Specsavers and Kura Te Waru Rewiri collaborate for The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ
Specsavers New Zealand has today released a new limited‑edition range of frames, designed in collaboration with renowned Māori artist Kura Te Waru Rewiri in support of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ.
In the Pacific, nine out of 10 people who are blind don't need to be, their conditions are preventable or treatable. Specsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ share a goal to end avoidable blindness and vision impairment in the Pacific. To help aid their mission, for every pair of limited‑edition frames purchased, Specsavers will donate $25 to The Foundation.
This year's limited‑edition range of frames is inspired by one of Te Waru Rewiri's most prominent works, Puhoro Meets the Stripes III. The artwork explores cultural symbolism and artistic legacy, referencing traditional Māori art forms and knowledge through its use of colour and pattern. It draws specifically on kōwhaiwhai, the flowing patterns often found in ancestral meeting houses.
For Te Waru Rewiri, collaborating with Specsavers to create these frames has been a special opportunity to help other people through her art.
"I have a huge amount of admiration for the work The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ does in Fiji, helping our Pacific neighbours regain their eyesight," says Te Waru Rewiri.
"As a Māori indigenous artist, it is important to protect the integrity of our customary arts. Within the design, the koru symbolises rebirth and the puhoro symbolises speed."
Specsavers' partnership with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ began in 2009 and, since then, over $1.4 million has been donated. In 2024 alone, Specsavers made a significant contribution towards the 25,000 eye consultations and 3,000 sight‑saving operations performed in Fiji.
Through this year's collaboration, Specsavers aims to donate $75,000 to The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, with donations going towards restoring sight and training eye‑health workers at the Foundation‑supported Pacific Eye Institute in Fiji.
"Eyesight is precious and we're proud to continue supporting the sight‑saving work of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ. We cannot wait to see the impact of these beautiful frames by Kura because improving eye health doesn't just change individual lives, it helps communities thrive," says Cathy Rennie Matos, Head of Sustainability, Specsavers.
Katie Hart, Philanthropy and Development Director, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ, is grateful for the ongoing support from Specsavers towards the sight‑saving work of the Foundation.
"Many people across the Pacific face barriers to accessing the eye care they need and with the Specsavers partnership in Fiji, we can continue working with our Pacific partners to restore sight and transform many lives – taking us one step closer to a world where no one is needlessly blind or vision impaired."
The new limited‑edition frames are available exclusively at Specsavers in‑store or online. All frames come with a limited‑edition collectors' case and cleaning cloth celebrating the work of Te Waru Rewiri and the care placed into it.