CMC Design donates furniture to local kindy
November 15th, 2011 • Marketing • Comments Off
Tea time with Sian and friend
To see more of Craig’s furniture range visit: www.cmcdesign.co.nz or email info@cmcdesign.co.nz
Robust, beautiful eco-furniture for children
July 13th, 2011 • Graphic Design, Marketing • Comments Off
It’s great working with individuals who merrily plow their own furrow. That’s why I live in the Bay of Islands I think; somehow you can do what you like here, up to a point (I’m still trying to work out the formula for this – answers on a postcard).
Anyway, Craig McInnes is one such individual.
Known locally as a reliable boat-builder and sailor on the iniquitous Orange Peeler, Craig obviously decided it was time for something new. He didn’t ‘down tools’ as such, but he has certainly put them to different use in the past year.
Using a lifetime of knowledge crafting timber, he started work on furniture pieces, with a casual eye on setting up anew as a furniture designer. Within in no time he had created not just one but two ranges of children’s furniture: one set of modular pieces constructed from marine-bonded ply (”you can leave it out in the rain and it won’t be destroyed”) and a pre-constructed or NON modular range that has been snapped up by local kindergartens. All his furniture is registered Buy New Zealand Made.
He featured in Good magazine for his children’s range and in the entrepreneur magazine Unlimited for his luxurious J10 chair. Now his focus is on refining the childrens furniture to make sure it really delivers on its promise: “No plastic, no gimmicks, strong shapes, durable timber – perfect for us at home, in schools and at kindergarten”.
I’m keen that all the parents, kindies and schools in Northland find out about this treasure of a design workshop tucked away in Opua – check out the CMC Design website and follow Craig’s progress on Facebook. I think we’ll see some exciting things happening in the next couple of years.
Protest against oil exploration to be expected
April 11th, 2011 • Conservation online • Comments Off
MEDIA RELEASE FROM ECO
Email: eco@eco.org.nz Website: www.eco.org.nz
Wellington – Monday 11 April 2011
Protest against oil exploration to be expected
Protests are to be expected and are legitimate when there has been no opportunity to have any say on the Petrobras mineral licence prior to it being granted, the Environment and Conservation Organisations said today.
ECO was responding to the acting Minister of Energy’s criticism of the Greenpeace and Te Whānau ā Apanui protest against Petrobras oil prospecting off the East Cape.
ECO spokesperson, Cath Wallace said the public was not given any opportunity to comment on whether the proposed licence should be granted or on the specific condition.
“When the Government closes people out of decision making then public protest is the only option available to people.”
Cath Wallace said the Government is steamrollering over environmental and cultural concerns.
“There is no public process and no public environmental or cultural assessment procedures in place and no consideration of the impact on climate change of any oil extraction.”
Cath Wallace said New Zealand needs processes to consider environmental and social impacts of activities in the EEZ (12 to 200 nautical miles offshore) and currently we have none despite many promises by successive governments.
“ECO stresses that the public must have a say about any new rules before these are made into law.”
Cath Wallace said the Government was accommodating overseas oil interests while ignoring New Zealanders views.
For further information, contact Cath Wallace on 021-891-994 or Barry Weeber 021-738-807.
Notes:
1. ECO – the Environment and Conservation Organisations was established in 1972 and represents 67 groups with a concern for the environment
2. The Resource Management Act controls environmental aspects of oil and gas mining out to 12 nautical miles offshore, the edge of the territorial sea. The Maritime Transport Act covers some aspects of safety and environmental provisions for oil and gas activity on the Exclusive Economic Zone (from 12 to 200 nautical miles offshore) and the continental shelf but this did not include key environmental controls which led to the adoption of some unenforceable voluntary codes.
3. Voluntary guidelines which have no legislative force include:
- Environmental Best Practice Guidelines for the Offshore Petroleum Industry (seehttp://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/oceans/offshore-petroleum-industry-guidelines-mar06/index.html)
- Department of Conservation guidelines to minimise disturbance on marine mammals of mineral seismic surveys. These guidelines are currently under review.
4. There are no environmental regulations under the Continental Shelf Act or the Crown Minerals Act. When compared to Australia, Brazil, Canada, US, and the UK, NZ is the only country without a formal consent, referral, permit or environmental assessment process for offshore seismic operations.
5. The Guidelines for Minimising Acoustic Disturbance to Marine Mammals from Seismic Survey Operations’ is currently being reviewed. The review has shown that other countries considered – (Australia, Brazil, Canada, US, and the UK) have mandatory requirements.
6. The proposals to develop gap filling legislation were consulted on in 2007 and 2008. Information can be found on the Ministry for the Environment websitehttp://www.mfe.govt.nz/publications/oceans/nz-exclusive-economic-zone-discussion-paper-aug07/index.html
7. The Petrobras permit is in water up to 3000m deep which is much deeper than current operating fields and, as shown by the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico, would be very challenging to deal with any spill.
Why I want to see marine protected areas in the Bay of Islands
March 21st, 2011 • Conservation online, Copywriting, Social media, Web media • Comments Off
Water is not my “natural” element.
I’m quite scared of water, truth be told, and seem only to be able to deal with this fear by forcing myself into situations where I face it square on: sailing fast across deep water that I would never dare swim in; snorkelling in silence in those dark and frightening nooks and crannies; facing pounding surf that bruises my body and fills my nose with brine. Just last night I dreamt I was swimming on the shore line, totally encompassed by pink and orange fish and scratchy seaweed: I was terrified and enchanted at the same time.
Marine science is a mystery to me.
I couldn’t tell you the representative habitat types of our local marine environment (other than the kina barren, an unnatural habitat type that we see in abundance in the Bay of Islands) nor could I list the most commonly occurring fish in the Bay, other than snapper and, once upon a time, kahawai, hapuka, cray.
I don’t know how to fish, but wish I did. I’d put the big and little ones back and take only enough for my table.
So why, from this curious non-position, have I been so caught up in the Fish Forever campaign for marine sanctuaries in the Bay of Islands?
The answer to this is because I abhor the apathy of the status quo. I object to the idea that we can’t change things; that we’re too late, so the only option is to shrug our collective shoulders and move on in the same direction. Further, I cringe at the human-focused view of the world that puts man at the centre with his tentacles splayed out, mindlessly sucking the lifeblood out of every other natural occurring phenomena to ensure his longevity. The world is a resource to be used and discarded.
It’s the “I’m alright Jack” mentality.
Of course I’m speaking of those fortunate enough to have their basic needs for food, warmth, shelter met. Further, I’m speaking of those lucky enough to be educated, to have choice, to have leisure.
If you’re reading this far, I can pretty much guarantee you don’t consider yourself in the “I’m alright Jack” camp, you’d have turned your eyes heavenward by now hit the red cross in the top right hand corner. I will also hazard a guess that you are among the fortunate ones with an educated mind and well nourished body with the leisure to cruise the internet in between jobs.
In which case, you actually ARE the target of my rant (as am I, I’m not off the hook by any means). YOU are probably the one most at risk of apathy because conscientiousness alone isn’t enough. Awareness isn’t sufficient to make change.
Only the actions we take can we commit ourselves and our future to a different path than Mr and Mrs “I’m alright Jack”.
And that’s why I have been campaigning with an amazing team of volunteers for Fish Forever. Because I believe that individuals can change things. Because, while water is not my natural element, I find our ocean a source of spiritual greatness and I believe that humans have exploited that great vulnerable giant enough.
It may not be my fault, or your fault, or any individual fault. But as a species, we’re guilty. It is the fault of governments making sloppy short-term decisions with their splayed out tentacles that have far reaching effects. But these are governments that we elect, who should be accountable to the people. And therein lies my point – somebody has to start to take account. It has to be the people, and that is you and I.
Please visit www.fishforever.org.nz and get involved while you have a chance.
Please sign the people’s mandate to protect 10% of the geographical area of the Bay of Islands to be protected as no-take marine sanctuaries, with generational review.
And please, most important of all, if you know the Bay of Islands in the Far North of New Zealand, support the tireless work of the Fish Forever volunteers by contributing your views to the areas that should be optioned as marine sanctuaries.
We @Wantmorefish!
January 3rd, 2011 • Conservation online, Copywriting, Marketing, Social media, Web media • Comments Off
For Langford Ink, these past six months have disappeared in a flurry of marine conservation work. In June 2010, a marine protection campaign was launched in the Bay of Islands. The aim: to establish a network of 100% no-take zones for a generation.
The campaign is called Fish Forever.
To be successful, Fish Forever needs to talk to the community: first, to promote awareness that there’s a problem and generate inspiration to engage with the issue, then to motivate the community to make a difference.
Langford Ink has managed the development of the brand identity for Fish Forever, project-managed the campaign website www.fishforever.org.nz along with the talented Dean Wright and set up and maintained an online persona to engage with our internet-based audience. This a review of where we’ve got to as we enter 2011.
Twitter first
Although New Zealand is a slow adopter of Twitter compared to other westernised nations, I decided that the very first place we needed to find friends was here.
@Wantmorefish came before Fish Forever, before the website and before the Facebook page. At first, I was concerned that having a different ‘handle’ to the main campaign name might be detrimental to the brand identity. Subsequently I decided it is a benefit – it provides a distinction between the group campaign (Fish Forever) and a real-life individual: @Wantmorefish can have opinions; Fish Forever plows a more politically-sensitive furrow.
Followers on Twitter are steadily increasing with time – no massive explosion of popularity but consistency in posting is rewarded. The audience is both homegrown NZ (@marinecentreNZ in Opua, @ranui_organics in Kawakawa) and, excitingly, global with follower-friends from places as far afield as Santa Monica (@thedailyocean) and Amsterdam (@NoFishLeft). The power of Twitter to communicate is mind blowing. However, it remains only a vehicle. It won’t magically get you donations, members, kudos: you have to do the groundwork and generate great content regularly.
There are some interesting avenues to pursue in the new year to achieve real measurable results from our Twitter campaigning that can help our community consultation and fund raising. The first of these is a #nzcommschat planned between @LangfordInk and other local communications tweeters (@AdageBusiness, @comment8tor) to explore how Twitter can be harnessed for the good of non-profit. Also, the Fish Forever web team is planning projects that can cross over from our website through the various social media platforms, into real life and back again.
In October 2010, Malcolm Gladwell got a few people worked up with his article on the ineffectiveness of social media with its ‘weak ties’ to drive people to real-time social activism: Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted. This article was brilliant for getting the bloggers, tweeters and Facebook fanatics to take a look at their objectives and debate about the concrete merits of their virtual world. @RWW gives a great summary here of the article and, needless to say, there are plenty of comments after to illustrate the popular viewpoints of the online community.
My view is that Twitter is far-reaching in scope but limited in depth; it has given the Fish Forever campaign an audience of like-minded groups across the globe and it has been an invaluable source of information about the ocean, marine science and conservation. It is heart-lifting to visualise (or ‘virtualise’?) the sheer volume of people who have a genuine commitment to protecting the world’s oceans. Last time I checked, @Wantmorefish was pretty excited about the prospects for marine conservation in 2011.
…then Facebook
Originally I didn’t want to be responsible for the Facebook page. The problem of washing my hands of this task was consistency: the Facebook page had to tie in with Twitter and the website. Given that I generate news items for the website by talking to our network of experts who support Fish Forever – items which I then tweet – I am also best-placed to manage the Facebook page to avoid double-handling. Eventually, I conceded that having jumped in at the deep end of online interaction, I now had to wear it. And it’s quite fun…
We have a growing number of ‘likers’ – 190 at last count I believe (good in-road, a long way to go). Facebook has far more penetration in New Zealand than Twitter so we can reach a good chunk of the local audience. We can put images up here, we can share other people’s news items from their Facebook pages, we can have a bit of fun with our comments and chat informally to supporters.
Facebook is intimate without being revealing. Hopefully, we engage on a more emotional level than we do on Twitter and through the more formal face of the campaign website.
What will 2011 bring for the Fish Forever online campaign?
We will continue to develop our campaign website quietly in the background and hopefully source funds to do the more major structural changes that will become necessary as the campaign evolves. We hope to connect with the extraordinary resource of www.marinenz.org.nz – the people who populate this site include some of New Zealand’s most knowledgeable and enthusiastic advocates for marine conservation. They have 1000s of unique visitors per day and could be the most influential connection we make in our online activities. This is something to plan carefully for and engage in fully.
From the web developments, our activities on Twitter and Facebook will become more diverse – key to a successful online persona is relevant and varied content. My two least favourite things about Twitter are: i) people repeating the same mantra over and over (@Wantmorefish tries hard to avoid this trap) and ii) people flooding my twitter stream with inanities, simply to have “presence”. [Notoriously @unmarketing tweeted once a minute as an experiment back in the early days, starting with 140 characters about his tuna sandwich. He fast became a leading exponent of social media, suggesting that saturation can be effective. However, he is #interesting and #hasabrain ... and if you're not familiar with the #funbutridiculous habit of the hashtaggers, you better join Twitter to find out more.]
On a serious parting note, Fish Forever has big ambitions for 2011, both online and – more importantly – offline in real time. The team has a big job to do: many important conversations to get teeth into, many complicated arguments and obstacles to overcome in the political arena, one big cash-rich player to negotiate with/battle and much funding to be sourced. You can help by a) joining up here b) signing our mandate here and c) by sponsoring us here.
Please join us in our fight for Fish Forever in 2011.
The J Range: CMC Design
January 3rd, 2011 • Copywriting, Graphic Design • Comments Off
For more information on Craig’s furniture see www.cmcdesign.co.nz or email info@cmcdesign.co.nz
Boat builder of 25 years launches exclusive furniture range
November 18th, 2010 • Marketing, Web media • Comments Off
Master craftsman Craig McInnes is well known in the Bay of Islands for his boat building skills and custom timberwork. After 25 years of exquisite craftsmanship within the nautical industry, Craig has adapted his specialist skills to produce a range of furniture that also can be seen as practical art pieces – comfortable, stylish, custom-built in native timbers and finished in Italian leather in a range of colours.
Craig launched the range of furniture, including a lounger, a chair and side table, at Auckland Home Show and received glowing feedback: “We have had interest from a number of high end retailers and galleries” says Craig of the launch; commentators observed that the furniture would look at home in the top-end urban homes of New York, London or Milan.
Alongside the adult furniture range, the Seedlings range is a practical timber furniture range and building-block set designed for children. No plastic, no gimmicks, strong shapes, durable timber – perfect for use at home, in schools and kindergartens.
To find out more contact info@cmcdesign.co.nz or visit the website www.cmcdesign.co.nz
CMC Design new furniture range
September 19th, 2010 • Copywriting, Marketing • Comments Off
Launching CMC Design 2010/2011 Furniture Range
This limited edition, hand crafted furniture range is a snapshot of the high quality and distinctive design and craftsmanship skills being nurtured in Northland’s rugged landscape. Taking inspiration from the varied terrain, from the mountains to the sea, Craig McInnes has developed a sensuous and strong range of furniture to complement either the contemporary home or provide a fresh accent to a more traditional interior.
The first available pieces within the range include the reclining JB8 Lounger, the single and double J10 lounge seat, and the JB8 side table. Each item is hand produced and quality assessed in CMC Design’s Opua workshop and finished using natural grain bovine Italian leather in various colours. The range is available in a number of different timbers, including blackbutt gum, white ash, white oak and taraire. The timber is from certified and predominantly local sources and all is locally milled.
With each item, you are investing in a signature product made with integrity and respect. Craig’s furniture has been designed and crafted to create practical art that will invigorate your environment and provide a place of repose.
Seedlings Range
The kid’s furniture range is characterised by sturdy plywood pieces based on simple geometric forms, strong angles and quirky finishes. Above all, this range is REAL: there’s no plastic, no gimmicks. Each piece is hand built, quality assessed and carries the Buy New Zealand Made label. The range includes the throne chairs, circle chairs, round stools and bench seat which work with the white-board table (square, triangular, round or rectangular). Finish off your children’s play room with a set of building blocks: a fun set of super-size bricks of varying shapes that double as chairs, tables, castles or forts.
Visit the website for a full gallery of images: www.cmcdesign.co.nz or contact the team on info@cmcdesign.co.nz.
