| 5 REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre Wingspan was founded by Debbie Stewart in the late 1980s and formally established as a trust in 1992, beginning with the rehabilitation and release of injured birds. Photo: Clint Trahan Photography. A p p a r e l & P r o d u c t B r a n d i n g S p e c i a l i s t s Your Apparel & Product Branding Specialists Making teams look smart • Expert Craftmanship • Tailored Solutions • Fast Turnaround • Brilliant Service Enquiry@branding.nz | 0508 352 868 At Branding NZ, we bring your brand to life with high-quality apparel and product branding. As a 100% New Zealand-owned company, we specialize in custom embroidery, screen printing, heat press, and promotional branding solutions — all handled in-house for quality control and fast turnaround times. Learn More Branding NZ combines embroidery, screen printing and heat-press transfers with long-standing customer relationships, supplying branded clothing and promotional products from its family-run base The Waikato business has been trading under the ownership of Denis and Margaret Hibbs since 2017, although its history stretches back about 25 years. Its customer base extends throughout New Zealand, with work ranging from small schools and trucking companies to Defence Force civilian uniforms. Branding NZ’s services include embroidery, custom badges, screen printing, Supacolour heat transfers and promotional-product branding, covering uniforms, corporate clothing, high-vis workwear and merchandise. For embroidery, customer logos first have to be digitised so the machines can interpret the design. A contractor in Tauranga converts the artwork into a computer program controlling needle movements, colour changes and stitch placement. “He calls it ‘painting by numbers’. He draws what is required and it creates a computer program that the embroidery machines understand.” Heat-press work is handled with artwork prepared by the family’s art department in Wellington. The company replaced its embroidery machine about three years ago and upgraded its heat press from a manual model to an automatic machine with adjustable temperature, pressure and timing. The business has developed a particularly close relationship with Wingspan National Bird of Prey Centre in Ngongotahā, Rotorua, which operates under a charitable trust. Denis and Margaret visited Wingspan and decided they wanted to support its work; consequently Branding NZ now supplies its uniforms free of charge, while producing caps and hats for its shop at a discounted price. It has also produced enamel pin badges featuring a ruru and falcon. The relationship is reflected on Branding NZ’s website, where Wingspan describes the company’s embroidery as outstanding and says its team “has never looked so smart”. Denis sees branded clothing as more than a uniform, particularly for organisations wanting their name to be visible beyond their premises. “It keeps their name out into the public as well. They’re getting their logo on the front and their website on the back.” That visibility can take some unusual forms. One earthmoving customer has old trucks digitised for embroidered personal jackets, including International trucks dating from 1957 and 1800D models. Branding NZ’s work also includes hospitality and retail, construction and trades, sports teams and clubs, healthcare, events and promotional activities. The business caters to organisations needing everything from professional staff clothing and durable workwear to team apparel and promotional merchandise, giving it a broad mix of applications for its services.
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