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

Home Grown

New Zealand-made and loving it

Harking from the Land of the Long White Cloud is a big deal for many New Zealanders – we’re proud of our little corner of paradise. Being recognised as a Kiwi overseas (not an Australian) is an even bigger deal for many too, which is why it’s hard to beat home-grown product, say gift specialists, especially gifts that ooze our spirit, pride and Kiwiana charm.

There is a definite swing back to and awareness of buying New Zealandmade goods on the tourist and local market, says Carolann Plamus, director of Icon Images NZ. “Recent TV shows have helped highlight New Zealand-made and New Zealand-designed products, and also, importantly, what is not New Zealand-made in any way, shape or form, such as dyed shell to look like paua,” she says. “New Zealanders themselves seem to care more about New Zealand-made goods, but are intelligent enough to know that in this small market, buying local is not always possible.”

The ‘sale sale sale’ mentality that many customers have adopted and grown to expect over the past few years, due in part to recessive times, has created a few challenges for New Zealand-made companies, say Kitty and Ian Blackwell of Ian Blackwell Designs. “Nowadays people perceive and expect so much more for their money, so we Home Grown New Zealand-made and loving it Harking from the Land of the Long White Cloud is a big deal for many New Zealanders – we’re proud of our little corner of paradise. Being recognised as a Kiwi overseas (not an Australian) is an even bigger deal for many too, which is why it’s hard to beat home-grown product, say gift specialists, especially gifts that ooze our spirit, pride and Kiwiana charm. try to design and manufacture everything with a distinct New Zealand DNA so that it offers people something that can’t be easily reproduced overseas,” explains Kitty. “However, I think the smart thing for New Zealand-made companies to do, or aim to do, is to create products that are desirable enough that the price within reason becomes irrelevant.”

Paying for quality

Helen Fisher of Kiwi General Store, says the price factor is something everyone is up against, be they a manufacturer, stocker or buyer of New Zealandmade products. “Everybody likes a bargain, but generally customers understand that you have to pay for quality. As a supplier of goods, we have to continually monitor our buying prices to ensure we keep our costs under control in order to remain competitive – it’s ongoing,” she says. “I think for many New Zealanders it still comes down to price – most are prepared to pay a bit more for local products, but only a few will pay a lot more! The challenge remains to tap into our national pride because buying New Zealand-made helps the New Zealand economy and keeps the dollar rolling.”

After all, most Kiwis do realise that it’s false economy to buy inferior merchandise, says Warwick Harcourt-Smith, product manager of Kompletely Kiwi. “Inevitably, the proof is in the pudding, and shoppers are learning that it’s not just an act of patriotism but a long-term sensible idea to buy New Zealand-made,” he says. “I like to think that makers of New Zealandmade products are reacting to the short-term effects of discount selling in a good-old Kiwi way: calm, cool, and determined to do the right thing, the right way, and utilise the rich talent that is inherent in New Zealand to produce quality at a reasonable cost. I picture in my mind’s eye the Speight’s high-country shepherd saying, ‘Good on ya, mate’ to the Rotorua artisan who just handmade an exquisite modern rendition of a kete in the form of a possum-skin handbag.”

Buying New Zealand-made isn’t just about ‘doing good’ though, says Warwick. “When I buy a New Zealand-made product, I have the satisfaction of knowing that there is no profit going to a child-labour master, and that there are no harmful ingredients or components. I also know that my money is going to a fellow New Zealander, who will hopefully in turn buy New Zealand-made, and so the cycle of mutual support gathers momentum,” he says.

“For New Zealand, the ‘buy New Zealand made’ push is very pertinent. We are a small country and the ‘two degrees of contact’ is so true. Every time a shopper buys a New Zealand-made product, there will be someone that the shopper knows, who knows someone else who will benefit, somehow, from that purchase. It’s great! I hear that shepherd again, ‘Good on ya, mate!’”

Pricing it right

Creating desirable products goes hand in hand with producing good-quality goods too, says Plamus, but reaching that standard can’t always be done with local production sources, which is a tough on those that are genuine Kiwi-made enthusiasts. “The constant challenge is to find New Zealand manufacturers who can produce at price points New Zealanders/buyers will accept,” she says. “However, not all things can be produced here realistically and, in some cases, with the required quality and expertise, so a few tough calls have to be made from time to time.”

The rise in popularity of cooking shows like Masterchef NZ, The Best of New a new range for Chelsea Sugar,” says Plamus. “We certainly believe there is life beyond kitsch tikis and pukekos, and are always trying to find local New Zealand manufacturers to produce new merchandise that works for our brands.”

A growing interest in retro and vintage-inspired New Zealand-made products is a trend Helen Fisher of Kiwi General Store believes is creeping up the ladder. “Items such as tea towels and mugs that are always useful will never go out of fashion,” she says. “However, there appears to be a growing interest in retro or vintage New Zealand-made goods which appeal to the local market and Kiwis overseas. More Maori art and iconic Kiwi items will continue to be soughtafter by tourists who see these as unique to New Zealand too.”

There’s definitely more to New Zealand-made goods than just tikis and teaspoons, agrees Harcourt-Smith. “New Zealand-made wood and natural fibre products are ‘green’, and can be practical, not just ornamental. From trendy woodcovered photo albums to leather keyrings, there are many useful yet good-looking items readily available nowadays.”

Discovering New Zealand

With the Rugby World Cup extravaganza now in full swing, Plamus hopes that cup fever will find its way into stores too – especially those stocking New Zealand-made wares. “One would hope that an increased interest in New Zealand-made goods will occur throughout and long after the rugby fest, and that New Zealand designers will be ‘discovered’ and be offered opportunities to export, if they don’t already,” she says.

“Good design is good design, and I think that many New Zealand designers have the talent and creativity to adapt to foreign markets. I have had the good fortune to encounter some brilliantly talented, small manufacturing companies in New Zealand, where our isolation and the need to work with what is available – that number 8 wire mentality – have played a huge part in growing our company and products.”

Like Plamus, Fisher believes events like the Rugby World Cup will help build more of awareness around our Kiwi-made products. “Having such a large number of tourists here for the rugby is an opportunity to showcase New Zealand and what we have to offer, which will hopefully result in increased visitor numbers in the future,” she says. “The growing emphasis on New Zealandmade and support of the retailers will provide the confidence to maintain this direction for the future.”

Emphasis on quality

Rugby balls or no rugby balls, growing Kiwi-made support isn’t just about putting product on the shelf, says Harcourt-Smith. “It’s not just about putting rugby paraphernalia and Kiwiana on the shelves. I can’t stress enough that it is the traditional Kiwi way and emphasis on quality that will produce the sort of long-lasting impression on visitors that will get them coming back and also recommending New Zealand as a destination,” he says. “I think visitors to New Zealand are mostly attracted to understated quality rather than bling, and I think this should be where we should concentrate our efforts.”

Whilst it isn’t hard to come by New Zealand-made product in our retail stores, the overseas market could do with a good dose of Kiwi-made goods, says Kitty Blackwell. “In my experience, after much overseas travel within the gift sector, it’s refreshing to come home and see that tourists in New Zealand have the option of buying a great range of New Zealand-made products. In other countries it’s hard to find the range of innovative, well-made products that this country has to offer,” she says. “As manufacturers we need places to sell our wares, so it’s thanks to our Kiwi retailers’ continuing and passionate support of our products that these choices are available to everyone.”

Support is something Kiwis aren’t short of, says Harcourt-Smith. “Recent national tragedies – the Pike River mining disaster and the Christchurch earthquakes – have reminded many of us of our community spirit, and international events have reminded us that New Zealand is our community,” he says. “I like to think that New Zealanders are becoming more conscious that we have to stick together. We are a school of small fish in a big pond in this increasingly difficult world. Teamwork and mutual support will see us right.”