Fruitbowl - Fresh Ideas from Hawke's Bay

Hopefully many of you saw the excellent “Best of Design 2009” feature that Urbis Magazine (issue 52) ran recently.

This feature originated from a pitch that Venture Hawke’s Bay sent to Urbis back in January of this year highlighting our varied and highly skilled creative community (designers, artists etc).

After some discussion Urbis came to Hawke’s Bay in July of this year. Venture Hawke’s Bay put a suggested program together and looked after the travel costs, resulting in fantastic profile for the region.

VHB and Urbis have kindly agreed to let us feature the articles on Fruitbowl. Over the next few weeks we'll highlight these fantastic stories.

Thank you very much Urbis (http://www.urbismagazine.com)

Here is the introduction to the series to give you a taste ...

A visit to Hawke’s Bay feels like stumbling into a family reunion.

DON’T TELL THE RENTAL car company, but I think I managed to drive all the way from the airport to our accommodation with the hand brake on. Luckily, one of the good things about Napier is that the airport is close to town and it wasn’t long before we pulled up outside Esther’s Place, designed by Sandi Reefman as a showcase for New Zealand art and design.

In fact, everything here is close. The distance between the trio of towns that make up urban Hawke’s Bay – Napier, Hastings, and Havelock North – is no more than an Auckland drive to a supermarket (though locals find that 20 minutes arduous), while creative collaborations seem to be kept in the family. Too close for comfort? Nah. If anything, that intimacy makes Hawke’s Bay design that much more sincere.

Not only does Sandi Reefman collaborate with her partner Martin Poppelwell on Esther Diamond textile designs but for the first few years of starting the company, Sandi’s mother was chief cushion sewer. Partners Nga Waiata and Peter Baker have similarly combined their creative talents with their range of Piiata lights, merging Peter’s lightbox sculptures and Nga Waiata’s Maori heritage. The lights are displayed at Aroha Lamour (our pick for this year’s best design store), owned by another husband and wife team, Rakai and Melaina Karaitiana. Originally they started Aroha Lamour with Rakai’s cousin Kirsha Whitcher, who has since left to focus on Salasai, her growing fashion label. Also displayed at Aroha Lamour are Home Base collections – textiles, linens and cushions designed by Leanne Culy whose husband Brian has his photography works displayed both in the store and at Esther’s Place. Also adding to the creative culture of Hawke’s Bay are curator Douglas Lloyd Jenkins and writer Peter Wells. (The couple moved to the Bay when Douglas took over the director’s role at the Hawke’s Bay Museum and Art Gallery.)

Even those who aren’t related have created a tight community that operates like a family. David Trubridge, perhaps the patriarch of the design scene here, started his incubator programme to support young designers, many of whom, Roger Kelly, Robbie Nathan and Andrew Johnson included, have stayed in Hawke’s Bay, and continue to work with each other. If Trubridge is the patriach, then art dealer Judith Anderson would be the area’s matriach. With her curious and exuberant eye she keeps tabs on all things art and design related. This is one family reunion I’d look forward to.