Nor'West News: August 27, 2020

NOR’WEST NEWS Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday August 27 2020 7
News
App to challenge consumer behaviour
• By Bea Gooding
“IMAGINE A platform where
you can rent everything as
opposed to buying brand new.”
Toby Skilton’s dream of developing
a renting and lending
app has come true in a matter of
months and launches next week
in a bid to challenge consumer
behaviour.
Mutu, founded by the Bryndwr
resident, launches in Canterbury
next week and will enable users
to acquire or lend items on a
temporary basis – anything from
paddleboards and bikes to do-ityourself
tools and camping gear,
to name a few.
“I couldn’t be more excited.
This platform is a tool to reduce
waste and really solves a massive
issue we have in New Zealand
with overconsumption.”
The launch comes at a time
when people were more conscious
of their spending and
were taking the time to explore
their backyard due to Covid-19.
“It encourages tourism and
trying something new while
saving money on our platform,”
he said.
“Cantabrians can spend that
money on cafes, accommodation
and amazing outdoor adventure
facilities right on our doorstep.”
Skilton said the app and
website will also enable users
Selwyn House Pre-school has an
outstanding reputation in early
childhood education.
A co-educational Pre-school with a
unique programme influenced by the
world-renowned Reggio Emilia
approach, and the only pre-school in
the South Island that offers the
International Baccalaureate Programme,
this educational philosophy celebrates
the natural wonder and curiosity of
children and fosters a life-long love of
learning.
At Selwyn House Pre-school we respect
that young children are capable and
curious learners. Here your child can
experiment with new activities,
explore their creativity, develop and
communicate their own ideas. Our
hands-on and life activities support an
DREAM: Toby Skilton’s new lending and borrowing app, Mutu, will enable users to acquire
the things they need without buying brand new, reducing the amount of items sent to
landfill.
PHOTO: GEOFF SLOAN
to make money by renting the
under-utilised items they own.
“It’s also giving items destined
for the landfill an opportunity to
be repurposed and slows down
manufacturing,” he said.
When he was travelling
Valuing Curiosity
at Selwyn House Pre-School
expanding awareness and respect for
other cultures and perspectives.
Our curriculum includes Music and
Drama sessions led by trained
specialists; a Transition to School
Programme: the Perceptual Motor
Programme that helps children develop
their perceptions of self and space
through movement; Spanish with a
dedicated Spanish teacher; our Learn to
Swim Programme in the onsite indoor
pool; and Digital Technologies where
children are introduced to coding,
mechatronics and robotics, using
Selwyn House School’s vast technology
resources.
Our teachers believe in each child as a
capable individual with unlimited
potential, eager to contribute to the
world.
through Europe with his partner,
Elise, they discovered getting
access to gear was “incredibly
expensive and time-consuming,”
for activities they loved such as
camping, hiking, and surfing.
Having limited space to pack
JOIN US NOW!
the necessary gear was another
issue in its own, he said.
Their experiences couch-surfing
with locals on their travels
sparked the idea for the app.
Said Skilton: “My partner and
I – we’re both into the outdoors –
See website for details
packed all of our stuff and went
to Europe for a year. We stayed
with locals with garages full of
stuff they hardly ever used, so we
wanted to access it.
“They felt a huge amount of joy
out of us using their gear.”
Skilton has always had an
entrepreneurial drive, going to
sleep with “a million ideas at
once.”
He was excited to see one of
his ideas turn into a reality, and
the team has now expanded
to seven, working together to
develop the app over the course
of 10 months.
So far more than 1500 people
have now signed up on to their
website in anticipation of the
app’s launch, highlighting that
the platform will “solve a lot of
problems for a lot of people.”
“Our vision is to completely
revolutionise how people view
ownership and to make sharing
cool and normal. We’re confident
we’ll get there,” said Skilton.
“Encouraging behaviour
change comes with challenges,
so it’s important in a platform
like ours to have precautions to
enable trust, such as star ratings,
review systems and policies for
damaged equipment.”
• Mutu will launch on
Tuesday. For more
information, visit https://
www.mutu.co.nz/
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We would love to show you first-hand what we can offer
your child, so please contact us today to make a time to visit:
phone (03) 355 7248; email preschool@selhouse.school.nz
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