sustainability

Gifts from Papatūānuku: the eco-conscious creative journey of a Kaipara textile artist

Through her work as textile artist and eco dyer, Karen Williamson of Nuku finds a spiritual connection to the land and its changing seasons. Using only natural resources, foraged from the local Kaipara landscape, Karen infuses prints of leaves, petals, seeds and bark into natural fibres to create a unique range of scarves, clothing and gifts. The name Nuku comes from te reo Māori, meaning earth. Karen lives in rural Kaiwaka and is building a sustainable lifestyle on a half-acre section with her husband, Luke.

Kahurangi style – the creative and sustainable jewellery of a Mohua maker

Jewellery maker Anna Quartly of Pigeon Thomas says that the inspiration for her work comes from living off-grid and self sufficiently. With the beautiful natural vista of Kahurangi National Park visible from her Golden Bay/Mohua home, she finds she is able to stay focused on what is important. She loves to create pieces that are special – one of a kind – working with natural materials that are simple, pure, and renewable.

“Starts with a drawing, ends with an object.” Short stories from Bearwood Workshop

Joe Wright of Bearwood Workshop handcrafts his beautiful wooden homewares and sculpture – all made from sustainable and recycled New Zealand native timber – from a little tractor shed in Glendhu Bay overlooking Lake Wanaka. After years of working as a designer in many different disciplines, running his own consultancy and clocking up the air miles with large corporations as clients, he decided to shed it all and go back to his roots. His days are now spent following his passion: designing and making simple, beautiful, sustainable items that will stand the test of time.

“To grow out of, not wear out.” One maker’s vision for sustainable children’s clothing

For Cate Mitchell, the creator behind Wanganui sustainable children’s clothing label Wilding Co., her business started with a desire to dress one special little person in clothes that were not only environmentally and ethically sustainable, but also let his personality shine through while he explored his world. Now she’s making her beautiful range of vintage-inspired Wilding organic clothing for newborns to age five.