{"id":16745,"date":"2025-03-17T18:38:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T05:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/?p=16745"},"modified":"2025-03-17T20:57:31","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T07:57:31","slug":"the-freedom-shop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/upthepunks.co.nz\/bands\/2025\/03\/the-freedom-shop","title":{"rendered":"The Freedom Shop"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Freedom Shop was established on May 1, 1995.\u00a0It was based on upper\u00a0Cuba Street\u00a0in\u00a0Te Aro, in a building formerly occupied by the\u00a0NORML\u00a0shop. NORML initially kept up with the rent. The shop was operated by volunteers, and any earnings were reinvested in the business. The shop sold books, magazines, pamphlets, leaflets, T-shirts, patches, records, and stickers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2000s, plans for the construction of the\u00a0Wellington Inner City Bypass\u00a0meant that the Freedom Shop would be evicted. However, the plans were bitterly contested.\u00a0When security guards employed by\u00a0Transit NZ\u00a0broke into the shop and changed the locks, 50 activists broke in and briefly re-opened it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Freedom Shop moved into a more prominent location in the Cake Shop (a community\u00a0infoshop\/internet cafe\u00a0in mid Cuba St). When the Cake Shop closed in 2005, the Freedom Shop relocated to Oblong (a community\u00a0infoshop\/internet cafe) in Te Aro’s left bank arcade. Oblong closed in early 2009, and The Freedom Shop reverted to running stalls at public events. However, for the last few years the Freedom Shop has a home in a corner of the Newtown Opportunity for Animals Co-op Shop in Riddiford St,\u00a0Newtown, Wellington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Address<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Location<\/strong><\/td>Cuba Street<\/td><\/tr>
Coordinates<\/strong><\/td>41\u00b017\u203243.04\u2033S 174\u00b046\u203235.32\u2033E<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
Type<\/strong><\/td>Anarchist bookstore<\/td><\/tr>
Built<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Opened<\/strong><\/td>May 1, 1995<\/td><\/tr>
Renovated<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Expanded<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Closed<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Demolished<\/strong><\/td>2004<\/td><\/tr>
Owner<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Former Names<\/strong><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
Website<\/strong><\/td>The Freedom Shop Aotearoa<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n