Product in NZ

 As you know, New Zealand is this beautiful little country at the bottom of the world. We have a small population of just under 5 million people. We have a lot of green space, and most people live in the main cities, meaning we have some vast open space that you can wander in and find no one.

Unfortunately, because of our size, we don't manufacture a lot of products and most of what we have, comes from another country. It is not that we haven't made things in the past, just that when production has become too expensive (with obtaining the materials to start with) then they have inevitably moved the production to another country (Australia & Asia) where it can be completed in bulk size which is faster and more cost effective for all. Then, obviously, it is shipped back to NZ for us to buy.

When it comes to variety, then no, NZ does not do this well, but that is due to the lack of population to have sufficient turnover of stock. Inevitably the smaller company just can't make enough sales to stay viable and so they end up closing.

I found this quite difficult when I first moved to NZ in 1998. I was used to the UK and having so much variety to choose from and then suddenly, I was in a country that gave you the choice of A or B. A lot of popular brands do not make it here as there just isn't the population to sustain them, even if they are big brand names in other countries. The cost of getting the products to NZ and then making it a price that we can afford is half the problem, people just aren't prepared to spend heaps on a product that they know is so cheap in another country and astronomically expensive here, due to shipping.

IKEA is one such company. Everyone raves about the simplicity of the company, their flat pack furniture, their cost efficiency. I know, I have been to IKEA and spent many a Sunday afternoon wandering the store like everyone else and having meatballs for lunch, because you just have to. And yes, I always walked away with some odd little gadget that you just had to have!

They are still aiming to open a store here in NZ soon (that soon has been on the cards for the past 5 years!) But, I know, when it does finally arrive, it won't be as cheap as everyone is hoping due to the cost of shipping the products to us in the first place.

So why am I writing about this today?

Jigsaw puzzles, yes, this all has to do with jigsaw puzzles.

We didn't have the variety of product or design. We had one main company Holdson.

Yes, they are a New Zealand brand and yes, they are manufactured here in NZ. As they say, they have been since 1939. They do great puzzles with some reasonable variety. Ok, not so much when they do a series of 4 and the picture becomes boringly the same, but they try, and it gives us something to do. However, they don't do large. They do 1000 pieces well and that is about it, unless you want to go smaller. After a while, 1000 pieces is boring, you want a challenge and something different and that is not them.

Obviously, we do have Ravensburger

They offer size and variety, but man were they expensive and it was difficult to justify the cost of the puzzle. They do great quality pieces too, but when you looked at their catalog of products and then saw what was available here in NZ, then you could only dream that someone, someday would bring more variety down here.

And suddenly, that has happened.

Jigsaws are definitely making a comeback. I think Covid may have had a lot to do with it, people are suddenly all into jigsaw puzzles, they are not for the reclusive person, the older generation who stay home on a Saturday night with no social life. It is almost like this secret little life that people are afraid to admit to as they are scared of what people will think, but they have cupboards filled with variety, colour, size and they are eagerly completing puzzles into the night.

This has also been shown in the variety of puzzle available in New Zealand, the different companies that we can get, the different sizes to tempt us. No longer want 1000 pieces, then fine, how about 2000, 3000 or even 6000. At one point, I did even see the large Ravensburger Disney puzzle in the shop window, a box holding all 40320 pieces (my dream puzzle) although I have also noticed that it is no longer about $600 to obtain, more like half a mortgage!! I think I saw it online for about $2300, yikes, just keep dreaming, just keep dreaming!

Suddenly we have variety of company to choose from & sizes and I for one, am loving it.

Every company makes their jigsaws slightly differently, the pieces fit well or sometimes, not so well. The colours are vibrant, bright and shiny and the cost is reasonable. Suddenly Ravensburger is not out of reach of the average person. We are getting lots of eeBoo, Cobble Hill, Clemontoni, Gibsons and some little brands that are smaller companies and they are selling well and fast.

We have a local party/cake product store here in town that decided to create a small jigsaw section, they sell online too, and they are selling fast and furiously across NZ. Their shipping costs are reasonable and their prices competitive. Luckily for me, they are local so I can order online and pick up close to work, but that also makes it dangerous lol, as checking their sales and seeing something I want gets expensive on the credit card, especially when it is going in the cupboard to join the other 30 waiting to be completed!!

Just 1 pile of many!

So, long live the jigsaw puzzle, the variety, colour and shape. The excitement of completing one, that sense of achievement.

2 years ago, at work, we had a few spare desks and so I set up a green felt and started a jigsaw puzzle on it, it took a few weeks to get completed but it was lovely to see people slowly stop and fit in a piece here and there. It was never distracting but a great mental wellbeing area for someone to take 5 mins away from their desk and focus on something else, whilst they calmed their brain or thoughts, or just needed time out from the difficult moment they had just had in a classroom.

If you haven't completed a jigsaw since you were younger and at school, then maybe consider getting one and giving it a go.

You won't regret it, I promise