This month, Verve talked to some artisans of Aotearoa who shared their stories – along with the occasional cake, coffee, or vino! To this dedicated bunch who have turned their passions into professions – along with all the other Kiwi creatives out there – we salute you!
Olive Grove
We begin by sitting down with Helen Meehan, who, with help from her husband John, runs Olivo olive grove in Martinborough.
“John and I come from the north of England,” she tells us. “We met in the late Seventies and always wanted to travel.” Their travels initially took them to the US where John worked at an international accounting firm, before returning to the UK and eventually settling in New Zealand in the mid-80s. Helen has had roles in the “early days” of the computer industry as well as being the first Chief Information Officer for the New Zealand government and working for Telecom NZ: “All a long way from olive growing!”
What are your strengths as a team, and how do you complement each other?
“John is a very strategic accountant, meaning that I know my financial position and inventory on a daily basis – so important to keeping a small business on track. I manage everything to do with marketing, making our oils and customer relationships. I always say that Olivo is ‘boutique, artisan and gorgeous’, and John always says – for ‘gorgeous’, read ‘profitable’!”
The couple continues to travel regularly, John loves golf, and Helen has a couple of hectares of garden to keep her busy. She’s also a member of Chaine des Rotisseurs – a French culinary guild which brings together chefs and lovers of fine food – for whom she organises events in Wellington. “Of course, we love to eat well, and everything I eat, I think where would top quality olive oil enhance this!”
What do you most love about the owning an olive grove?
“I love being able to take our oils right from the tree to the table and make exciting and innovative food from our different extra virgin and infused olive oils. Who would have thought about olive oil over or in ice-cream or olive oil in cakes? Also, olive trees are so beautiful and great survivors, so it’s lovely to be able to wander in the grove while considering what you can produce from such an amazing tree.”
What sets Olivo apart from other olive growers?
“Probably our range of infused oils which are different – think orange, lavender, vanilla, cumin, smoked paprika. We are also still the only olive oil tasting room in Martinborough after 20 years, so people visit us as a change from wine tasting.”
As for life in Martinborough, Helen says what’s not to love about such a beautiful wine village.
“Martinborough is a very close-knit community that looks after its people,” she adds. “We try to contribute where we can. I do ‘meals on wheels’, and John has been on the steering group to develop the new town hall. Plus, we’re only an hour from Wellington if we want a taste of city life.”
Coffee, Bread and Pottery
With the alluring aromas of freshly baked breads, pastries and ground coffee lingering in the air, and handmade pottery lining the shelves, the intimate Clay Ceramics Gallery and Cafe lends itself beautifully to romanticism.
Indeed, the intimate St Heliers cafe-cum-gallery – previously Tower Bakers – is the space where owner and pottery maker Tony Swanson met his Japanese wife, Yuki, when she wandered in seven years ago. They soon bonded over their love of all things creative.
“Yuki plays the ukulele, and loves cooking and baking and sewing,” Tony tells me over a couple of flat whites. Not that the couple always has enough time – or energy – to pursue their creative endeavours owing to their 3am starts three times a week to fire up the ovens and begin their baking: Tony taking care of the breads, and Yuki the pastries. (I ask if he can combine the clay- and breadmaking in the same ovens and the words have barely left my mouth when I realise their stupidity. Tony patiently points out that his breads bake at around 230C whereas the kiln heats to 1,250C. That would be some seriously burnt toast.)
“I’m learning Japanese at the moments, so try to spend an hour a day on that also,” Tony continues. I ask him how it’s going. “Terrible!” he chuckles. “I’m not a linguist. I’m better at reading and writing it than I am at speaking it. I love the calligraphy.”
He reaches for a clay vase from the shelf to show me his pottery mark – the equivalent of an artist’s signature – which is a kanji, meaning ‘tree’. Tony and Yuki visit Japan regularly (he also has a brother who has lived there for more than 30 years). “When I’m there I make sure to visit all the old pottery villages, they’re incredible,” he says. “It’s an aesthetic tradition over there, and I think a lot of the pottery around the world, particularly in New Zealand and Australia, stemmed from the Japanese influence back in the 1950s.”
Tony’s pottery teacher was also Japanese. He tells me he digs some of the wild clay he uses, usually from Raglan or the Coromandel and leaves in the stones and crystals to make each of his pieces – which take weeks to create – more characterful and unique. The glazes too, Tony makes, often using wood ash giving some of the pieces a lustrous, metallic effect. “Walking though our native bush, you have so many greens and blues and earthy tones, and I try to capture that in choosing my glazes.”
Directing me to another corner, Tony points to a collection of pottery this time by Peruvian artist Marisol Lambercy, who lives locally. “She’s an amazing potter,” Tony says, “and gets a lot of commissions. She is an expert, creating using a wheel. Mine tend to be more often handbuilt using coil and pinch.”
Tony bought the gallery-cafe around 30 years ago following a trip round Europe with an old girlfriend, who was a journalist. “I was a graphic artist, and we were contemplating doing some sort of illustrated publication on traditional European cuisine,” he says. “And that is when I became interested in breads – particularly the breads of Portugal, Spain, Italy, and southern France. It all really appealed to me, the smells, the working with your hands – but it is hard work!”
Fittingly, the cafe soon became a hangout for local creatives.
“I’m trying to create something that’s more than cafe, more than a pottery shop, with the addition of the gallery,” says Tony as he wraps me up a parcel of brioche loaf – baked by him – and a black cherry custard boule made by Yuki. “I want this to be a place of inspiration.”
Let There Be Light
Gus Leen may only have graduated in 2021 – with a Bachelor of Design from Massey University’s College of Creative Arts – but he’s already established eminent design studio, Form 53, in Timaru. The studio hand-builds lighting, homewares, and furniture from woods like bamboo and rimu, to bring “the best of nature indoors”.
“Having spent a lot of time in Central Otago, primarily Wānaka, the scenic landscape of the mountains and lakes are where I find a sense of calm, giving me space to create new designs,” he tells Verve. “I also take inspiration from architecture, in particular residential homes that have been built in Wānaka.”
The mid-century movement, also, draws Gus’s curious eye with its use of “beautiful furniture materials” including leathers and oaks. “The striking use of colour really intrigues me,” he adds. “I really admire the curves used, as well as the details such as lines that lead your eye to sharp, pointy edges.”
Gus has always had a passion for designing products that “serve a purpose”, hence the lure of lighting and furniture design.
“Having previously worked for both an electrician and joiner, I combined my skillsets with industrial design. I’ve always admired great design and architecture, I felt a need to design natures inspired products to bring the best of nature indoors, creating an atmosphere and mood setting for others to enjoy.”
What type things do you need to consider when designing lighting?
“Proportions for any design are critical. It’s important to ensure that a design isn’t too large or small for any interior space. Ensuring that the design emits enough light, whether that be feature or task lighting. Creating a sense of atmosphere is something I enjoy doing in people’s homes or businesses.”
Do you have a favourite wood to work with?
“I really enjoy using bamboo. Its superior strength has excellent durability, and the grain structure makes for an interesting detail which we receive a lot of comments about from our customers.”
Aside from being great for the environment, are there other benefits to using sustainable materials?
“There are so many benefits! The main reason is, of course, environmental, but it’s also important to ensure that the products you’re bringing into your home are healthy and safe for everyone who inhabits it. It’s vital to think about the entire lifecycle of any product, to ensure that once it’s use has been completed, which is inevitable, that most, if not all, components can be stripped down and recycled.”
Finally, can you tell us a little about your team at Form 53?
“I feel incredibly fortunate to work with an exceptionally talented and dedicated team. Most of our team work select hours as we’re still an expanding business, and each member brings an important skillset that we simply couldn’t operate without. We enjoy social interactions with each other outside of work, and also enjoy sharing stories, design ideas and our passions for music!”
