"It is the way of the future; it has to be," says Angela Woodward, describing community101 in Christchurch - a co-working, shared space facility aimed at small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Opened in late March, community101 has seen about 200 businesses use the premises free of charge - and its popularity has soared so much there are thoughts of opening similar centres in Auckland and Wellington.
Woodward, a self-employed consultant, was working from home when she heard about the new centre in Cashel St.
"I am a single mum and have two three-year-old twins," she says. "So working from home had a few challenges. However, even more than that, you start feeling a bit lonely. I used to get out for a coffee now and then but that was about it.
"Now I spend about two days a week at community101 - and it's perfect for people and businesses who do not want permanent space, who want hot-desking, and who get the benefit of working and sometimes collaborating with like-minded people in like situations.
"And I'm not even a BNZ customer."
Woodward says community101 is ideal for small businesses: "You are exposed to the hustle and bustle of others and that energy translates into productivity. You have water cooler conversations - and they have a really good coffee machine - and that energised atmosphere is just so good for you."
So good that Tamara Fischer, Workspace Relationship Manager for community101, says Woodward's father (who works in the central city) came in one day to thank them for the idea and to underline how good it had been for his daughter to be able to get out, mix with other professionals and stimulate her thinking and output.
Woodward could have booked herself into a paid-space co-working environment but community101 was free, with wi-fi, printing facilities, and meeting rooms available.
"It's the way of the future; it has to be," she says. "I think the days of people going into the city every day to work in their office building must be numbered. I am always using Skype and Dropbox to communicate with my client and others - but any business needs more than that."
community101 was born after talking to business customers and understanding their need for a co-working space.
Set up by the BNZ, it has outgrown those origins and has become something of a beacon for SMEs. Fischer says: "Everyone uses it differently. Some are here for a day or a few hours only; others use it for much of a week.
"But the most amazing thing has been to witness the way the small businesses use the space - how they interact and collaborate and help to grow each other's businesses with referrals and friendships. It's grown a spirit all its own and I feel really privileged to be a part of the community that has come out of it.
"A lot of these people do otherwise tend to work from home and they do get a bit lonely and miss that buzz of an office space. It's even better than that - they engage with other creative, forward-thinking people and the networks they set up really benefit them."
Another regular user is Sam Walton, whose experiential marketing company Two Abstract Minds, is working with Chinese e-bike manufacturer Tsinova - the electric bike which has attracted millions of dollars of investment and which is now taking its product round the world.
"We'd be stupid not to use this space," he says. "I have worked in incubators in the US so know a bit about what it's like to work in them - and community101 is really cool and unique.
"It not only gives you that incubator environment, it's great for productivity and innovation; there are a lot of small businesses here intertwining. It's full of guys and girls working at what they love and it's a great facility with everything you need - even free coffee.
"I have met people working in some industries that I thought did not exist in New Zealand, let alone Christchurch."
Harry Ferreira, Head of Small Business for BNZ, says: "There are other incubators and innovation centres, of course, but the feedback we've had is that people feel it is unique for a bank to provide such a space - though we have been working with New Zealand companies for about seven years, helping to introduce them to the Kiwi Landing Pad in San Francisco so they can take their goods and services to the US and other markets."
To find out more or book a space visit bnz.co.nz/community101