Watch NZH Local Focus: Crowdfunding call for Hawke's Bay bat boutique

All cricketers want to do well when they're out on the pitch, but when you're faced with a rock-hard ball shooting towards you at upwards of fifty miles an hour, the bat you use to hit it with can make a difference.

Ex-international cricketer Mark Greatbatch says, "You've got to be very confident when you walk out to bat that you've got something you can rely on and you depend on and you actually trust."

Waipawa is home to one of the world's best cricket bat manufacturers, Laver and Wood. They're a small boutique bat-maker with a reputation for the finest handmade cricket bats. Bats that are sought after around the world, and around Hawke's Bay.

Owner, James Laver, says, "It's awesome when you actually make a bat for a lad who's been struggling with his game and the bat's not quite right so you get the specs right and make it fit and suddenly it all comes together and he starts scoring runs and that's a great feeling."

Mr Laver wants to do something similar for his own business, expanding production, scoring more sales and eventually moving closer to the airport in Napier. An equity crowdfunding campaign on PledgeMe allows potential investors to buy up to 20 percent of the business.

"It means it gives us the ultimate option of developing our sales structure, developing our production, we can take on new bat-makers and train new bat-makers and move to bigger premises because we are getting a bit small here," Mr Laver says.

60% of the bats sell overseas and surprisingly, the biggest market is the US. They're continually developing a strategic marketing plan based around social media.

"We don't want to get into a big sponsorship concept. We want to stay true to what we do and make sure that people buy the product because it's a good bat."

Mr Greatbatch says, "I do know that he's got some international players that have come to him in the past and currently that he makes bats for, and they actually pay for those bats. That's how much they regard him as a quality bat maker but due to their sponsorship commitments that don't have his brand on them,"

Laver and Wood are aiming to raise a minimum of $250,000 by December 12. But whether they reach that score or not, Laver and Wood remain committed to hand-making world class cricket bats here in Hawke's Bay.

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