Sunday, 12 May 2013

All Comments:


Elsie I think that your blog is very interesting and topical. I appreciate how you have taken a strong opposition to a subject like this. Your inclusion of video's and interesting imagery makes your blog an effective and enticing spectacle. Personally I do not hold a strong opinion on 'child beauty pageants' but many of my ideas have now been influenced by your blog. I like how your blog is at times informal as it presents a uniquely personal touch. I agree with Natasha, that the inclusion of hyperlinks would add another dimension to your blog. I also think that perhaps a few more statistical facts could work well. Thank-you for focusing on a controversial topic.
Patrick this is great! You have covered a lot of points here yet the post is very cohesive. I think that the imagery is really effective. I agree with your opinion that movie/ video game violence does have an effect on people. It is an interesting point that perhaps violent video games/ movies are more influential to viewers at a younger age. I think that the link that you included is a great way to validate what you are saying. Thank-you for this insightful post.
Wow nick this is really interesting! I really liked how you have incorporated both video and still imagery into your post. I never knew just how much of a predicament this was. The hyperlinks you have used really blend seamlessly into your piece of writing. I think this by blogging a piece about "families and futures at risk" it really hits home with many readers and creates a more personel dimension to your blog. The facts and figures that you have used support what you are saying extremely well. Thank-you for covering such an important subject.
Jack, I find your topic especially interesting. With the issue of global warming constantly being covered is nice that you have taken a different approach and with argued a solution. The above piece of writing is super factual and statistical which I appreciate. I agree with Patrick when he says that you have obviously researched this topic thoroughly. You have also worked well to include your opinion which is at times difficult. Hyperlinks could possibly be added to this post to make it more interactive for the reader. All in all I really enjoyed reading this blog and I think you have made some great points. It is effective how you have simplified the information so that it reads clearly and effortlessly for the reader. I especially like the line "People who use organic methods believe that organic farming works in harmony with nature rather than against it". Thanks Jack!
Davy this is so interesting!
I love how your blog is funny yet informative. I never truly grasped just how dangerous illegal downloading can be to the music industry, especially the future of up and coming artists. Unfortunately the future in preventing this does seem rather bleak due to the rapid advancement in technology! I think that the integration of hyperlinks within your blog is well-thought out. I really enjoyed the video's you posted and think they add a dynamic dimension to your blog. Your blog is very clever and I genuinely thoroughly enjoyed reading it so thank-you so much! Your comment on my blog was also very helpful.
Wow Ana! this is eye-opening. I never even considered the d/Deaf population when is comes to disasters. Which is probably a simple reflection on how ignorant society can truly be. I think that the visual image you have chosen gives a certain authority to your post. I like that you have used the rhetorical question 'Why?" to begin the second paragraph as I think it relates what you are saying directly to the reader. I do think jenette is accurate about the last paragraph, It possibly could be more concluding, and would perhaps sum up what you are saying better if it did not introduce more aspects of your topic. All in all however Ana this is one of my favourite topics covered in class and I return enlightened after reading your blog.
Hi Alex! 
Your blog topic is very relevant and especially engaging. This particular post is effective as it concludes your entire blog and draws attention to your main points. I like how you have clearly expressed your views on the subject yet you have also stated the counter-argument. The image you have used in this post relates well to what you are talking about and shows the development in technology as well as social views. Your blog is well researched, and clear. Thank-you for choosing such a topical socio-political concern.
Eden! I really like this particular post! Its so relevant and you have delivered a range of exceptionally current examples. I like that you have used examples from all range of media types such as News paper articles, music videos, movies and television shows. I definitely agree with you that we live in an age where young people are exposed to a little too much of the world in an interestingly second-hand manner. Something to keep in mind is that the children of war times were probably exposed to violence in an immediate state, yet without an obscene about of media coverage these visuals were not replayed over and over. Your choice of Kim Kardashian as your visual image is so interesting as when I think about it 'Keeping up with the Kardashian's' is a prime example of over-exposure, and desensitisation of violence. Thank-you Eden!
Kelly Lithgow

Hey Rebecca!I really enjoyed reading this piece, you have chosen an especially topical subject to discuss. I like how you have included a graph to back up what you are saying and give the voice a sense of authority. You have clearly researched this topic thoroughly and have displayed this research in your post. To improve this post you should include links to other websites which either illustrate a similar view point to you or directly back up what you are saying. Also do you think technology is having a positive or negative affect on the children of today? This could be perhaps made more clear. All in all this is a great start Rebecca!

Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Benefits of encouraging the New Zealand clothing manufacturing industry:

New Zealand is known internationally for its creative merits, in fact the Martin Prosperity institute regards New Zealand to be number six in the top sixteen most creative countries. New Zealand's fashion industry is a crucial contributor to the creative attributes of New Zealand this can be illustrated with New Zealand fashion week. Over one week up to forty designers showcase their looks. These shows are available to the general public, consumers, VIP's, international delegates, media, and buyers. A successful Kiwi designer is Karen Walker. Not only is she well known domestically but also internationally. Karen Walker's garments are sold as far and wide as London, Tokyo, New York, Hong Kong and Sydney. Unfortunately and rather disappointingly Karen Walker clothing is made not in New Zealand but elsewhere in Asia. Most likely because Asian manufacturing has been proved to be significantly more economic. 


The economic factor being the obvious reason for New Zealand designed garments being manufactured offshore, there are may other considerable benefits of manufacturing in New Zealand. In order to uplift this industry changes will need to be made. The government should enforce more regulations on the management of importing and exporting goods. Sewing and textile design should be focused on and encouraged in schools across the country. An organization solely concerned with the industry could be set up to help fund locally owned clothing producers so they are able to purchase more and more technically advanced equipment to manage with larger and increasingly varied orders. A campaign which takes advantage of the advertising tactic "made in New Zealand" should be exposed positively and therefore the importance on garments being "made in New Zealand" will be enhanced. Most importantly the government needs to put more money into the clothing manufacturing industry in order to influence locally owned manufacturers to lower their prices. This will have many benefits for not only the industry itself but also New Zealand's fashion industry and on a wider level New Zealand's gross national income (GNI).


Producing garments in New Zealand means that the manufacturing is locally quality controlled. We are not supporting the possibility of inhumane behavior in foreign sweatshops. Not only are we able to more carefully manage the quality standards of clothing, we are also supporting an increase in employment in this specific area. New Zealand born designers will have a more accessible and affordable opportunity to have their designs come to life. As a country we have a wide range of fabrics which are in high demand, such as leather, and New Zealand merino knits we even specialize in organic and eco fabrics. These are showcased here. It seems to make sense to have a highly functional clothing producing industry to compliment our country's creative and resource assets.




Tuesday, 16 April 2013

Reasons for the current state of clothing manufacturing industry in New Zealand:

When clothing manufacturing in New Zealand was at it's height in the early 1980's an organization named the Industry Development Commission analyzed the industry and concluded that there was an abundance of factories making too small amount of various garments. This led to the commissioners encouraging these businesses to collaborate and combine in order to make a more efficient, successful industry. Unfortunately this did not work as planned and in fact clothing manufacturing companies in New Zealand struggled to maintain their previous successes once combined. In fact a common trend found is that many New Zealand owned clothing producers shifted their operations offshore due to lower labor costs. 


Although this was a contributor to the demise of the clothing manufacturing industry in New Zealand, it was not as detrimental as the license drop. 1992 brought the removal of clothing importing licenses. This meant that any nation could export clothing to New Zealand. Tariffs slowly declined and eventually by 2009 the tariff was at 10% and had then completely ceased by 2010.
Once tariffs had declined and importing was made possible and accessible New Zealand became a large and popular market to export clothing to. In just one year (1989-1999) importing clothing amounted from $129 million to $600 million. You can find these and more facts and statistics here. Not only did importing clothing rise, but prices dropped, making buying clothing cheaper. However it was commented that the quality of the garments reflected the price.
Mass-marketed clothing manufacturing in New Zealand took a significant strike when New Zealand's largest clothing manufacturers Pacific Brands and Lane Walker Rudkin discontinued due to lack of market.
Consequently clothing producers in New Zealand focused on Niché markets who use the term "Made in New Zealand as a selling point. Brands such as Untouched World and Icebreaker use New Zealand fabrics such as fine merino knitwear. In fact Icebreaker goes as far as giving each garment their own tag explaining where the sheep that grew the wool, was once located in New Zealand. High fashion bands such as Miss Crabb have a limited production yet are proud to be New Zealand made.


Saturday, 13 April 2013

Introduction to Clothing Manufacturing NZ:

New Zealand Clothing manufacturing is unfortunately a dying industry. This is an issue that needs to be resolved.
New Zealand owned clothing producers are demising. Asian competitors are becoming the only choice for many labels. They offer a company the convenience of a cheap, fast and effective service. Recently garment manufacturing in New Zealand has become even more difficult as the government has removed many essential importing regulations between New Zealand and China. The label that has become increasingly familiar "Made in China" is often a result of sweatshops in China which undertake extreme methods including child labor to produce garments at fast rates and cheaply. This video showcases such environments; 
Understandably, it is a belief, that our larger clothing businesses need the facilities of Asian Clothing manufacturing as our current New Zealand services will not suffice with large orders in the regards to resources. A pattern which is apparent, is that the only demographic which currently supports the New Zealand clothing manufacturing industry are niche markets. Markets which are independently owned, boutique retail stores. Companies such as MW clothing provide services for these particular markets.
MW for example, only have 30-60 staff sewing machines, which make it rather difficult to take on large projects. According to Mike Stevenson and Fay Jones from MW clothing, a lack of sewers, which skills cater for the quality required at MW, are found to be few and far between. This is because many expert sewers in New Zealand are at retirement age, such employees were taught sewing to a high level when the clothing manufacturing business in New Zealand was exceptionally profitable and booming and when importing and exporting was much more difficult. 
The benefits of supporting Clothing manufacturing in New Zealand, is because we are simply backing a locally owned, locally quality controlled industry. It would be a wise investment as New Zealand is already rich with the resources required, fabrics such as- wool and merino. One must support this dying industry and the effort to find a solution to this issue.

Links/Resources

WHK Group. (2011). MW Clothing- Made in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.whk.co.nz/nelson/news/mw-clothing-made-in-new-zealand.html

Jane Tolerton. (2012). Clothing and Footwear manufacturing-From Mass Market to Niche market. Retrieved from http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/clothing-and-footwear-manufacturing/page-3

Phil O'Reilly. (2011). Manufacturing Perspectives. Retrieved from http://www.businessnz.org.nz/file/897/MANUFACTURING%20PERSPECTIVES.pdf

Angela Finn and Joan Farrer. (2009). Full circle: the future of sustainable fashion manufacturing in New Zealand. Retrieved from http://www.academia.edu/494807/Full_circle_the_future_of_sustainable_fashion_manufacturing_in_New_Zealand

Diana Clement. (2011). Stitching up a fair deal. Retrieved from http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10744939

http://designerdirection.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/made-in-china-consumption-versus-conscience/