Give the gift of good - Christmas gift guide

In our recent LinkedIn poll asking about the best gifts to give clients or employees, products from a local business came out top, closely followed by a donation to charity and gifting an experience.

So we’ve put together a gift guide featuring some fab Kiwi businesses, a lot of which are also doing good, some donation options and a couple of ways you can treat someone (or yourself) this Christmas.

Good Gifts

Looking for a gift that’s a bit different and helps to make a difference at the same time? Buying something from this list will make you, the gift’s recipient and the world happy.

Frank Stationery - Is there anything better than a nice notebook? If you know someone who loves to make a list, take a note or jot down their thoughts, buy them something from Frank Stationery. The products are stylish and great quality, and you’ll be doing good at the same time. For every notebook bought, they’ll donate a school book to a child in need. 

Subs - Subs jandals look good but beyond the looks, they have serious sustainability credentials. All the jandals are made from recycled plastic - from commercial and post-consumer waste and from plastic cleaned up from beaches. And the best bit? When it’s time to retire the Subs you are wearing, you can return them, and they’ll be recycled into new pairs.

Downlights - Add some cosy ambience with a hand-poured soy candle from Downlights. The business offers a range of opportunities for young adults with Down syndrome and other intellectual or learning challenges to learn skills in the workplace and donates a proportion of each sale to organisations that work in this space.

Special Gifts - A gift box from Special Gifts with goodies to eat, drink and use is a great way to say thank you to a special client or team member. Special Gifts champions products from companies that provide work opportunities to disabled people and from disabled individuals who run their own businesses.

Ethos - Slow down someone’s beauty routine with ethically produced skincare from Ethos. Based on fermented coconut oil and with no synthetic ingredients, Ethos products are made in New Zealand from coconuts grown in Cambodia. The company trades directly with growers and profits fund sustainable development in Cambodia and replanting of trees.

Trade Aid - From delicious chocolate to stylish homewares to body and skin products, you can probably get your whole gift list covered in a Trade Aid shop. All items stocked are based on Fair Trade principles to ensure fair prices and labour conditions and support development.

Good Giving

Not sure what to gift? Give the gift of giving instead. These choices don’t involve products but do involve a whole lot of feeling good.

The Good Registry - Give someone the gift of giving with The Good Registry. A Good Registry gift card allows the recipient to make a donation to one (or more) of 65 charities working throughout New Zealand.

Dunedin Wildlife Hospital - What do you give the person who has everything? A bucket of fish, obviously. Well, maybe not. But you could buy a bucket of fish for the penguins at the Dunedin Wildlife Hospital on their behalf. More than 300 penguins have been treated at the hospital since it opened in 2018.

Trees That Count - Not a fan of fish? Give a tree instead. A gift card bought through Trees That Count donates a native tree to a replanting project somewhere in New Zealand. Trees are planted by approved planters to help regenerate natural forests and encourage diversity.

Top Tip - For organisations, giving doesn’t just have to be at Christmas. Gift cards like those from The Good Registry and Trees That Count are a great alternative way to celebrate your team members throughout the year - on their birthday, a work anniversary or for a job well done.

Good Food

Looking for a gift for a good foodie? Whether you want to eat out or stay in, these ideas will hit the spot.

Little Bird Organics - If you are in Auckland, head to Little Bird Kitchen in Ponsonby for wonderful raw and organic food. Little Bird Kitchen hosted us for a breakfast event this year, so we can attest that the food is yummy as well as healthy! If you can’t make it to the kitchen, shop from Little Bird Organics online to get goodies delivered to your door.

Everybody Eats - If you are in Wellington or Auckland, then treat your family, friends or team to a meal out at Everybody Eats. At Everybody Eats, you can choose how much you pay for a restaurant-quality meal prepared from food that would otherwise be going to waste. Those who can are encouraged to pay a little extra to help fund meals for anyone who can’t afford them. The menu changes daily depending on available ingredients. The Wellington branch hosted and catered our Souper lunch event earlier this year, so we can vouch for the yumminess of the food here too.

Common Good Coffee - Know someone who can’t make it through the morning without a coffee? Common Good Coffee produces small-batch roasted coffee from organic beans ethically traded with growers, and profits help neighbourhoods in India suffering from extreme poverty.

Wildness Chocolate - Wellington-based Wildness is a social enterprise that produces tasty chocolate with some added surprises like Cupuacu, a plant grown in the Amazon which is related to cacao, walnuts from the Wairarapa and bee pollen from Pollennation in Nelson.

Whether you are buying for a client, your team or family and friends, we hope our gift guide has given you some inspiration for your Christmas list this year. Happy gifting!