Design, cool products & other initiatives doing good for charity, fair trade, environment

Moving on...

2010-12-02T22:32:00.001+13:00

It's been a great nearly 4 years - thanks to everyone for their support! Time for us to move on... will be closing up shop & the current 'phase' of thehinitiative this weekend.

New t-shirt fundraising help section : )

2010-04-27T21:53:00.003+12:00

We've just created a new section for charities and other non-profit groups with some info on fundraising using t-shirts or getting t-shirts for yourselves!
We've finally figured it must be useful information to share as we've received lots of emails asking for help/ideas etc in this area. Let us know what you think, and if there's anything else you need to know and we'll pop it up there to share too! : )
Click here to head over to the T-shirt Information & Help for Charities now and please feel free to pass this on to others who need it : )

Skeanie: Fair trade toddler & infants leather shoes that look great!

2010-04-20T15:59:00.005+12:00

It's been too long since our last post and we had to talk about a new discovery: Fair trade toddler and infants shoes that look great! Skeanie shoes are Australian designed leather shoes, and Skeanie are a preferred provider of the Australian Podiatry Association (NSW). So, these shoes are fair, look great and are good for baby and toddler feet. They ship internationally too so don't worry about missing out!

Our favourites are the Deck Shoes in Chocolate for boys and the Loafers in Luxurious Cream for girls, both pictured below.

A really really BIG price reduction!

2009-11-29T23:13:00.005+13:00

...the shop will be closed for the holiday season after this...so get your Christmas orders in early! : )

$10 and $15 t-shirt deals

2009-11-27T13:41:00.003+13:00

We've reduced some more of our end of line sale items to $10 and $15!

Note that these no longer contribute towards the charities as either our agreements with them have expired and/or these low prices don't even cover the cost of making the t-shirts.

But the good thing is that you get to walk away with a real bargain : )

Check out the online shop to see what's available....

The men get their share finally!

2009-11-11T15:44:00.003+13:00

After many years of Glassons selling the Breast Cancer Research Trust charity t-shirts for the girls, their "brother" company Hallensteins is finally getting really into it.
I just got an email from Hallensteins promoting / announcing their ProDesign t-shirt collection in support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. A really wide range of t-shirt designs and artists!! Great stuff! And all $40 each with $10 going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation ...pretty good for snazzy looking tees. My fave's the Richardson tee : )

I'm wondering what you, the all important customer, thinks: are charity t-shirts in bountiful supply now every which way you turn??

Now that the huge clothing companies have covered both bases, with access to such awesome design talent. ....maybe it's fine time thehinitiative moved on!! : )

NZ’s Top Tee Designer is Found

2009-10-23T14:35:00.003+13:00

Andrew Harbott, one of our designers from the Mental Health Foundation 2008 collection (the Normal is Over-rated horse/unicorn design), has made it into the ranks of NZ's top tee designer!!

Andrew will have his winning design created into a t-shirt, which will be sold throughout Hallensteins stores nationwide. His t-shirt will be part of an impressive collection of designs by some of New Zealand’s leading graphic designers and artists, such as Otis Frizzell, Stephen Richardson, Shine, Inhouse, Federation and the Bro’ Town illustrators who have collaborated with Scribe.

In-store and online from mid-November, $10 from every t-shirt sold will be donated to Make-A-Wish NZ, with each dollar going directly towards making wishes come true for children with life threatening illnesses.

Awesome work Andrew!! : )

Spring cleaning sale

2009-10-21T15:00:00.002+13:00

Everything must go!

Safe & Sound: Cool Gig in support of Maternal Health in the Pacific

2009-10-21T13:44:00.005+13:00

Women die needlessly during pregnancy or childbirth everyday in the Pacific. At the global level, every minute another woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth. That is VERY scary (talking as a mum, my labour/birth was already hard enough here in New Zealand)....and to think that it is a preventable tragedy!

On 22nd October 2009, Family Planning International will proudly present 'Safe and Sound', a music concert in support of maternal and related sexual and reproductive health in the Pacific.

A selection of New Zealand female artists will perform at the San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington. They include Lisa Tomlins, Jess Chambers, Iva Lamkum, Tessa Rain, Bella Kalolo and DJ Ayesha.

Buy your ticket now from Under the Radar or Real Groovy in support of maternal health in the Pacific. Note that this event is R18.

Change the World? Why Not

2009-10-21T12:55:00.003+13:00

Reading KR Connect: Change the World? Why Not gave me an encouraging oomph. I could especially relate to this part:

If you want to know what the road looks like, here's an idea. In trying to pursue your dreams, you will fail. A lot. And it will hurt. A lot. But you will get back up. And that will feel good.

To say you will have the boundaries of what is courageous for you pushed will be an understatement. Sometimes you won't find the courage, and that too, will hurt. Sometimes, a lot.

But with each challenge, you will grow stronger. And you will learn, as I am learning, that the reward of living life in a world where everything remains forever possible is a reward far greater than any material prize could ever be.

So now I must live up to the seed I have sown, and the very idea of trying to do that terrifies me. The 99 percent is already telling me I'll fail and stuff it all up. However, in reality, that just means I have another opportunity to prove those voices wrong.

So, my question to you is this;

Are you ready to Change the World?

Because you are only one choice away.

On the more cynical side, even with all the positive speak, one blogger put it well: "your actions will speak louder."

A lot of the times, it feels like thehinitiative (or I!) haven't made a bittiest difference to anyone anywhere. There are so many other clothing labels & businesses doing more, faring better, going farther - it's so easy to compare! So, it's when I get feedback like below, that really helps keep thehinitiative & I going. It's feedback from a long time ago but something to be held on to : )

Thanks so much for the t-shirts-they are so cool!! We love them. I am a teacher and my students have been asking about them-so we have had a great discussion about the reasons for movember, mental health and children in crisis.
As a result my students have brought in money amounting to $40 which we are going to spend on the oxfam website buying gifts that keep on giving.
Just wanted to let you know what differences wearing the very cooly designed tshirts-has made!!

- from a teacher of 12-13 year olds in South Auckland, December 2008.

Eat so they can

2009-10-14T14:35:00.007+13:00

I have to admit, I was a bit cynical about this at first glance - Eat so they can?

But upon reading more into it, it's really all about friends/community, and using something as simple as a home cooked meal & inviting others around to help collect funds for a worthy cause.

You could host a brunch, a lunch, a dinner, a cocktail party, a bbq - and your guests will just need to contribute e.g. $10 donation towards it.

Donations go to the Global Volunteer Network Foundation Global Children's Fund set up especially to aid children living in poverty.

It's meant to all happen this weekend - so anyone up for an impromptu meal with friends? : )

Is fundraising a chore?

2009-10-14T13:04:00.009+13:00

In response to Seth Godin's the problem with non(-profits) , Jeff of the Donor Power blog mentioned something that was close to home:

Our #1 problem is hatred of fundraising and donors. Hardly any nonprofit was founded in order to raise funds. But most depend on fundraising to exist. This seems to fuel a sort of resentment of the craft and of donors that blocks effective, donor-focused communication. Organizations with this problem yearn for "better" donors that don't need the "demeaning" tactics of effective fundraising. They spend needless millions on this failed alchemy experiment. (Read the full blog post: Seth zeros in on our third-worst problem )

I wonder if fundraising can feel like a dreaded chore. Something that has to be done to keep things in good order, but frankly, you'd rather spend your time doing something else? Is it a hassle to hunt down something to fundraise with that will work for you or the organisation, having to find funds to pay upfront for it (if it's product related?), then trying to sell it and/or convince others to get it.

A quick look at the typical fundraising product scene came up with:

The usual suspect - chocolate. Cadbury chocolates, or for those with more discerning taste buds, Trade Aid fair trade organic chocolate bars.
Labels of all sorts for the kids from Stuck on You. What a simple yet useful product - the business was smart to get into this!!
Gingerbread men, with special packs for decorating gingerbread men your own way : ) Edible fun
Pre-popped or microwave popcorn (non GMO) & candyfloss from Dr Bugs
Tea towels (printed with your own designs too?)

Note: This is just a list of things found, not a list of recommendations : )

....but what other fundraising ideas are out there? Product or non-product related?

What works better for the organisation that's trying to raise funds? (so that it's not so dreary)

Or (more importantly?), what works better for the people/supporters who are buying / donating towards it?

New Mental Health Foundation tees!!!

2009-10-07T16:11:00.004+13:00

The latest range of limited edition Mental Health Foundation t-shirts have been released as part of Mental Health Awareness Week 2009!

This year thehinitiative was only involved in the design stage, providing designers with a brief and then passing it onto the Mental Health Foundation for them to take further. Due to the economic recession & its financial impact on thehinitiative, we had been (sadly) unable to run any further t-shirt campaigns or produce new collections for our charities.

So....haven't the Mental Health Foundation done an awesome job with the t-shirt collection?! : )

Design credit goes to the lovely Mari Pettersson and the designs relate well to the Mental Health Awareness Week theme, Winning Ways to Wellbeing.

The full collection is now available from the Mental Health Foundation's online shop with t-shirts selling for $45 each. Every sale raises money for the Mental Health Foundation. T-shirts from previous years' collections are also available for purchase from the Mental Health Foundation's online shop (note: they are no longer available from thehinitiative's online shop).

We're taking a short break : )

2009-09-24T01:32:00.000+12:00

Hey all, the office & shop will be closed on Wednesday 23rd September until Sunday 4th October. Orders will only be processed from Monday 5th October.

We'll be at the Island Bay Craft Village

2009-08-05T16:22:00.006+12:00

A first for Island Bay, Wellington!

Craft Village, Saturday 8th August, 10am-4pm every 2nd Saturday of each month. It'll be held at 88 The Parade, Presbyterian Church, Island Bay -

Local and greater Wellington region crafters & businesses will be coming together to display a colourful variety of handmade goodies and such.

There will be giveaways, spot prizes and a bustling atmosphere of creativity for all to enjoy!

Mental Health Foundation tee design 2009 update

2009-07-15T15:37:00.005+12:00

Wooo! Some progress on the design front...

Thanks to everyone who submitted designs for the 2009 Mental Health Foundation (MHF) t-shirt collection! : )

The following designers have made it onto the MHF's shortlist with their designs (in alphabetical order of the first name):

Cara - What you give is what you get
Damen - Aroha Script, Aroha Angle, Aroha Mirror
Jinha - Open your mind
Mari - Heart & shoulder, _LEAN_ON_ME_, and SMILE®
Michelle - Reach out #2
Vomle - Kind words are a piece of cake

The final designs for the t-shirt collection are currently being chosen from the shortlist and Mental Health Foundation will contact designers directly by 24 July 2009. So, designers, keep your eyes peeled on your email inbox.

By the way, if you submitted a design and want to know why it wasn't shortlisted by the charity, feel free to contact us and we'll provide as much info as we can.

To everyone else: We would love to post all the designs up - but you'll just have to wait and see what comes out from MHF in October 2009! : )

Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer - Springwise

2009-07-15T15:32:00.002+12:00

This is such an awesome idea!!!!!!! "It's a sobering fact that a full 40 percent of the world's population (some 2.6 billion people) lack regular access to a toilet. Add to that the fact that one child dies every 15 seconds from water contamination, and it's not hard to see the motivation behind the Peepoo bag."

Read more here...Single-use toilet bag turns human waste into fertilizer - Springwise

Shared via AddThis

Good books

2009-07-07T22:09:00.004+12:00

This is probably well known by most, but Oxfam have an online bookstore, Good Books, where "all profits go to Oxfam to help fight its global battle against poverty and social injustice."
There is NO extra cost to the customer as they don't mark up their books to cover this contribution. According to them, "our prices remain among the lowest you will find; delivery worldwide is completely free, and with over two million titles in stock our range is one of the largest you will find."

And when I read updates like this one about a child trying to express the horrors they've seen/experienced in Darfur, it really makes the heart go out to them as well as wanting to help those e.g. Oxfam who can help them.

So, if you're about to buy a book, how about checking to see if it's available at Good Books first? : )
Every cent, every dollar counts and has a far bigger trickle down effect.

Magic beans just aren't in fairy tales...

2009-07-07T16:59:00.002+12:00

Buy a Magic Beans discount card, that helps you save and yet supports mental health!

Cards cost just $19.95, are valid until 31 July 2010, and $5 from each card sold goes to the Mental Health Foundation to help finance their work to help improve the mental health of individuals and communities in New Zealand.

The cards will help you save your family a fortune! The Magic Beans card opens up a world of savings for your growing family. It's the one discount card every expectant parent or parent of 0 to 5-year-olds needs in their wallet.

For just $19.95, you get a year's worth of giant deals and super-savings on everything your children could possibly need, like:

FREE OHBaby! magazine
20% off entry to Butterfly Creek
50% off maternity bras from EGG Newmarket
20% off Trunki luggage, gr8x, Lola and Ben, Peanut Shell slings from 3 Wise Monkeys.co.nz
25% off eczema or sensitive skin products
25% off kid's clothing
15% off Natures Sway Baby Hammocks & Slings

Check out the list of all the retailers and their deals - you'll see how quickly your card pays for itself!

Magic Beans Cards make great baby shower gifts or a novel - and practical - present for anyone with a baby or young child.

The other great news is you can start using your card as soon as you receive it.

You can purchase your cards from the Mental Health Foundation online shop for $19.95.

Happy as Larry

2009-06-30T15:15:00.002+12:00

We like people who are like Robin Hood : )

Happy as Larry is a project about getting lots of stuff for free and giving it away ... like Robin Hood, but with whiskers.

It's a word of mouth experiment in random acts of giving.

Check it out at www.happyaslarry.co.nz

Charity auction coming up!!!

2009-06-04T14:44:00.005+12:00

Trade Me, New Zealand's biggest online auction site, has kindly offered to help Plunket run a charity auction for the t-shirt collection! The auction should be starting mid next week and will run for about 2 weeks.

What this means is that
i) we won't be selling any of the Plunket t-shirt collection via our website shop from today til the auction ends
ii) you might be able to score a few good auction deals & help support Plunket even more : )

So, watch the Trade Me site next week - there will also be some special $1 reserve Mum & Kid / Dad & Kid packs too!

Vrrrooom vrrroooommm - cars & other automobile themed goodness

2009-06-01T22:33:00.005+12:00

A is for
Audi Design Foundation, whose "aim is to encourage and empower designers by supporting and promoting designs that create a positive change in people's lives".

B is for
Beatle's inspired MINI that will raise funds for The Material World Foundation, which was originally set up by The Beatle's George Harrison to support charities and people with special needs. MINI seem to be on some kind of roll with specially designed charity cars, as they have already have a hot pink leopard spot MINI for 2009's Life Ball, Europe's largest AIDs charity event (last year's was a secret agent MINI).

C is for
Charity car show featuring Porsche, Jaguar, Mustang, Corvette and MG. It's being run by The Friends of Steve McQueen (who supposedly used to be one of Hollywood's sexiest leading men??) in USA. Hmm, someone should plan one for New Zealand - great car eye candy!

What can I do with all those plastic bags??

2009-05-25T21:54:00.015+12:00

Plastic bags...they're everywhere! Have you ever wondered what to do with the ones you have, the ones family/friends have, or even ones you might see lying about?

A great place to start with some crafty ways of reusing/recycling all those plastic bags can be found at Craftzine.com, while two of the simplest ideas I've come across elsewhere are:
1) combining old fabric (with some synthetic content) with plastic bags. Pretty much all you need is an iron and you can make bags and dresses, and

2) Oscar Lhermitte’s idea of putting a bag over a wire frame & light bulb and taa-daa - you have a lamp!

If you want to get straight into it, check out Instructables.com for a step-by-step guide to turning plastic bags into "yarn", which has photos at each step of the way. The possibilities are endless! (......I'm really tempted to try my hand at making a recycled bag rug)
And if you're really up for a challenge, how about knitting some dresses (they're bound to be waterproof! haha) or making a chair like this Inkuku chair by Ryan Frank?

New Zealand’s first Fair Trade City?

2009-05-25T11:48:00.003+12:00

Let’s be New Zealand’s first Fair Trade City and Make Wellington Fair Trade!

What does that mean? Check out http://fairtradewellington.wordpress.com

So, what can you do?

1. Sign the online petition
Wellington has many outlets serving, selling, supporting and using Fair Trade products. Wellington Fair Trade Communities Group now wish to declare Wellington New Zealand’s first Fair Trade City through a resolution passed by Wellington City Council.

The resolution supports fair trade, commits the Council to serving fair trade products at their meetings and workplaces and to supporting Wellington to meet the goals of a Fair Trade City.

2. Sign up your workplace, business, faith group, club or community group to be recognised as Fair Trade
It will bring positive publicity and show that your group, workplace or organisation is serious about corporate social responsibility. All you need to do is fill in a form and fax/email it back to the Fair Trade Association in Auckland saying that your organisation:
a) Uses Fair Trade certified products in your cafeteria or meetings;
b) Will promote Fair Trade in your workplace, business, faith group or club or group.

Becoming a Fair Trade community group can help your organisation meet sustainability, environmental and social responsibility goals. It can improve morale by supporting poorer communities with every cup of tea or coffee… and it’s FREE! Fair Trade certified products are not only better for the producers, they are great tasting too!

3. Follow progress on Wellington Fair Trade Communities Group blog or on Facebook
If you join the Facebook group, you'll be the first to know about the campaign's progress.

4. PASS THIS MESSAGE ONTO YOUR OTHER FRIENDS AND NETWORKS...

Building a home?

2009-05-14T12:54:00.005+12:00

It's been a full house here with six tradesmen working here all at one go! Well worth the effort as its just more steps towards settling into this new place. We finally have a government-subsidised heat pump to help keep the office and rooms cosy in an energy-efficient & cost effective manner. (Thanks to Right House and EECA Energywise!)

It sure feels nice to make a place 'your own' & be able to call it home. And it's just as awesome to help do it for others too! Habitat for Humanity is an international not-for-profit organisation, who we are lucky enough to have in New Zealand. The ultimate goal of Habitat for Humanity is to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the face of the earth by building adequate and basic housing. In New Zealand, they focus on eliminating sub-standard housing by building, renovating and selling simple, decent houses on an affordable basis, and have helped give 328 families their own home (and counting).

There are many ways of volunteering, from doing something local in your community, to joining up with a team in other parts of the country and International Volunteer trips (sounds interesting!). So if you're good with a hammer (or a keen DIYer), like travelling or meeting new people, check out Habitat for Humanity : )
Or, if you know of a family in need of a good home, here's info on applying for a house)

Blog makeover & Newman's Own

2009-05-13T16:28:00.004+12:00

Ok finally got our act together and the blog looks like it belongs to us now : )

In other news, if you know of a charity or a good cause that may require funding for a project, Paul Newman's Own (what a role model! 100% profit after tax to charities/causes worldwide!!) is having its 2009 call for entries from charities. Details for Australian and New Zealand charities can be found at www.paulnewmansown.co.nz or for general details about the Newman's Own Foundation, visit www.newmansownfoundation.org. Am very very impressed by the business & foundation!

Jack & Jill - a different take on this well known nursery rhyme?

2009-05-12T13:04:00.005+12:00

I saw an ad for this at the Oh Baby website: Turn On The Tap has rejigged the old nursery rhyme Jack & Jill and made it into a story about water to help raise awareness about safe, accessible water in developing countries. A great idea! It reads like a children's storybook and is an educational/"eye opening" read for kids too - I want to get one of the books for my daughter and friends : ) Check it out - they have other resources available too (like labels for fundraising water bottles).

We're moving (again!)

2009-05-03T21:45:00.001+12:00

Yep, we're moving (again) to a whole different place! It has/will be busy so please excuse us if we don't seem to respond to queries straightaway. Hopefully, we & the computers will be all up & running again latest by Tuesday 5th May.

Ideas that Matter

2009-04-22T22:23:00.003+12:00

Came across this awesome site - the title got me straight away - "ideas that matter"!

Sappi (who seem to be some kind of premium paper manufacturer?) has created...

the industry’s only grant program aimed at helping designers contribute their talents to the charitable activities that they care about most. Sappi believes that the creative ideas of designers can have an impact beyond the aesthetic and that those ideas can be a powerful force for social good. To date, Ideas that Matter has awarded $9 million worldwide in grants supporting causes that range from youth centers and health care awareness to wildlife protection.

Entry criteria:
Grant awards, ranging from $5,000 to $50,000 per project, may be used for implementation and out-of-pocket costs, including photography, illustration, paper, printing, mailing and related expenses. It cannot be applied toward the designer’s time.

Who may apply:
Ideas that Matter is open to individual designers, design firms, agencies, in-house corporate design departments, design instructors, and individual design students and design student groups.

Looks cool eh? : ) And it looks like it's open to anyone worldwide... nice!

T-shirt design submissions update

2009-04-14T23:28:00.002+12:00

The Mental Health Foundation idea submissions are closing this Sunday! Whoa time flies!

Unfortunately, we've also just discovered that the website form for submitting the entries has not been working at it's best (boo!). So we've been getting incomplete info and you've probably been getting a page of garbled code everytime you click Submit.

Getting developers to look into it...but in the meantime, please send us all ideas via email.

Please copy and paste the submission form into an email. Send it to us with your image files attached to design (at) thehinitiative.com and we'll email you a confirmation that everything's been received. Thanks for the patience & sorry for the inconvenience!

P.s. All entries since 9 April 2009 have not been received in full. If you have already submitted something, please email a copy to us as well. Sorry!!

Plastic or paper?

2009-04-01T15:58:00.002+13:00

Quick decision of the day: we'll be wrapping tee orders in paper before putting into the courier / postal bag. Since the courier / postal bags are (recycled) plastic already, it just seemed a waste to put the tee into it's own plastic packaging as well. Just another plastic bag!
So, a shift to paper tissue wrap it is so at least it can be recycled in your city council recycling. If you know of places that sell wrap made of recycled paper, let us know 'cause we're looking and looking for some!
Oh and...you may ask: why even package the tee? We're worried it might get dirty/stained along the way, so the wrapping is just some extra protection : )

Doing good with laptops?

2009-03-30T14:26:00.005+13:00

I heard about One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) last week and it's doing good in quite an interesting tech-saavy way. This organisation aims to have one laptop per child:

To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning.

People can help out by paying for a laptop, being a translator, providing tech support to kids/adults, or even helping to develop software (games, tools, programs)! Very cool : )
It also seems that people can help by testing the laptops to make sure they run ok before they're given away (someone had mentioned it to us). There's workshops in Wellington doing this, so it must be quite widespread round the world?

Plunket tees as seen in New Idea magazine

2009-03-26T11:41:00.005+13:00

Get this week's New Idea magazine to check out the exclusive spread about the Plunket t-shirts and the celebs who've kindly helped out with this campaign! Hurray! : )

thehinitiative in a nutshell

2009-03-19T21:34:00.002+13:00

...and you can buy the magnet too : )

It's been a mad week!

2009-03-16T17:17:00.002+13:00

Last week was a little crazy as we semi-moved to a temporary new location – which we will be moving out of in a month’s time (here’s hoping!). So it feels like the business is working out of boxes at the moment and I am running about like more of a headless chook than usual (and the usual is probably bad enough!) : )
The Plunket t-shirt collection will be launched in exactly TWO weeks and we/Plunket are pretty excited about it. So many people have put in so much work into this new t-shirt campaign! Seeing boxes of the tees is quite rewarding in itself – the real product always looks/feels better than just seeing a concept onscreen.
There will be an exclusive retailer in each of the major New Zealand cities for the childrens range: Baby Divine in Dunedin, Milk in Christchurch, Kirkcaldie & Stains in Wellington, Cutie in Hamilton, and Sugarfree in Auckland. Check out their details on our stockists page. Hooray for the retailers and their support!! Support them too by sending your friends to them to buy the range from 30 March onwards. Haha, we would love to hear that every single retailer has sold out : )
Ok…well counting down now…

Jackets & bags made to last

2009-02-12T21:54:00.001+13:00

I like this idea! Howies in the UK have a line of jackets and bags that are designed and made to last, and the line's called "Hand-me-downs" : )

http://hmd.howies.co.uk/

They've gone the extra mile in every bit of the product and guarantee it'll last a minimum of 10 years...a nice little investment as long as you don't tire of your jacket and bags easily and you use them til the end?? Jackets start at £400 and bags at £125! Woo..

Literally sweet justice

2009-02-09T15:37:00.001+13:00

Just in time for Valentine's Day if you celebrate it : ) otherwise, great news for the sweet tooths and bakers!!

Trade Aid in New Zealand have just launched a website and new range selling sugar, baking cocoa and drinking chocolate which are all fair trade, organic and sustainably packaged!

Check out the Sweet Justice website at http://www.sweetjustice.org.nz/home

They've also got a recipe section using their products : )

Where does your money go???

2009-01-17T18:04:00.002+13:00

We've added two new sections into the About Us area:
Our Team - a bit of background about thehinitiative "team" : )
Where Money Goes - you get one of our t-shirts but where does the money go? how much goes to the charity? We reveal everything in this section...
Planning on making a section on Our Story - how we got where we are now - and will let you know when we actually get to putting it up on the website.

Talent spotting?

2009-01-17T17:59:00.003+13:00

Had the Plunket t-shirt photo shoot today!! Was a wee bit anxious last night while getting everything sorted for the shoot til 1am - think the tiredness was getting to me anyway.

But it went fabulous today, think we got some awesome photographs, and the babies, kids and adults were all absolutely great to work with : ) Couldn't have asked for better , and our photographer is most impressed with how easy-going and patient the babies and kids were! Thinks they're the best he's come across : ) So huge potential for talent agencies maybe?

Happy new year!!

2009-01-13T12:16:00.001+13:00

Hoping everyone managed to have a break over Christmas and New Years : )

This is just a quick update to say that we’ve been busy getting things sorted for the Plunket collection. Big thanks to everyone who sent in model applications for the Plunket collection! We’ve gone through all the applications and have selected the models. Sorry we haven’t had the time to individually send out emails to everyone who didn’t get through.

The photo shoot will be happening this weekend and we’re really looking forward to it – exciting & fun! : )

Have your say! Where & how would you like our t-shirts made?

2008-12-11T23:05:00.003+13:00

We want to know what YOU think about issues related to manufacturing clothing offshore. So, here's your chance to have your say, and we will seriously consider the results! Thanks!! : )

Calling all Mums with Plunket babies/kids (and some other techie stuff)

2008-12-09T16:56:00.004+13:00

Ok, it starts! We're now officially on the look out for the cutest coolest kids as models for our Plunket t-shirt collection 2009.

You can find more info about the search at our Models section. Applications can be done online or posted via snail mail, and close 19 December 2008.

Please let your friends know if you think they'd be keen and their kids have got what it takes : )

The thought did pass through my mind briefly that it would be fun to get my toddler involved - but that wouldn't be fair for you out there! And her daddy wants her out of the business spotlight and as anonymous as possible. So, ok, alright, she has every right to privacy at the age of 16 months! : )

The mailout we did overnight announcing the newsflash is also the first time we're using a proper high-tech mailing program too so hopefully more of you will get our emails successfully. (Aha! they had better do as I stayed up all night trying to figure it out & get everything set up!)

Our email address has already started to be blacklisted by Xtra NZ and Yahoo because we used to send our news email updates individually (would you believe it?). They don't like it!

So, a little reminder that if you like getting emails from us (including order confirmations!), please add us to your email address book in your email program or Gmail/Hotmail/Yahoo etc. In theory, the emails will then get through (or so they tell me!).

Want to ditch those festive season greeting cards?

2008-12-05T23:37:00.009+13:00

Looking for something more creative than a Christmas or Seasons Greetings card (or just any old greeting card for any occasion)??? How about giving someone their very own handmade Speakerdog or Cubeecraft paper toy made with 100% recycled card stock (of course!) & have your personal message scribbled over it? Or, if they're the hands-on type, a pre-printed, flat packed version for them to diy!

I found Speakerdog paper toys a while back and have used them as presents before. Just print and put together! They have a huge selection, with illustrators & artists from around the globe contributing the most awesome designs!

Have now discovered Cubeecraft paper toys that don't require any glue to hold them together. Not as extensive a selection as Speakerdog, but still plenty of different ones to choose from.
Personal favourites are The Brain, Bloo and Lion-O. They also have Alice in Wonderland characters in the making which I'm looking forward to! Post us one of the faves if you're in the giving mood : )

Just to show how "onto it" they are - they have even got Vodafone sponsoring them to provide Christmas Cubeecraft paper toys as part of a promotion. You can also customise the Christmas versions to have your photograph on it.

By the way, if you're looking for 100% recycled card stock, Sustainable Group in the States sell them and also ship internationally. Please note that I haven't bought from them before, so buyer beware.

Behind the scenes: a photo shoot..

2008-12-05T23:29:00.005+13:00

Well, kind of! Just thought we'd share some of the previously unreleased shots from our Mental Health Foundation tees Bro'town photo shoot on thehinitiative's Facebook! I had a few chuckles viewing the shots when our photographer had sent them through so maybe you will too. We'll be adding some more over the coming week or so as well..

Whose Mo won?

2008-12-04T15:42:00.004+13:00

Mo'st Memorable Mo 2008!

Thanks to Shalene for entering her hubby! We'll be in contact as you've scored two cool tees : )

P.s. This was the only entry we managed to get (lucky we even managed to get one back as computers crashed and were email-less for a while) but if you think you know of a more memorable mo, send us a pic and we might be nice and send you a tee.

Are you a shopper/hero?

2008-12-02T16:57:00.002+13:00

If you're in Singapore or nearby, check this new thing out at Post-Museum in Little India!

Shopper/Hero is a new project of Post-Museum which is envisaged to be a groundbreaking addition to the world of shopping in Singapore and the region.

The mission of Shopper/Hero is to promote consumption of products which benefit society. The objective of Shopper/Hero is to provide an educational platform regarding the work of NGOs and other cause-related organisations in Singapore and the region while offering consumers a convenient and easy way to purchase products which satisfy their needs and wants while contributing to the various causes.

Sounds awesome - the kind of thing we would love to be involved in! If you've been to it, let us know how it was : )

Ever thought that something you did was too small to make a difference?

2008-11-26T00:08:00.003+13:00

Something I've recently come across:

Addressing students at the University of South Carolina, Chief Judge Alexander M. Saunders said, "As responsibility is passed to your hands it will not do...to assume that someone else will bear the major burdens, that someone else will demonstrate the key convictions, that someone else will run for office, take care of the poor, visit the sick, protect civil rights, enforce the law, transmit value, maintain civilisation and defend freedom...What you do not value will not be valued, what you do not remember will not be remembered, what you do not change will not be changed, what you do not do will not be done. You can, if you will, craft a society whose leaders...are less obsessed with the need for money. It's not a question of what to do, but simply the will to do it."

Sometimes we don't take responsibility because we believe others are more qualified. No, those who make a difference in life don't do so because they're the best qualified, but simply because they decided to try.

Something encouraging and motivating for everyone else to read and also for me personally, especially when one is a (reluctant) "qualified accountant" on paper, and not a fashion or design or even a business guru! Have to keep trying & trying!

Using mobile phone texting to address world poverty?

2008-11-25T23:55:00.004+13:00

Found out about this great way of supporting a cause using mobile phone technology - texts/SMSs - and all homegrown here in Wellington, New Zealand!

A group of young entrepreneurs is using mobile phone technology to address world poverty issues.

The win-win situation sees mobile users receiving promotional text messages, relevant to their fields of interest, in exchange for ‘credit’, that can either be used to top-up their mobile phone account or support World Vision education projects.

It’s part of a service called SchmallTxt, provided by Small Change Enterprises. Five Wellington College students established the business, as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme (YES), with a good deal of initiative and a heart for the poor.

The tech-savvy students understood that many traditional advertising mediums, such as flyers and print ads, are rarely read by young people. By using mobile phone text messages as an advertising medium and tailoring the messages they send, advertisers receive a better response rate.

With the incentive of ten cents credit from each message received to use as airtime or as a donation to World Vision’s education projects, new customers have not been difficult to come by. Happily, one third of new customers have chosen to donate their credit to World Vision.

Click here to read more....or just go check out their website at www.schmalltxt.com

Fair trade chocolate truffles - know of any?

2008-11-21T17:08:00.002+13:00

I've been trying to do a google search for fair trade chocolate truffles (of the gourmet kind!), and have only come across this place - can't tell if they post overseas and then again, it might cost a bomb to get it internationally! Anyone know any place they can recommend?

Conscious Style?

2008-11-14T23:29:00.002+13:00

I just found out about an Ethical Fashion Day at the Victoria and Albert Museum from Supernaturale.
It has the coolest things happening, e.g.:

Swishing - The clothes swap. Swishing is an eco-fabulous way to get a new wardrobe by exchanging your quality fashion items for someone else's
Build a Sustainable Fabric Dress - Draw designs and messages on swatches of hemp and attach them to a life- size dress frame to create a dress. Watch the dress grow over the day.
Reinvention: Cut and Sew Workshop - Bring your tired, out-of-style clothes and regenerate them with the help of experienced dressmakers and a pair of scissors.

And people well-known in the field of ethical fashion are there, like Katharine E Hamnett (I probably shouldn't be plugging others too much on thehinitiative's blog but I love her slogan tees. And there's no NZ stockist...hmm...)

Pity it's already passed - not to mention it's in South Kensington, Cromwell Road, London......and I'm in Wellington, New Zealand! We need to have something like that in this part of the world! Another hmm...

POSTPONED: Vocalize art expo, fashion fundraiser and studio launch party (Wellington, New Zealand)

2008-11-11T23:10:00.005+13:00

Ed: Sorry this Vocalize event has now been postponed til further notice due to unforeseen circumstances. We'll let you know when something new is sorted.

Our friends at Vocalize are putting on a party & we'll be there with tees from most of our collections if you want to have a browse, try or chitchat : )

Please come and celebrate the launch of the new PhotoSpace Studio with us! We have heaps of treats and freebies lined up including a free cocktail and goodiebag upon arrival, a whole lot of spot prizes to give away and a celebrity host for the day - Geraldine Brophy from Second Hand Wedding!
As part of the launch party we will be holding a fundraising art/clothing exhibition where a percentage of all sales will go to Vincent's Art Workshop, Wellington City Mission, World Vision and the Mental Health Foundation.

So please get your friends together and come celebrate with us by supporting local artists, designers and musicians.

Booking slots are hourly from 12pm - 8pm and tickets are $15 each. You can pre-purchase by emailing rsvp at vocalize.co.nz. Please select a booking time below. Please note that numbers are limited, so make sure to pre-purchase your ticket asap! Limited door sales only.

Booking times:
12.00 pm - 1.00 pm
1.00 pm – 2.00 pm
2.00 pm – 3.00 pm
3.00 pm – 4.00 pm
4.00 pm – 5.00 pm
5.00 pm – 6.00 pm
6.00 pm – 7.00 pm
7.00 pm – 8.00 pm
8.00 pm – 9.00 pm.

Hope to see you there!

Have you noticed others getting a lot hairier recently?

2008-11-07T15:51:00.000+13:00

Movember (the month formerly known as November) is a global annual charity event held during November. Clean shaven guys get a month to grow and “groom” their Mo while raising money to benefit men’s health.

Our charity partner, Mental Health Foundation, is one recipient for the funds raised this year!

So email your best Mo photo to info (at) thehinitiative.com and at the end of the month, they’ll be up for public vote of Mo’st Memorable Mo on our website. Winner scores one of our Mental Health tees (the one with the Mo of course!) and one other t-shirt of their choice.

Making your mark for mental health?

2008-10-06T21:27:00.005+13:00

It's Mental Health Awareness Week!
I can't believe it has been nearly a year's full work to get to this part of the year and so many have helped it making this happen.

The second t-shirt collection was released on Saturday and is now available online (our shop re-opened on 1 October!) and at selected stockists.

The first few online customers AND lucky customers at some of our retail stockists also receive a very cool little Mental Health Awareness Week magnetic poetry kit.

Mental Health Foundation are running a Magnetic Poetry Competition too - send them a photo of your favourite magnetic poem or message using the Mental Health Awareness Week magnetic poetry kit, and they will put the best up on their website for the world to see your global handprint, making a mark for mental health. Their favourite will also receive a $50 book voucher! Click here for more details on their website or see some examples here.

Dining out for good

2008-10-06T21:18:00.003+13:00

I've recently found out about New Zealand's DineAid:

Dine out at a participating restaraunt during November and December 2008, and at the end of your meal you will notice a voluntary donation of just $2 per table has been added to the bill. (separate to any other gratuity or tips you may chose to leave). Participating restaurants send the donations back to DineAid at the end December and then distributed to those who may need a bit of a ‘helping hand’ during the festive season. Wellington City Mission is one of the charity beneficaries!

This cool concept is based off UK's StreetSmart:

The beauty of StreetSmart is its simplicity. It is an innovative, easy fundraising scheme which works during the holiday months when people begin to think about those less fortunate than themselves.

At participating restaurants, with the benefit of a tablecard, or a reference on the menu, a voluntary £1 is added to the table bill at the end of the meal during the months of November and December. At the end of each month, the restaurant passes on the total money raised to StreetSmart. We then use all of those £1s to support reputable charities in that city. So participating London diners are helping out London organisations, and Newcastle diners are helping organisations in the North East.

And remember: since all StreetSmart's running and operational costs are generously paid for by our sponsors, every penny in every £1 raised goes directly to the people who need it!

Remember us mentioning The Travel Channel?

2008-09-23T21:54:00.003+12:00

Back in May, we mentioned that Jennifer Santiago had found out about us and wanted to get our t-shirts on screen during her new Travel Channel documentary.

We've been emailed this video still of her wearing one of the Mental Health Foundation "Talk, Just Talk" t-shirts in the army green. That's the MHF logo behind! We've yet to see the full documentary on screen - need to find out when it hits New Zealand screens!

A new website I hear you say?

2008-09-12T01:20:00.002+12:00

Hey folks, pop along to our new website thehinitiative.com! Our .co.nz site is past its best before date and all packed up. There's only one cardboard box left behind telling people our new site address : )

There has been lots of hard work behind the scenes to get the .com going (on top of everything else happening) and it looks quite different to the .co.nz. Hopefully easy to navigate too!

It's still very much about continuous improvement, so you may see some tweaks here and there. The big thing that is yet to be launched is our online shop / catalogue - it will be completely different, plus, there will be brand spanking new tees up for the 2008 Mental Health Foundation t-shirt collection.

Shop's meant to be up & running by 22 September (fingers crossed) - we'll let everyone know by email when it is.

P.S. Feel free to leave any comments here about what you think of the new .com so far : )

Designer interview: Laura Cibilich

2008-09-12T01:09:00.004+12:00

Introducing Laura Cibilich, winner of the 2007 World Vision Art4Aid competition t-shirt category, designer of the Freedom Dove t-shirts!

What have you been up to recently?

I've just recently got married and have come back from my honeymoon in beautiful Fiji and the Gold Coast. So I'm just getting back into the swing of things at the moment. I've got a few ideas in the pipeline so watch this space!

How did you first get started in design?

I've always been creative and had a love of art, so I guess it progressed from that. I took Design in my last year at high school, then did a design diploma, and just went from there.

How would you describe your style?

I try not to get stuck into one kind of style, but generally my designs use quite solid lines and I often like to experiment with different textures and backgrounds. At work I'd say my style is quite corporate, so I like to break out of that a bit in my personal work.

What inspires your work?

Anything and everything. I'm a great believer in anything you do, see or have experienced in your life inspires and influences you somehow. It often depends on the project, but I'm constantly inspired by my husband Raymond, and cat Prince, as well as great photography, words, books and much more.

Why get involved with thehinitiative?

To help out a worthy cause in a way that I can - through design.

How did it feel to have your designs made into tees?

Pretty cool - its always nice to see the finished product, and great to see other people wearing it.

And my favourite ice cream flavour ever is...

I've just come back from a trip to Australia where I got addicted to 'Cold Rock' where they mix up your own ice cream flavour. My fav mix was coconut gelato, with mashed up bounty bar, mini
marshmellows and chocolate brownie pieces mixed through it - yum!

Thanks Laura! (and the ice cream sure sounds yummy!)

New Auckland stockists and another sneak peek...

2008-07-16T22:03:00.009+12:00

Thought I'd give Aucklanders a heads up that JET will be stocking our exciting new Mental Health Foundation t-shirt collection to be launched in October. They'll be stocking our adult tees, while our baby tees will be stocked in limited quantities at EGG Maternity Newmarket in October too.

"Baby tees?" you ask?
Yep the whole family can be fitted out in tees that look great & do good!
(Ok we bluff, not quite as we haven't got a 2 y.o. to school age collection yet. But it's a start...)

Introducing a small selection of our Birds on Wires tees: mens tee in the white colourway, and womens & baby girls tees in in the natural cream colourway. We'll also be having this printed in different colours and on different tee colours too.

Again, we have to give credit where it's due - this excellent design was by Aaron Hogg (Ministry of Aesthetics). He has the most awesome design & illustration work! Love the detail - everything has a place : )

GOOD reading and Good reading

2008-07-16T21:42:00.003+12:00

I used to keep an eye on GOOD magazine ...

GOOD is the integrated media platform for people who want to live well and do good. We are a company and community for the people, businesses, and NGOs moving the world forward. GOOD's mission is to provide content, experiences, and utilities to serve this community.

GOOD currently produces a website, videos, live events, and a print magazine. Launched in September 2006, the company has garnered praise for its unique editorial perspective and fresh visual aesthetic and is quickly positioning itself as a significant new voice in our culture.

...brimming with fascinating stuff & nice clean design, it's hard to keep away.

New Zealand is now lucky enough to have its very own Good! Different publication altogether, but similar theme of talking about all things good.

I haven't had the time to read the print magazine yet (free time? what free time?! hehe), but a quick browse on its website found some useful things like which insulation is best for your home (efficiency ratings & such) and other more random things you didn't need to know but might have wondered about: is it better air drying or using paper towels at the public loo?

Anyone read the whole magazine? Thoughts? According to their website, issue 2 is on it's way : )

How to wear thehinitiative t-shirts in winter?

2008-07-04T16:53:00.001+12:00

thehinitiative does t-shirts. Short sleeved ones. But, yes, it's WINTER (in the Southern Hemisphere anyway, and I feel like hibernating). So, how are you going to make our t-shirts work for you??

I've been wanting to write up a style thing for t-shirts in winter, and have just been re-motivated to do so after now-not-so-recent girly 2+ hours spent viewing some gorgeous (and some not so) clothes and styling on big screen. And just because it's really nice to see people look great in what they wear : )

So, here are some ideas - pretty straightforward for the guys (unless you're into wearing dresses, leggings or skirts), and some for the girls.

T-shirt styling ideas for the GUYS: (mostly about keeping warm!)

i) Wear a really warm polyprop or merino layer hidden under your t-shirt, and a smart blazer on top of it (and don't take off the blazer if it's freezing!), as seen on Brad pictured above left.

ii) Wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt underneath your t-shirt, and roll up the sleeves for an added laid-back effect. (Source: 6 ways to wear a t-shirt)

iii) Wear a long-sleeve button-down shirt over the top of your t-shirt, as seen on Jack pictured above right.

iv) Wear a zip-up hoodie or men's cardigan as a coat, or fairly tight, over the t-shirt.

(Photo credits: Asylum and Getty Images)

T-shirt styling ideas for the GIRLS:
Key thing to remember: Make sure that whatever layer you wear under the t-shirt is fitted / figure hugging, otherwise you could end up looking rather bulky in the torso (been there, done that!).

i) My fave (and easiest thing to do!): Wear a tight fitting, long sleeve, light-weight merino top under your t-shirt (mine's black most of the time). Keeps it real simple, feels a whole lot warmer, and t-shirt can be seen in full view.

ii) If you're not into the skinny jean look, some other things you can team with our t-shirts: Maxi-skirts. Capri pants. Jeans (bootcut or flared). Tartan skirts. High-waisted skirts. Cardigans. Leggings. Shorts. Dresses (worn underneath). (Thanks to Gala for these!)

iii) Wear your t-shirt under a pinafore dress, with opaque (or woollen) stockings/tights or knee socks, with mary janes, ballet flats, or boots. Or skip the stockings/tights altogether and put on a pair of fitting jeans. Add a long scarf to keep your neck warm!

iv) Wear your t-shirt over a few layers of multicolored tank tops or t-shirts in different lengths and pair with your favorite jeans.

v) Accessorise with shrugs, arm warmers (I've found some NZ made ones that look awesome!), and gloves (with fingers or without, or maybe you'd like to get a bit adventurous?).

Sorry I haven't got pictures up for the girls! Can't really find much - but hopefully you get the idea from the text : )

To also naughtily sneak in something non-t-shirt related: check out this short list for more about layering in general, and this NZ Herald article for hotting up your winter wardrobe.

Feel free to comment / provide your own style ideas for t-shirt winter wearing!! :)

Getting busy with t-shirts

2008-07-04T11:38:00.005+12:00

How have you all been??? We have been sooooo busy and my oh my, time has just flown - can't believe it's the start of July now!

Currently working on getting our next range for the Mental Health Foundation sorted out (it'll be on sale in time for Mental Health Awareness Week which starts 6 October), trying to sort out PR stuff, working on a whole new spiffy website (big task but looking good so far!), getting things sorted for the design brief for the next World Vision CIC t-shirt range, and then there's the mundane stuff of GST, admin paperwork and such that we still need to do.

So, how's about a sneak peek at one of the new tees for the Mental Health Foundation you ask?
Check it out: we'd like to intro you to Mister Stacked Chairs Tee. Just the guys one in yellow text is shown below (there's a neat blue text one too). The womens version has got pink text, and is on a cream tee. We love the tees!! By the way, this design was submitted to us by Joel Cocks - so credit for its coolness & great design goes to him : )

Watch our blog for more updates about thehinitiative's Mental Health Foundation tee collection : ) Can't promise too much but you'll never know...

Fashionable do-gooder

2008-06-12T21:33:00.007+12:00

Hooray! We got into the NZ Herald : ) ..heh, so, maybe the late nights are paying off.. thehinitiative's World Vision tees were featured in the Wednesday 11 June NZ Herald's Viva magazine. We're trying to get our hands onto a copy of it - will post it up when we do. In the meantime, there's always the online snippet at the Herald's website : )

Do you have an old, unused mobile phone?

2008-06-05T17:30:00.003+12:00

I just found out about Enable Community, a New Zealand not for profit organization, working to provide access to affordable communications to those that would otherwise be unable to afford it.

The cool thing is: they partner with Vodafone New Zealand to collect and re-use old mobile phones, and the phones are then given to provide entrepreneurs in developing countries through micro-credit programs, helping to provide one of the basic tools that we take for granted when trying to run our own businesses.

Have a mobile phone you'd like to get rid of? Just take your mobile phones and accessories like batteries and chargers to any Vodafone, Bond and Bond or Noel Leeming store!

Or freepost it to Vodafone at:
Freepost
Vodafone Handset Recycling Programme
Private Bag 92222
Auckland

If you want to take it a step further, you can even run a mobile recycling drive at your office or any other group/club. For more info, click here...

This is a great mix of doing good and recycling at the same time - and it's so easy to do too!!! Plus someone else out there gets a snazzy cool phone : )

Press Release: Great looking t-shirts that can help transform a child’s life

2008-05-28T21:11:00.003+12:00

Pictured: Rapture Ruckus and Jane Yee in Freedom Dove and Peace Inside t-shirts

New Zealand label thehinitiative has launched a street wear T-shirt range together with World Vision New Zealand, in support of the Children in Crisis program.

Li Ling Ng, director of thehinitiative (pronounced “The H Initiative”), says the T-shirts are to help raise awareness about global child poverty and for fashion consumers to buy great T-shirts while contributing towards a life-changing cause for children.

“You can Look Great in a T-shirt and, at the same time, Do Good by making a real difference in a child’s life”, says Li Ling. “For example, buying one of these T shirts could contribute towards a 2,000 litre water tank that provides water storage and access to safe drinking water for school children in Africa”.

The T-shirt range consists of the designs in men’s and women’s styles, with organic and fair trade cotton t-shirts offered as part of the range. Designs are based off the top three entries of the 2007 World Vision Art 4 Aid t-shirt design competition.

Art 4 Aid is a World Vision initiative raising awareness of global child poverty through art. Entrants were given themes to work from, designed to bring to mind images of poverty, war and peace, and children living in crisis situations in developing countries, such as those orphaned by HIV and AIDS.

The top design, Freedom Dove, was designed by Laura Cibilich, a 26-year-old graphic designer based in Auckland. Laura’s entry was chosen as the winning T-shirt design for its simplicity of design and message: “This design symbolises peace using a well-known symbol: the dove. It flies upward towards its freedom, leaving the pieces of war behind it. White ink printed on a black T-shirt symbolises the dove breaking out of the darkness of war.” The runners up designs were Jamie Wong’s My Heart and Olivier Perkins’ Peace Inside.

All three designs are available for purchase online via the website thehinitiative.co.nz, with nationwide and worldwide delivery. 25% of all online sales are given to World Vision.

T-shirts are also being stocked at fashion retail shops Rex Royale (Wellington) and Starfish (Wellington). Starfish was the Emerging Sustainable Business Leaders (SME) category winner of the 2007 NZI National Sustainable Business Awards.

ENDS

Contacts:

Li Ling Ng
Director, thehinitiative
021 313 880
liling at thehinitiative.co.nz
(High res celeb images available from Li Ling on request)

Catherine Healy
Press Officer, World Vision New Zealand
09 580 7747 / 021 545 638
catherine.healy at worldvision.org.nz

Out today: KR #50: Winners, Nostalgia and thehinitiative

2008-05-26T16:12:00.005+12:00

Woohoo! We've been featured on Kevin Robert's blog : )

thehinitiative is a fashion house that produces cool t-shirts in New Zealand; nothing startling about that. After all, New Zealand is now recognized as a distinctive influence in fashion. But thehinitiative has combined their passion for clothes with a passion for making the world a better place....

And the parts we really, really like : )

....This is totally in tune with where Saatchi & Saatchi are going with Saatchi S. We have to start grounding sustainability deep into the lives of people. To help them bring sustainability into their world rather than have the immense problems of the planet hung over their heads. We call this moving from Green thinking to Blue action – and you’re going to be hearing a lot more about it. thehinitiative is True Blue....

....Note: The secret behind their rather mysterious name is revealed on their blog. What’s the extra “H” stand for in thehiniative? Hope. I love it.

And Blue's already one of our favourite colours! But it's so true that we're more about Blue Action rather than just Green thinking...

BIG thanks to Kevin : ) We didn't ask to be featured, so this is great 3rd party endorsement! ; )

Spotted: thehintiative tees at a gig!

2008-05-21T21:00:00.000+12:00

World Vision tees seen on Sarah Hughes (and supporting guitarist Ben) at her first official gig in March '08 : )

thehinitiative World Vision Children in Crisis t-shirt stockists

2008-05-21T16:25:00.005+12:00

Yay! We've got our World Vision Children in Crisis tees stocked at Starfish in Wellington : ) We've also made a drop to Rex Royale today, so they'll be available soon there too.

Oh yep, those are the tees in the Starfish store window
(Thanks for the PXT, Miranda!)

Designer interview: Olivier Perkins, Spore* Design

2008-05-19T10:58:00.014+12:00

Thought it's fine time to profile all the awesome designers who have contributed to our ranges...so, here's the first one : )

We'd like to introduce Olivier Perkins of Spore* Design who has had three of his designs come to life as thehinitiative's t-shirts!

What have you been up to recently?

Fairly busy! Currently finishing my final year of a BVA graphic design degree whilst also running my freelance studio and doing a few design projects for various clients. One current client in particular is rather interesting- We're creating a new fashion range.....but for those of the 4 legged kind. Should be releasing this year, so looking forward to that!

How did you first get started in design?

Originally came from a background far removed from design as I trained and worked as a water sports instructor! In my travels though I found myself doing a few design jobs here and there for friends and employers, which brought me to the realisation that design was where my passion really lay. So I gave up the day job went back to study and focused on creating creations...and lived happily ever after!

How would you describe your style?

Eclectic, fun, with a twist of crazy?! I really enjoy the variety that design and illustration can offer, working on different projects for different clients allows you to explore new and alternative methods to realise the end result. I'm a great believer in trying to find the right look for the project at hand.

What inspires your work?

Anything and everything! Inspiration can really come from anywhere, from the project itself, from some random object found on the beach, from some rough doodles on a scrap of paper...you get the idea! Just always trying to keep your eyes, ears and mind open to what's around you.

Why get involved with thehinitiative?

It's great to be part of the initiative. It's so nice to be able to give something back in a way that everyone can enjoy and allows everyone to feel good about what they're doing, wearing, buying. So if you're reading this do your bit today, grab a T for yourself and someone else, you know you want to!

How did it feel to have your designs made into tees?

Having something in your hands that you've been a part of creating is a great feeling. Seeing the final end result of your design is always so much better than when it's on your doodle pad or computer screen. And its always good to add to the Tshirt collection of course!

Complete this sentence: And my favourite ice cream flavour ever is…

Mint, choc chip is grand! (but cookies n cream has to do when I can't find the minty goodness!)

Thanks Olivier! : )

New online outlet store for thehinitiative

2008-05-16T16:28:00.004+12:00

We've just set up thehinitiative's online outlet store! Check it out for sale items of our earlier t-shirt ranges, t-shirt samples and seconds - we'll be adding things in bit by bit (there's only our two Braille tees there at the moment). Note that everything is in New Zealand dollars at the moment (we're thinking about changing to US dollars in the future), and only credit card payments are accepted at the outlet store and these are securely processed via Paypal.

FAQs Update: Delivery Rates

2008-05-16T04:32:00.002+12:00

To make life simpler, we've changed our delivery rates to flat rates rather than according to the number of items and so forth. The delivery FAQ now reads....

We deliver within New Zealand and internationally. Please note that we will only deliver to physical addresses (office or home). We are not able to deliver to Post Office (P.O.) boxes, vacant premises, care of (c/-) addresses, hotels or motels (if temporarily residing there).

New Zealand: All orders are charged a flat delivery rate of $5. All orders are delivered via courier and deliveries are covered by insurance. We will notify you via email once your order has been processed and dispatched. Please allow about 2 to 3 working days for the processing and delivery of your order. Note that all deliveries can be tracked and traced by the courier service.

International: All international orders are charged a flat rate and delivered via International Air mail. Delivery charges include handling, standard packaging, courier delivery and insurance.

Australia & South Pacific: $15 per order. Please allow 5 to 10 working days for the processing and delivery of your order.

East Asia, North America, UK & Europe: $30 per order. Please allow 10 to 14 working days for the processing and delivery of your order.

http://www.thehinitiative.co.nz/faqs/

Kevin Roberts, Saatchi&Saatchi CEO Worldwide, in thehinitiative's tees!

2008-05-16T00:56:00.010+12:00

Ok ok, I admit it - we sent them to him : )

The first time I was in contact with Kevin Roberts was way back in January 2002, when I'd just completed a Bachelor's in Information Systems, Commericial Law, and my favourite (yeah right!) Accounting and was looking at my career options: Advertising, Investment Banking, or working in the FMCG industry (in marketing or something). Yes, I know, all pretty UNrelated to my degree (is it obvious I was trying to avoid accounting like the plague?) but areas that really caught my interest as they were all go-go-go, exciting, interesting and challenging.

I discovered and was encouraged into the idea of informational interviewing after reading A Foot in the Door - it got me keen in cold-calling people in the different areas about the careers, etc. Kevin was on my list of interviewees about the Advertising industry.

One Lovemarks book/three finance jobs/a new business/6 years later and I thought I'd touch base with him about what I'm doing with thehinitiative. Might as well spread the word : )

thehinitiative on the Travel Channel?

2008-05-15T23:33:00.009+12:00

Jennifer Santiago, an Emmy Award winning reporter and special projects producer for Miami's HDNews, randomly found thehinitiative via Google and was keen to help promote us (and New Zealand)! You wouldn't believe how stoked we were...and still are : )

She's hosting a new show for the Travel Channel and will be trying to get our Mental Health Foundation Speech Bubbles tees on screen. Filming's happening now for the new travel show...and we'll post photos up of her in them as soon as it's finished.

Did you know World Vision is one of few on the ground distributing aid in Myanmar?

2008-05-12T12:03:00.003+12:00

By now, everyone's probably heard about the crisis in Myanmar, especially with the noise about their government seemingly comfortable turning a blind eye to everything and not allowing a lot of foreign aid through.

But, we found out during a meeting with World Vision last Friday that World Vision has been able to get through! Phew!

According to World Vision, the agency's history of aid and development in the country means it is one of three international humanitarian organisations (including Unicef and JICA) invited by the government of Myanmar to respond.

"This means our staff have already been involved in getting clean water to those affected by Cyclone Nargis, and our international relief staff are working to get more aid distributed." says Lisa Cescon, World Vision CEO. (Source: World Vision website)

World Vision New Zealand is currently appealing for $1 million - click here to donate to World Vision or for updates on aid to Myanmar.

A home for used plastic courier bags

2008-05-06T00:44:00.002+12:00

Finally! Somewhere for your used plastic CourierPost bags to go to rather than the rubbish bin (which then leads to the landfill) - CourierPost are recycling their courier bags : )

As part of our commitment to the environment, CourierPost is helping to minimise the impact of waste products. That’s why our Trackpak range is fully recyclable.

We encourage all of our customers, both big and small, to recycle your Trackpaks rather than throw them away.

BackTrack Your Trackpaks
1. If you’re a frequent user of our plastic Trackpaks, just ask your local CourierPost courier to provide you with one of our large (reusable) drawstring bags to store all your used Trackpaks. Your courier will collect them when calling into your premises.

2. Or you can drop your used Trackpaks into one of our specially marked recycling bags at any CourierPost branch.

What we do with the used packaging
CourierPost has partnered with leading New Zealand plastics recycling company, Astron Plastics, to recycle on our behalf.

Used Trackpaks are collected from all CourierPost branches nationwide and delivered to Astron Plastics recycling plants in Auckland and Christchurch.

Not only that, but the proceeds from the recycled plastic goes to CourierPost's sponsorship of Diabetes New Zealand. How nice is that!

(Source: http://www.courierpost.co.nz/recycle.htm)

So...we hope this means you can drop off your used bags at NZ Post offices nationwide since they are part of the CourierPost network : )

Mental Health Foundation 08/09 range

2008-05-01T13:40:00.000+12:00

Sorry it’s been quiet on the blogging front! On top of everything else that’s going on, am Super Super Busy with finalising the design of our Summer 08/09 t-shirt range for the Mental Health Foundation. In addition to unisex designs, we’re also going to be doing separate men’s and women’s designs ….plus, hopefully baby gear! : ) Ok, gotta dash….more details to come…

thehinitiative on TV...and web as well now : )

2008-04-17T11:48:00.003+12:00

YAY! thehinitiative Asia DownUnder episode is finally up on TVNZ On Demand : ) Check it out if you didn't manage to see it "live" last Sunday morning.

Nominate thehinitiative as a small business "hero"!

2008-04-15T11:21:00.004+12:00

The David Awards recognise heroes in small business. If you think thehinitiative deserves recognition in one or more of the categories listed below, please nominate us! : )

Best start-up business - A business which is under two years’ young, smart, quirky, or just very professionally set up. (Yep, that's us, we're still under two years old!)

Most innovative business/quirkiest business - Not necessarily the same thing, this is a business which either demonstrates a new or clever way of going about things, or is quirky from the ground up while incorporating great business principles.

Most socially responsible business - A business which gives back to its community - e.g. local, regional or industry sector – in ways, shapes or forms which benefit the community significantly.

But wait, there's more! There are other categories as well - these can be found on the nomination form.

Please download and fill in this nomination form, then return it by one of the following methods.
Email: nominations at thedavidawards.co.nz
Fax: 09 445 9679
Snail Mail:
The David Awards: Heroes in Small Business
PO Box 32 610, Devonport
Auckland, New Zealand

Nominations must be received by 5 p.m. on 30 May 2008.

Fundraising update: Wellington City Mission

2008-04-10T17:02:00.011+12:00

If you've bought one of thehinitiative's Wellington City Mission tees, you've helped raise $555.95 in the past year (Feb'07 to Feb'08)! It may not seem much for the year (most of the sales were wholesale to stores, hence prices/sales/giving were a lot less), but it has definitely helped out in one of these ways:

Placement of two students into permanent employment in the Mission's new ‘Transition to Work’ scheme.
Two months transport costs for an Elder Support Worker visiting clients throughout Wellington.
One years fee to the Correspondence School for a student at Mission for Youth.
Eight food parcels for a medium sized family.
15 lunches in the Drop-in Centre (part of Mission for Independence).
Three weeks breakfast for 15 troubled teenagers at their Alternative Education Centre.

Thanks to everyone for helping to turn lives around - let's keep at it! And if you're able to, please help the Wellington City Mission by volunteering or donating.

Credit: thanks to the Mission for the info : )

Fundraising update: World Vision

2008-04-10T13:40:00.009+12:00

We're happy to say that in the first three months (Dec'07 - Feb'08) of thehinitiative's new World Vision Children in Crisis range, we were able to give just over $200 to them! ($207.34 to be exact) This is the equivalent of providing:

A 2,000 litre water tank that provides water storage and access to safe drinking water for a school. It will also help with hygiene, and provide water for school vegetable gardens. AND 12 chicks, that when grown will produce eggs that provide protein and ongoing income (a few chickens are enough to support a whole family).

OR

10 insecticide-treated mosquito nets. Mozzie bites in parts of Africa can be fatal. Did you know that 2 million people, mostly children under five, die from malaria each year? Insecticide-treated mosquito nets will keep malaria-carrying mosquitoes away from children and others as they sleep.

OR

A new loo! More than 2.5 billion people in the world live without adequate sanitation. A Ventilated Improved Pit latrine is both cost effective and user-friendly, limiting smell and fly problems and making it more hygienic - and much appreciated by its users!

Thanks to everyone who has bought one of the t-shirts from the range! It's going to make a positive difference in a community abroad : )

Credit: thanks to World Vision for providing the info.

the "h" in thehinitiative

2008-04-10T13:28:00.004+12:00

We had a competition a wee while back asking people to guess what the "h" in thehinitiative stood for. We had answers like Hood and Honour, but surprise surprise, the "h" actually stands for Hope. Maybe it sounds overly warm & fuzzy? But we genuinely are taking the initiative to somehow provide that little wee bit more hope, opportunity or second chance to others via our partner charities.

The truth about thehinitiative and Bono / U2

2008-04-10T01:08:00.007+12:00

We have to admit: Bono and U2 has/is/will always be an inspiration for thehinitiative. Both the person, band and the music. And the things that Bono is involved in, we aspire to. Just as one example:

(RED) : "(RED) was created by Bono and Bobby Shriver, Chairman of DATA to raise awareness and money for The Global Fund by teaming up with the world's most iconic brands to produce (PRODUCT)RED branded products. A percentage of each (PRODUCT)RED product sold is given to The Global Fund. The money helps women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa."

(RED) has got huge brands on board, like GAP, American Express, Converse, iPod, Dell, Hallmark, Motorola, and Emporio Armani!

Anyway, after having the unforgettable opportunity to watch them live on 24 November '06 (and only 1.5m away from the stage), we sent them a letter along with a few of our "I heart NZ" tees and some good old Wellington chocolate (Whittakers to be exact).

We received this thank you email back from Celia Coffey at U2 headquarters:

From: cecilia coffey [mailto:cecilia@numb.ie]
Sent: 2 May 2007 2:20 a.m.
Subject: Thank you

Dear Li Ling,

Sorry for the delay in replying. Just to say thank you for your letter and to let you know that your t-shirts and chocolate have been passed on to the band.

Best wishes,
CC

Ok, so it was late (a May reply to a December parcel send off). And it's (really) short & sweet. But at least they acknowledged it and we know they got them in the end! Plus, it's our first (and so far, only) "degree of separation" communication from U2 : )

We know this is a pretty random piece of information but thought we'd share it as it was exciting & encouraging at that point in time!

Some TV airtime for thehinitiative

2008-04-03T11:42:00.007+13:00

thehinitiative is going to be on TV in April!

Back in February, we were filmed by TV One's Asia Downunder. It was a full day's work for everyone, and I figured out I personally am not cut out for TV/film work - you really need the patience as you have to pose and repose and pose again in a different camera angle, and then again, and then slow motion. Anyhow, great & interesting experience! You can see some behind the scenes photos at our Facebook photo album.

We have absolutely no idea how the end product is going to turn out. After a whole day's filming work, it could just be a 10 minute item in the end?? (after all, the entire show is only 30 minutes I think) Also, others were interviewed about thehinitiative, but we have no idea what questions were asked. So, crossing our fingers that good things were said : )

We have just found out from the reporter/director Pushpa Jabin that the episode will be screening in April. YAY!!!

So....You can either watch it on Sunday April 13 on TV One at 8.30am, or wait until the week after to watch it online at Asia Downunder on TVNZ Ondemand.

A thank you note

2008-04-02T23:16:00.004+13:00

One MASSIVE thank you to everyone who helped out with our focus group testing! Customers, charities, designers, mailing list : )

It's been absolutely great getting that insight into what you think. Had a meeting with Moxie today to review feedback and I'm sure there will be plenty of useful things coming out of it all.

Feel free to drop us feedback or suggestions anytime at info at thehinitiative.co.nz : ) It really is appreciated!

What do you do with thehinitiative's plastic t-shirt bag?

2008-03-31T00:06:00.005+13:00

What do you do with our t-shirt bag? Keep it / re-use it? Throw it away in the rubbish?

The plastic bag packaging has been on our mind for a wee while.

On one hand, we want to protect your t-shirt from the elements and have it get to you in pristine condition. It's also easier to get packaged tees into the courier bag as we can "vacuum pack" the t-shirts by just letting the air out of the bag prior sealing.

On the other hand, it's yet another plastic bag!

Knowing & reading items like KR Connect: I Am Not A Plastic Bag just convinces us more that we should be doing something about it.

We would like to use paper bags / packaging but don't want more trees cut down even if paper can be recycled! Does anyone know of a New Zealand business that sells affordable recycled paper bags / packaging??? It's the tough bit trying to find them in NZ - or maybe we're not looking high & low enough?

Or how about you, our customer, returning the plastic bag to us to be re-used? It would save us from having to buy more new bags too. Would you need an incentive to return the bag to us? Freepost envelope? Then again, it might end up cheaper buying new plastic bags than paying for post & an envelope?

Mental Health charity t-shirt in The Dominion Post

2008-03-27T01:20:00.003+13:00

A very nice customer sent me this link http://www.stuff.co.nz/4450432a6479.html on Tuesday. It’s an article about suicide prevention in NZ and a cool new depression website www.thelowdown.co.nz. And yes, she’s wearing one of thehinitiative’s Mental Health Foundation t-shirts! Unfortunately, the photo was cut short in the paper version of The Dominion Post. Oh well, close enough : )

New blog : )

2008-03-27T00:58:00.001+13:00

Weyhey! A blog for thehinitiative! We can write whatever we want (dangerous), and if you’re curious about behind-the-scene stuff & you like reading, you can check this out whenever : ) It’s also way more personal and much more convenient than emailing news updates to everyone. You probably don’t want unnecessary emails clogging up your inbox.