We believe in fate.  Our journeys are as different as we are - two babies made sisters by adoption.  Jacqui moved to the UK just after Pip turned 21 and made a life for herself there for the next 17 years.  Then one day the pull of home was too much and she transplanted her family back to the tranquility of New Zealand just as Pip was also making a new beginning ...... read more about the separate journeys which brought us back together to create Oyster.

  
Pip Dean

Before Oyster I had a career in tv production which was fun and interesting, but an idea had been gnawing at me for years. When the show I was working on moved to Christchurch I made the change and jumped at managing a shop at Wellington airport. Two years later and having completed a business plan and a business start-up course, my sis was leaving the UK and we were sharing the same dream. After hours and hours on the phone we'd made many decisions about Oyster. Now I pinch myself when I think that we've realised this dream and Jac is living in the same city as me after 17 years on the other side of the planet. And I know that Oyster wouldn't 'be' without my husband sharing this dream, working on our business hours into the night and whispering to me all those times 'you can do it'.

Pip's favourites:

* Surprising friends and family by marrying my lovely man Chris during a party to celebrate our 20th year together
* Working in India and Indonesia on crazy game shows spoken in languages I didn't understand
* Changing my career in my late 30's and learning a whole world of new stuff
* Laughing with mad girlfriends
* Lying on beaches listening to waves and dreaming
* Thinking about taking up yoga
* Book club, movies, long drives
* Unlearning how to be a perfectionist
* Getting to really know and really enjoy my sis again

Jacqui Walker

It's been a massive life change for me from the hustle and bustle of life and a career in Fraud & Investigation in the UK to learning the complex nature of retail. Teamed with this I've re-established my relationship with my beautiful sister Pip. She has been an inspiration to me and her vision for Oyster which I have been fortunate to be part of has enabled us to create something we are both hugely proud of. Since being back in New Zealand I've made some wonderful new friends and re-connected with dear people from the past. At Oyster we've attracted an interesting and loyal network of customers all enjoying the revival of Kiwiana and quality and individuality of NZ made objects and gifts. Our customers as well as our suppliers have become a part of our personal journeys and we proudly cultivate these relationships.

Jacqueline's favourites:

* Coming home to gorgeous New Zealand and breathing in the fresh air after 17 years in England!
* Doing something worthwhile with my sister and utilising my artistic and creative side at last
* Supporting my passion for ethical and fair trade goods and processes
* Spending quality time with my husband Rob & boys Oli & Harry, exploring, cycling, swimming and rediscovering NZ
* Getting in touch with the spiritual me and looking forward to learning Reiki and other healing techniques
* Meeting the many inspirational artists we have at Oyster

Before Oyster I had a career in tv production which was fun and interesting, but an idea had been gnawing at me for years.  When the show I was working on moved to Christchurch I made the change and jumped at managing a shop at Wellington airport.  Two years later and having completed a business plan and a business start-up course, my sis was leaving the UK and we were sharing the same dream.  After hours and hours on the phone we'd made many decisions about Oyster.  Now I pinch myself when I think that we've realised this dream and Jac is living in the same city as me after 17 years on the other side of the planet.  And I know that Oyster wouldn't 'be' without my husband sharing this dream, working on our business hours into the night and whispering to me all those times 'you can do it'.

Pip’s favourites: 

• Surprising friends and family by marrying my lovely man Chris during a party to celebrate our 20th year together
• Working in India and Indonesia on crazy game shows spoken in languages I didn't understand
• Changing my career in my late 30's and learning a whole world of new stuff
• Laughing with mad girlfriends
• Lying on beaches listening to waves and dreaming
• Thinking about taking up yoga 
• Book club, movies, long drives 
• Unlearning how to be a perfectionist 
• Getting to really know and really enjoy my sis again

It's been a massive life change for me from the hustle and bustle of life and a career in Fraud & Investigation in the UK to learning the complex nature of retail.  Teamed with this I've re-established my relationship with my beautiful sister Pip.  She has been an inspiration to me and her vision for Oyster which I have been fortunate to be part of has enabled us to create something we are both hugely proud of.  Since being back in New Zealand I've made some wonderful new friends and re-connected with dear people from the past. At Oyster we've attracted a loyal and interesting network of customers all enjoying the revival in Kiwiana and the quality and individualtiy of New Zealand made objects and gifts.  Our customers, as well as our suppliers have become a part of our personal journeys and we proudly cultivate these relationships.

Jacqueline's favourites:

• Coming home to gorgeous New Zealand and breathing in the fresh air after 17 years in England!
• Doing something worthwhile with my sister and utilising my artistic and creative side at last
• Supporting my passion for ethical and fair trade goods and processes
• Spending quality time with my husband Rob & boys Oli & Harry, exploring, cycling, swimming and rediscovering NZ
• Getting in touch with the spiritual me and looking forward to learning Reiki and other healing techniques
• Meeting the many inspirational artists we have at Oyster

We started our business in 2006 with strong ethical beliefs knowing that we always wanted to project a positive image to our customers and provide them with informed choices when shopping in our store.  We thoroughly research the origins of our imported products and support and promote fair trade and suppliers with good environmental policies. We look for a transparent supply chain.  If it's not made in NZ we ask a lot of questions about manufacturing, especially about conditions and fair treatment for people.  If we don't get the answers we need then we won't place an order.  We've made mistakes along the way, usually earlier on when we didn't want to offend people, but we've learnt a lot and when you've had the wool pulled over your eyes once you learn how to get a bit more staunch.

Some of our favourite 'ethical' choices include: wall art made from recycled 55 gallon oil drums in Haiti, eco-friendly re-usable shopping bags by Envirosax, Blue Earth soaps who use only solar power for their electricity and produce beautiful handmade natural soaps, Freeset jute bags empowering forgotten street women in Calcutta, buddhas sourced by a NZ organisation of buddhists who ensure all of the products coming in from Bali are fairly traded.  This is just a few of the sorts of products we go for.

We support NZ made in a big way and this makes up the bulk of our product lines, basically because we believe there are so many wonderfully unique and quirky designs coming out of this country, and ..... we're just blimmen patriotic.

We also try to employ systems in the shop which have less environmental impact, such as: using recycled print paper in our fax, recycled NZ made plastic rubbish bags, we refil our print cartridges using a company in Lower Hutt, we supply only un-dyed paper carry bags, we donate our shredded packing paper to local pre-schools and kindergartens for use in craft, we switch off our electrical appliances at the walls each night along with our lights (except those few left on for security) and we use recycled loo paper!  We're members of the Sustainable Business Network.

We donate regularly.  Each month we're approached by different local charities, schools and kindergartens needing finances to build new classrooms etc and each month we choose one to help out.