N.Z. Furniture For Embassy Urged

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31118, 22 July 1966, Page 1

N.Z. Furniture For Embassy Urged

The executive committee of the New Zealand Furniture Manufacturers’ Federation yesterday decided in Christchurch to ask the Government to use New Zealand-made furniture in the New Zealand Embassy to be opened in Rome soon.

The committee agreed that it should seek to avoid a repetition of the situation a few years ago when New Zealand House in London was being furnished. Tenders for furniture were advertised throughout Europe, but not in New Zealand.

The federation’s president (Mr C. E. Renwick) said after the meeting that the use of New Zealand furniture in the Rome Embassy would be of great prestige value to New Zealand. “New Zealand furniture manufacturers don't want to feel forgotten this time,” said Mr Renwick. When it became known what type of furniture the embassy wanted, the federation would find the most suitable manufacturer of that furniture in New Zealand. The federation felt that furniture designed and built by New Zealand craftsmen should be used in Rome. The furniture should depict New Zealand.

Mr Renwick said that when Alitalia, the Italian airline.

opened new offices in Auckland recently, it used only furniture designed and made in Italy. The subject of the design of New Zealand furniture, he said, would be one of the themes of the next annual conference of the federation, to be held in Wellington on August 15 and 16. The conference would discuss the advancement of industrial design. The object was to enable furniture to be developed that was distinctively New Zealand, instead of copied “from the first Scandinavian catalogue that they pick up.” Mr Renwick said it would be difficult to develop distinctively New Zealand furniture, because of the very small market and very small population. “But we have to start somewhere,” he said. "The Scandinavian countries are quite small countries, but they are looked upon as leaders in furniture design. There is no reason why New Zealand cannot have a reputation for furniture design if it becomes design conscious.”