Member Resources
Welcome to your hub for all things membership! Here you’ll find helpful information about club processes, kiln guidelines, and request forms to make the most of your time in the studio.
Strategic Plan
Our club exists to nurture a supportive community of potters by:
Offering a range of opportunities for potters and those interested in starting their pottery journey to learn, grow, and develop their skills.
Providing a safe, fun, and fully equipped space where members can enjoy pottery.
Ensuring these opportunities continue for generations to come.
The Strategic Plan outlines how we support our potters and community.
Club Request Forms
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Clay Requests
RPG does bulk ordering of clay approx—every 6 weeks through either MacsMud, BotPots or CCG. Our general kiln firing is suitable for Cone 6 clays.
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RPG Feedback
An opportunity to tell us how your experience with the Rotorua Potters Group, whether through a one-off pottery or through being a member within the studio.
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Members Wishlist
Got an idea for the club — a new glaze, tutor, or tool? Your elected Committee reviews all suggestions at each RPG meeting, so keep them coming!
Studio Access
New Member Inductions
All new members are required to attend an induction session before they can access the studio. Inductions are held at 10:00 am on the first Sunday of each month. Once your membership form has been received, the Secretary will confirm your place in the next available session.
After Hours Inductions (Current Members)
Current members who would like after-hours access must first complete an additional induction. These sessions are held at 11:00 am on the first Sunday of each month. To be eligible, members must have attended at least four member sessions in the studio. If you meet this requirement, please email the Secretary to request a place in an upcoming session.
Kiln Information
Frequently Asked Questions
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No, the order of pieces going into the kiln is determined by size.
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Relatively dry to ensure no explosions. This is also dependent on the thickness of piece; Thin pieces = less chance of breakage when still wet, thick pieces = high chance of breakage when wet, therefore must be bone dry. Tip: place piece on cheek if cold then it’s still wet.
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Firing times of pieces depend on the piece height needed to fill up most of the empty space between shelves within the kiln to make costs more effective for each firing. Kiln technicians will usually wait until there are a number of similar height pieces to fill an entire shelf.
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No, please ensure all pots are marked and your potters mark is in the book.
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Yes, the small kiln is available to use for $15 (regardless of the amount of pieces inside). This kiln ca usually can be turned on within a day or two of requesting it, depending if another kiln is on.
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Cost depends on the amount of space taken up in the kiln. Bisque firing is generally cheaper because pieces can touch and be stacked whereas pieces in a glaze firing cannot. (Note: flat pieces can stack in bisque but must be fired without touching in a glaze firing, therefore takes up more room and will cost more).
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We are limited to the height and width of each kiln (approx. 50cm wide x 70cm high)
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Your piece may have been too thick or still wet, or possibly the different thickness of piece from top to bottom may also have caused it to shrink in a way which causes it to break.
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There may not be enough pieces overall to fill the kiln at times, and we must wait until there is. Ensuring the kiln is full before firing helps keep the cost of everyone’s pieces at a minimum (note: firing less pieces in the kiln means higher prices for members to cover power costs of kilns and vice versa). Firings at certain times of the year may be faster as workshop pieces ‘bulk up’ the kiln load. Firings may be slower at other times of the year because our ‘productive members’ are away and pieces take longer to come in.
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Primarily due to; glaze wasn’t fully wiped from the bottom of piece, glaze was applied too thick and ran, glaze used is a runny glaze (like floating blue) and was applied too close to the bottom. Tip: Glaze can still stick to wax so it helps to check and wipe clean with sponge).
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Yes ($90 big kiln, $50 silver kiln, $15 small kiln)
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Only one kiln. We have to wait for a kiln to complete its cycle before another can be turned on.
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This depends on the kiln. Our largest kiln takes around 1 day to cool down. The medium silver kiln can take up to three days to kiln down as the vent to release hot air is smaller.
Member Workshop Scholarships
At Rotorua Potters Group, we believe everyone should have the opportunity to explore clay, develop their skills, and be part of our creative community.
With the ongoing rise in living costs, we recognise that workshop fees can create barriers for some members. Supporting both emerging potters and those continuing their ceramics journey is an important part of our strategic plan and commitment to accessible learning opportunities.
To help make workshops more accessible, the club is sponsoring eight fee-free scholarship places across the following workshops:
Throwing for Beginners
Tuesday 15 June – Tuesday 6 July
Monday 17 August – Monday 21 SeptemberFiona Tunnicliffe Workshop
Saturday 25 JulyCamo Chicken Workshop
Date TBC
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for a workshop scholarship, please:
Download and complete the application form linked below.
Email your completed form to rotoruapottersnewsletter@gmail.com (Club Secretary) by Friday, 29 May 2026.
Terms and conditions apply; read the application for more details.
