan, it’s about creating the kind of space he felt was missing. “I just want to see more interesting stuff happen in Nelson. More artful experimentation and politically charged work that doesn’t very easily fit comfortably in bar and cafe environments. I couldn’t wait any longer for the institutions to do something. I just had to get some people together and do something. A little experiment in creating a post-capitalist space.”
Alan says they try to avoid financial grants because they don’t want to take money from more noble causes, and he has seen how a reliance on them has hurt other charities. Eventually they’d like the place to be open all the time. “We’d like it to be, just come by, make a coffee or tea, pull out a board game, play some chess, and if there’s a gig on, come to the gig, or just hang out.”
WAA! was originally planned as a 12-month experiment, but they're now coming up to the renewal of the lease and the landlord wants to sell. "We think we've shown our worth to Nelson," says Alan. "We really don't want to become another Nelson carpark."
At the moment most of the donations go to a landlord. Instead they wish they could spend it on music equipment and art supplies to help develop local talent, particularly youth, or subsidise travel to get more diverse acts from out of town to play and perform.
Alan says there’s not many situations nowadays where you can have a legacy as well, so if people were to help out with purchasing the building, it would mean their kids and grandkids could have a place to come as well. “It would be amazing to know some kid 80 years from now could be looking up at a poster on the wall and see famous bands who got their start here in Nelson.”
To get involved, become a member, or find out how to support the building purchase campaign visit waaclub.nz or email info@waaclub.nz
