On the cutting edge
Once a manufacturer of paua shell jewellery, aimed at the overseas tourist market, Dimensionz made a swift and successful change.. By Simon Burt.
One of the successes of the Wairarapa visitor scene over the last 40 years has been paua shell jewellery manufacturer Dimensionz, and its retail shop, Paua World. Tucked away on a back road in Carterton, Paua World attracted steady busloads of international tourists keen to buy momentos of their visit.
Dimensionz was primarily a manufacturer and wholesaler of tourist-related goods, suppling souvenir retailers nation-wide, including Paua World. COVID19 almost destroyed its business overnight. “It was pretty traumatic,” says Kevin Topham, General Manager Wholesale and Export.
“Paua World had grown into a very substantial store, but when COVID hit it was obvious we 'd have to close it. Manufacturing the jewellery is very labour intensive, and because we didn’t have a market for it anymore, we had to rationalise. There were lots of tears. Some staff had been here a very long time. We now have 16 staff, it was twice that.”
However, as many have found during the COVID pandemic, there can be a silver lining. “We had just invested in an expensive water-jet cutter to cut greenstone for our jewellery,” Kevin Topham says. “We were looking at other ways to use that when we were contacted by a local garden supplier asking if we could make things out of corten (weathering) steel. We thought, that’s a good use for a water-jet, so we started the Beachcomber garden art range. It’s going great guns.”
Dimensionz also had an association with a Wellington company, The Furnace, who made 3-D topographical art maps. The owners were looking to exit. “We'd always got on well with them,” Kevin says, “and we shared values about sustainability and design, so we agreed to take over their business.” The distinctive 3-D maps are branded Matai Gallery and have become a key part of Dimensionz' business. “This is our premium product and a big part of our going-forward plan,” says Kevin, who looks after the sales and marketing for the maps.
Matai Gallery laser-cut art maps are made from imported bamboo sheet, which is sustainable and eco-friendly. Resene products are used for colouring, while the frame mouldings come from Christchurch. The frames are assembled at Sylkenwood in Carterton. “They're a very personal product,” Kevin says. “They're mostly commissioned, usually as a gift, and are often maps of places where people live, work or play.” Recent commissions include maps of Lake Taupo – a 60thbirthday for a keen fisherman – and South Island rivers for a keen jetboater. “When we were selling souvenirs, they were a memory of a visit to New Zealand. Now they're more personal memories, closer to home.” The two full-time map-makers create around 80 a month, including larger designs for corporate office walls.
The Dimensionz Carterton facility is still well used, with as much as possible done in-house, Kevin says. “We have laser cutters, laminating machines, digital printers, a vinyl printer and cutter, the water jet, and we tumble and polish paua shell for craftspeople. Although we no longer take visitors, we’re still actively involved in the community at various shows and fairs, promoting our locally-made products.”
He says it’s a smaller environment, with everyone much more involved. “We’re still only working four days a week. We’re not turning over the dollars we used to, but the business is a lot more sustainable than it was pre-Covid 19.” As part of their commitment to sustainability, the company installed 40kw of solar three years ago. “We’re generating a big percentage of the power we use, and actually pour lots back into the grid.”
The Paua World brand still exists online, and Dimensionz has big stock of jewellery, ready for when tourist retailers are back in business. “We keep getting hit,” Kevin says. “First it was SARS, then the GFC, the earthquakes, and now the pandemic. But somehow we always bounce back.”
