GVT: Innovation key to Design Taskforce
Ministerial Announcements
16 May 2002
Media Statement
Innovation key to Design Taskforce
New Zealand's top design experts are meeting today to form a Design
Taskforce to help shape New Zealand's future as a country of design
excellence.
The Innovation framework announced by the Prime Minister in February this
year identified three key industry sectors, Information and Communications
Technology (ICT), biotechnology and the Creative Industries (including
Design and Screen Industries), as those on which the government will focus
to help lift New Zealand's international competitiveness.
Jim Anderton will today chair the first meeting of the design industry
taskforce, one of the four taskforces which is progressing the Government's
innovation strategy.
Jim Anderton said he was looking to the Taskforce to identify the key
priority areas for the design industry, and to create a process for
continuing Government and industry partnership.
"I am impressed with the calibre of the design industry representatives who
are willing to be involved.
"I am looking forward to constructive engagement with this industry.
Jim Anderton will ask the Taskforce to address seven questions:
· How does a New Zealand based design company build a successful global
business?
· What are the necessary conditions and required steps to achieve global
business growth?
· What should be the extent and nature of Government and other
stakeholder involvement in the design industry sector?
· What is the best methodology to adopt to achieve growth and
innovation?
· What are the skills and talent needs of the design industry?
· What is New Zealand's unique value proposition to the world from a
design led process?
· How does the design ethos contribute to leveraging creativity and
innovation across sectors?
Industry NZ will provide support and facilitation for the process.
APPENDIX
DESIGN TASKFORCE PROFILES:
Richard Cutfield, BBS, CA
Executive Director Pencarrow Investments
www.mbo.com
Richard Cutfield joined Pencarrow in 1993 following 10 years with
international accounting firm Deloitte Touche Thomatsu (Deloitte). During
his time with Deloitte Richard specialised in the provision of corporate
advisory, corporate finance and a valuation services to the firm's clients.
Richard had a three-year secondment to Deloitte's London Corporate Finance
Division. Richard has represented Pencarrow's investments on the boards of
ELG Holdings, Hurricane Wire Products, Waitaki Biosciences, Formway
Furntiture, Specialty Brands and Methven.
Mary Davy, Director & Partner, Maxim-Group Ltd.
www.maxim-group.co.nz
Mary is a New Zealand trained graphic designer who after working in Sydney
returned to New Zealand to set up, with Lezlie Mearns, the consultancy
Maxim.
Their company is actively involved in design strategy and brand development
for some significant NZ companies. Her company has won a number of the DINZ
Best Design Awards. Mary has been on the Council of the Designers Institute
of New Zealand for 2 years where she offered insightful participation to
industry strategic direction.
Neville Findlay, Designer, Zambesi
www.zambesi.co.nz
Zambesi was established in 1979 by partners Neville and Elisabeth Findlay.
Under their direction it has grown into an internationally credible design
label. The collections are the inspiration of sole designer Elisabeth
Findlay who also directs production from their Auckland workroom. Neville
controls retail operations and marketing, and his passion of architecture
combined with a background in engineering has influenced the environment of
their retail stores. Quality of workmanship and raw materials fuse to
create excellent product. Over the past 20 years Zambesi has built a
reputation on integrity, quality and unique style, emerging and unique
style, emerging with strong individual identity.
Zambesi have flagship stores in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne
and supply selected stores throughout Australasia and the Northern
Hemisphere, including Liberty of London.
Professor Simon Fraser, Victoria University of Wellington
www.vuw.ac.nz
Simon Fraser is an internationally celebrated product designer. He returned
home to take up the position of Professor of Industrial Design at Victoria
University in 2001. As Assistant Design Director for Porsche Design in
Austria, Simon has designed products ranging from television sets to mobile
phones, even passenger trains. At Porsche he worked for a select list of
major international clients, including Siemens, Sharp, TEAC, NEC and
Samsung.
Peter Haythornthwaite, CEO, Creative Labs
Peter Haythornthwaite is a leading designer based in Auckland with his
company, Creative Lab. Peter was co-author of the Massey Design Industry
Scoping Study with Massey University.
Michael James
www.unitec.ac.nz
After graduating in the UK Michael worked in the design and creative
industry for 18 years. He has held headships of two major design schools in
universities in the UK. (University of Central Lancashire (previously
Lancashire Polytechnic) 1986 -1991 and Manchester
Metropolitan University (previously Manchester Polytechnic) 1991-1994.) He
has also held positions with the European Commission research bodies and
the print industry (PIRA) and organised a large conference in France. He
was invited to come to New Zealand seven years ago to head up one of the
largest and most successful design schools (Unitec).
He is currently Vice President of Designers Institute of New Zealand and
developed a strategy document for DINZ titled "Tasks and Visions".
Ray Labone, Chairman, Designworks
www.designworks.co.nz
Ray is the founding partner and Chairman of the Designworks Group, an
Australasian branding design consultancy. After a careers that started with
book designer and typographer Ray left publishing to start his own design
consultancy which evolved into a corporate communication design
consultancy. The consultancy was rebranded Designworks in 1977 and he and
the other partners set out to secure corporate communications and corporate
identity projects for leading NZ corporations.
Designworks is currentlly brand consultant to Westpac, Westpactrust, AGL,
DB Group, Carter Holt Harvey, NZ Post, Natural Gas Corporation, Tourism New
Zealand, Air New Zealand and Public Trust. Ray¹s current roles at
Designworks are Chairman and Brand Consultant. He is still actively
involved in product, retail and corporate brand development for client
companies but on a part time basis.
Ray describes himself and his competancies as: Brand identity architect,
Creative talent, potter/ manager, Market identifier / developer, Single
minded / tenacious, businessman and entrepreneur.
Jeremy Moon, Managing Director, Icebreaker
www.icebreaker.co.nz
Jeremy is Managing Director of New Zealand's largest adventure-wear
exporter - the 100% New Zealand merino wool Icebreaker. Jeremy established
the brand in 1995, and with guidance from a strong Board of Directors,
Icebreaker is now number five on the Deloittes Fast 50, a register of the
50 fastest growing companies in New Zealand.
The company is market leaders for merino outdoor clothing in Australia,
Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Switzerland, the United
Kingdom, Japan, and most recently USA. Jeremy holds an MComm Marketing with
honours in marketing. He has lectured in marketing and has project managed
with CM Research specialising in research design and marketing strategy
development.
Jeremy has grown his Wellington-based team from two to 20, and has earned
some major awards. These include the Merino New Zealand Inaugural
Innovation Award 1996, TradeNZ Entrepreneur Scholarship 1997, Ernst and
Young - Inaugural Young Entrepreneur of the Year 1998, Wellington 'Rising
Gold' Award for best small business in the region 2001, Finalist ISPO
Brandnew Award: best new sportswear or outdoor brand in Europe 2001. The
company's latest catalogue earned a gold award at the prestigious 2001 Best
Design awards for visual communication.
Mark Pennington, Director, Formway
www.formway.co.nz
Mark Pennington has had a long and illustrious career in industrial design
in New Zealand and abroad, winning many top awards for his outstanding
design work as well as for consultancy in many of the leading design
companies in the United Kingdom, Holland and the United States.
A former Fulbright scholarship, he has been involved in a design capacity
for a number of government organisations, and at the Designers Institute of
New Zealand. He was also co-head of design in a consultancy capacity for
exhibition design at Te Papa.
For the last twelve years Mark has been design director at Formway
Furniture which has won numerous international prestigious design awards
including Neocon in the United States and the Prince Philip Industrial
Design Award.
Professor John Raine, Pro-Vice Chancellor, (International) Canterbury
University
Professor John Raine has extensive experience in both the academic and the
private sector with specific expertise in the commercialisation of
technology. He jointly leads the Design and Manufacturing Research Group
in Mechanical Engineering, which attracted FRST funding for research into
Rapid Product Development for World Class Manufacturing. At Canterbury
University he led the establishment of Canterprise Ltd, the University's
business arm and the development of intellectual property and technology
commercialisation policy for the university. As part of his role as
Pro-Vice-Chancellor (International) he facilitates technology
commercialisation from research in the university.
Henare Walmsley, Architect/Designer, Tawhiri Architects
Henare is Arawa, Ngatai Whakaue, Hurunga Te Rangi, Tuhourangi, Ngati
Wahiao.. He grew up in a Maori village in Whakarewarewa where he learnt
traditional art and craft from his whanau. He went to Hato Paora College in
Fielding where he played an active role in the performing arts.
Henare formed Zephyr Design/Tawhiri Architects with partner Marcus Smiler
to integrate his Maori traditional knowledge with contemporary design
aesthetics. Tawhiri have completed designs for cultural buildings, museum
installations and exhibitions and interior and architectural design for
both residential and commercial buildings. www.tawhiri.co.nz
They are also active members of the successful interactive media cluster,
Creative Capital,. Creative Capital, Wellington who put a collaborative
bid together to for a $2m museum project in Singapore which they won.
Professor Leong Yap, Massey University School of Design
Leong Yap is the Professor of Design at the College of Design, Fine Arts
and Music, Massey University. He is the Director of Research, Director of
Postgraduate Studies and Head of the Industrial Design Programme. Leong has
practised and taught design and human factors engineering/ergonomics for
over 20 years. After a period of full-time design practice in visual
communication, advertising, interior design and product design in the early
'80s, Leong joined the Accident Compensation Corporation in 1977. He has
undertaken many roles during his five years with the ACC. These include
interior planning and design, accident prevention, product safety
investigation and research and human factors engineering. In 1982 he moved
on to become a tutor in industrial design and ergonomics at the Wellington
Polytechnic (now Massey University). His research interests include the
contribution of art and design in the value chain, humanising the World
Wide Web, delivering emotional experience through art and design, product
development and design, interface design, workplace design, system design,
accident prevention, and medical equipment for intensive care and
childbirth. Leong is a Chartered Designer (UK) and a Certified New Zealand
Ergonomist.
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