|
News
Articles from INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS (263 Articles)
JWNZ has cancelled a meeting with JANZ that was intended to renew talks about the possibility of creating a formal peak industry body for Kiwi jewellers
JWNZ stalls ‘one jewellery party’ talks again
Posted July 12, 2011 | By Coleby Nicholson
Talks between New Zealand’s major industry associations over the formation of a peak industry body have hit yet another stumbling block after JWNZ cancelled the latest meeting at short notice.
The Jewellers & Watchmakers of New Zealand (JWNZ) has cancelled a meeting with JANZ that was intended to renew talks about the possibility of creating a formal peak industry body for Kiwi jewellers.
The meeting was organised after JANZ and JWNZ issued a joint statement in which JANZ did a back flip on its recently announced decision not to support a peak industry body. Following the statement, the meeting was arranged to get discussions back on track.
The short-notice cancellation – which JWNZ’s Steve Crout said was because the date clashed with his wife’s birthday – is yet another setback for attempts to unify the fragemented New Zealand jewellery industry.
The meeting was scheduled for Wednesday July 15, at the office of the New Zealand Retailers Association in Auckland. Representatives from Jewellery Manufacturers Federation were also scheduled to attend, as was JWNZ secretary Craig Anderson.
Crout said he had “simply deferred the meeting until after our trade fair”, but he did not respond to questions by Jeweller as to why JWNZ could not meet before the trade fair, which is not for another month.
JANZ chairman Mark Beckett said he was disappointed at the sudden cancellation and was hoping that JWNZ would make every effort to meet before their trade fair.
“While we aim to include the various other jewellery industry associations down the track, including Gemmological Association of NZ (GANZ) and the Jewellery Valuers Society of NZ, for now we wanted to bring JWNZ, JMF and JANZ all together again, to take the next step.
“I can’t see any reason why we could not meet in the next four weeks to continue the goodwill that has now been established,” Beckett said.
JMF president Greg Jones said that he was aware the meeting had been cancelled and added, “Given that it’s been five months since the industry forum, the JMF is very disappointed that JWNZ has cancelled the latest meeting to develop a peak body to unify the jewellery industry. JMF is concerned that we will loose the momentum that is necessary to form a single jewellery body.”
Jones said that every jeweller he had spoken to in the past year about the Kiwi jewellery industry agrees that there should be one peak body. “All associations, including the JWNZ, need to be seen to be working together for that aim. JMF is dedicated to that aim and Russell Sinclair [JANZ executive director] continues to work hard to amalgamate the industry with one, unified voice,” Jones said.
Jones agreed with Beckett, “There should be no reason why a meeting cannot be held before the trade fair.”
The JWNZ fair is scheduled for August 7 to 8 this year, an earlier date than the traditional September schedule. The fair was brought forward because the Rugby World Cup, which is being partially hosted in Auckland, would have clashed with the fair.
Some suppliers believed bringing the fair dates forward to the first week of August was too early. Expertise Events, organiers of the rival New Zealand Jewellery Fair (NZJF), chose to suspend its event for 2011.
NZJF fair organiser Gary Fitz-Roy said, “Because of the clash with the Rugby World Cup we felt it was appropriate to suspend our event for this year and, more importantly, there were moves afoot at the time for one unified industry which could lead to one fair. So in the interests of the entire [Kiwi] industry we announced we would step aside for one year to allow the industry time to amalgamate.”
According to Fitz-Roy, many exhibitors had told him that it would be extremely difficult to have new ranges ready for late July in time for an early August trade fair. However, Fitz-Roy reiterated that his offer to suspend NZJF was contingent on one fair being organised for the benefit of the entire Kiwi jewellery industry, not just a small few.
Last October he said, “This commitment is made, however, on the basis that some degree of industry unity is reached and there is an agreement between the [three] associations to run one fair independently but to the benefit of everyone. The commitment to cease the NZJF is not applicable if JWNZ continues with its fair, to the benefit of only a small part of the industry.”
At the time Crout welcomed Fitz-Roy’s proposal to stand aside if the industry were to unite behind one fair.
As a further act of good faith, Fitz-Roy is to provide a New Zealand lounge at the upcoming International Jewellery Fair in Sydney – to be held August 28 to 31 – and JANZ is organising special travel packages to attend the Sydney fair.
“Traditionally almost as many Kiwis have attended our Sydney fair as go the Kiwi fair, and because many suppliers said that they could not possibly have their new ranges ready by late July, we had discussions with JANZ to accommodate the extra Kiwis that might come to the Sydney fair to see the latest new products given that they might not be ready in time for New Zealand [at the JWNZ fair],” Fitz-Roy said.
He added that the dates for the 2012 NZJF dates are being finalised along with the overall jewellery fair schedule in Australia, including a new fair in Australia called LoveVintage. The consumer fair is focused on vintage clothing, textiles and antique and period-style jewellery.
More reading:
JANZ does back flip over peak NZ jewellery body
|
|
Search for Industry Associations
|
|