Creative Industries in the Waikato
 
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Crafts

Within the Waikato region the crafts industry is divided into the following types of operation:
  • Small owner-operated crafting stores which sell supplies, instruction material and occasionally provide contact services to other crafters within the region. There are approximately 15 of these types of stores within operation in the greater Waikato area.
  • Retail outlets which sell crafts which are either produced onsite or locally. There are approximately 20 of these within operation.
  • Retail outlets which sell some crafts produced onsite or locally and typically present themselves as gift stores. Within the Waikato there are approximately 100 of these types of stores.
  • Chain retail outlets which sell material which is used by crafting enthusiasts but outlets themselves are not directly related to this industry.
Most of the stores within the region that sell supplies employ fewer than three people and this usually includes the owner. These stores supply the region they are located in and draw most of their stock from importers located in Auckland or directly from international sources. An example of a major supplies store is Grandmother's Garden, a quilting supplies store. This business employs six people and unlike other craft supplies stores in the region has a comprehensive website. Because of this they are able to service the entire North Island region, and the business has sales operations throughout New Zealand. The store employs staff to maintain and run the online operations in addition to staff who manage the actual store which is located outside of Hamilton in Gordonton. Quilting is one of the more popular crafts within the Waikato region with a number of stores devoted to the activity and various community groups organised around the activity. These stores usually provide some community links such as maintaining notice boards or newsletters.

Retail outlets which sell crafts fall into two different sectors within the Waikato. Firstly there are outlets which produce their crafts onsite and service the local region, and in most cases are located along tourist routes and near local attractions. These typically employ fewer than three people and this will usually include the owner. There however larger operations within the Waikato such as Basketique which is a Hamilton based company whose employment varies by season and has a reach which extends throughout the North Island through mail order and its website. The products are made onsite and then shipped to other retailers or other customers.

The second type of retail outlet is giftware stores which sell handcrafts. These are small operations and source most of their products from a mix of importers, New Zealand representatives, locally made crafts and from the greater North Island region. Some employ as many as 8 people. Because these stores present themselves as giftware outlets, they sell a larger variety of items most of these stores sell New Zealand items however these are mostly purchased through representatives of hand craft producers.

Chain retail stores play a role within the Waikato region in that they provide some materials used by craft enthusiasts. These chain stores operate nationally and source most of their products from importers.

Giftware stores which sell some hand crafts form the bulk of the craft related business in the Waikato region. However most of these only sell a few hand crafts, and most of these are sourced from through out the North Island mostly, Auckland via representatives. If they do sell local products they source them directly from the artist.
 
 



Basketique
View website

Celtic Connexions
View website

Crystals NZ Ltd
View website

Gordon Harris The Art & Graphic Store
View website

Grandmothers Garden Patchwork & Quilting
View website

Heritage Gallery Creative Arts of New Zealand
View website

Jet Collective
View website

Otorohanga Sheepskins
View website

Red Tui Art
View website

Scrapbook Inn
View website

Spiritual Sky (NZ) Ltd
View website

The Bone Studio
View website

Tirau Quilt Cottage
View website

240 Mainstreet

Abode Acquisitions

Alexandras

Allen Fabrics

Beach Habitat

Bees 'n' Buttercups

Bowman Fine Arts

Browse A While

Cambridge Country Store

Candles & Things

Chi Chi Deluxe

Collis G C & Y L

Copper Cactus

Copper Cactus

Copper Cactus

Create

Daisy's Collections

Dinsdale Needlecraft

Dorset Photos Ltd

Edmeades Jewellers

Etcetera Gifts

Fern Hill Heritage Ltd

Frames & Pictures

Gift Wrapped

Gifted

Girls & Boys Things

Gold Heron Variety Ltd

Gorgeous Things

Grapefruit Gully Ltd

Home Sweet Home Tirau

Indigenous Village Ltd

Just Bead It

K & M Maori Arts & Crafts

Kanuka Design Ltd

Kaos Kottage

Katherines

L'Atelier Camellia

La Ville Studio Ltd

Laurels Naturally

Lavender Gifts

Lins Gift Shop

Lois's Gift Boutique

Lynne's

Moon Magic Creations

Nature's Touch Needful Things NZ Ltd

Optix New Zealand

Out of the Woods

Patchwork Shop

Paua Concerto

Penny Lane Warehouse

Purple Patch

Quilters Patch Cambridge

Renee's Quilts & Gifts

River Rainbows Arapuni

Seasons

Silk Palace

Splashy

Subtle Silks

Sudio Stationery

Tables on Broadway

Ten2Ten

The Cave Boutique and Gallery

The Confetti Company

The Crafty Cow

The Hobbits Hollow

The House of Wares

The Old Shed

The Something Shop

The Teddy Bear Maker

The Tree house

The Trunk

Thornbury Soaps and Gifts

Tirau Country Store Ltd

Tirau Shell & Jade Factory

Valmay's Gallery & Studio

Versailles

Waihi Handcrafts

Wyuna Studio


 
 
 
 
  Commissioned by Wintec Creative Industries Research Centre
To correct or add information to this page, please contact creativeindustries@wintec.ac.nz