October Newsletter
- Home Grown
- New Zealand-made and loving it. - New Zealand-made News Bites
- Trina Snow of Buy NZ Made reports - Full Speed Ahead
- Toys that dash, race and roll to attract kids with a 'need for speed' - Messe Frankfurt
- Agency change - Editorial
- July is the new December
New Zealand-made News Bites
Trina Snow of Buy NZ Made reports
Earth Sea Sky and Bob Parker’s parka
Do you know about Bob Parker’s special Antarctic parka and how an extraspecial replica was released for sale on TradeMe? Earth Sea Sky manufactures high-quality performance outdoor and adventure clothing, including the parkas for Antarctic New Zealand. Only two of these very famous orange and black parkas have ever been worn outside of Scott Base. Prime Minister John Key owns one, and the other is owned by Bob Parker, Mayor of Christchurch. Antarctic New Zealand generously agreed to release a third parka to be auctioned on TradeMe to help raise money for the earthquake fund. The parka was signed by John Key and Bob Parker. A Facebook page was set up and the parka quickly received notoriety with 6000 fans signing up in a very short space of time, many leaving positive comments. The parka sold for a fantastic $7650! This quickly drew the attention from the media and was used as a feature story on Campbell Live.
The parka auction was very timely and proved to be a champion for many other fundraising efforts. It also provided some light relief to an otherwise dismal situation because Earth Sea Sky was also affected by the February earthquake.
The winner of the auction, Eric Hertz, CEO of 2degrees, visited Earth Sea Sky’s new factory to collect the parka which was presented to him by Bob Parker. The money raised in the auction was donated to the Mayoral Fund and earmarked for business.
Love Christchurch Made.
Buy NZ Made in conjunction with Business NZ has created the Love Christchurch Made Campaign. Love Christchurch is the emphasis of this campaign. We are encouraging consumers and organisations to support Christchurch businesses wherever possible to help Christchurch get back up on its feet.
Love Christchurch Made has been developed as a promotional tool for affected businesses to advertise their products and services and their new locations if they have had to move. The campaign includes a dedicated website and directory which is free for all Christchurch businesses. This can be found at www.lovechristchurchmade.org.nz
A logo has also been created for the campaign which can be downloaded for free off the website, and stickers and swing tags are available to purchase for use on products if required.
New Zealand in Frame
The doors are still open at Cameo Fine Arts 2008 Ltd, but “times are still hard”, says owner, Kirsty Watson. Watson purchased the 30-year-old North Canterbury company in 2008. With 2011’s Rugby World Cup in mind, she went on to purchase Framed Art of New Zealand a month later.
Cameo is New Zealand’s leading manufacturer of handcrafted oval, oblong, cathedral and round frames. The majority of their frames are produced from oak, rimu, pine or manufactured fibre boards.
Christchurch’s earthquakes have really affected Watson’s business. Prior to the September quake, Cameo was supplying the special Rugby World Cup souvenirs to 11 shops in the Christchurch CBD. These stores all remain closed. Both Watson’s store and factory were affected: a large crack appeared in the factory floor and a loss of customers.
However, not all is dire for Cameo. Watson and her team have a new temporary store open for the duration of the Rugby World Cup – the old visitors’ information centre in Takapuna beach, Auckland – and she is sharing this space with a few other shop owners. All are great Buy NZ Made supporters! The Framed Art of New Zealand Rugby World Cup souvenirs are also available to purchase online from their website, www.nz-souvenirs.co.nz, and the Rugby World Cup website.