Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Recognition arrives via good design

By Lindy Laird
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
5 Jun, 2016 08:41 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Peter Haythornthwaite, OMNZ.

Peter Haythornthwaite, OMNZ.

There's a possibility Peter Haythornthwaite will examine his Queen's Birthday Honours medal to see how well it's designed but nothing would detract from how chuffed he is to receive it.

The Waimate North resident has been recognised with a New Zealand Order of Merit (OMNZ) for his services to design. Mr Haythornthwaite and wife, Carol, have lived in Northland for six months, after living in Queenstown for several years. He was drawn North to a place where he holidayed as a child.

As he was then, and his father was before him, he is still moved by the beauty of the landscape, for instance, stands of puriri trees near the couple's home.

Mr Haythornthwaite has worked in several countries, as one of the best minds in the business on projects ranging from industrial machinery to office interiors to kitchen utensils.

Design touches every part of life, whether it is in medical, scientific, art, manufacturing or domestic fields, he said. It is about making things better to use as well as looking good.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"Design is a continuum," he said. "You have to be brave enough to go to a place where design is a purpose in itself as well as has benefits."

He is still deeply involved with design faculties and industry boards and is pleased design has been recognised by his award, for the industry as well as himself.

"I wasn't expecting it, I'm absolutely delighted it's occurred," he said. "It's an accolade not just for me but for Carol who has always supported me in my work and taken a strong interest in every achievement." Mr Haythornthwaite played a key role in setting up the New Zealand Trade and Enterprise's Better by Design programme, and establishing the Best Awards for New Zealand design.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

He started Haythornthwaite Design in 1979, which he sold to his staff in 2000, including to one of his four sons who followed him into the design industry.

He created the internationally competitive design company arti-fakt-s in 1981 and more recently Creativelab. In 2007, Creativelab helped design LOMAK (Light Operated Mouse and Keyboard), which enables physically impaired people to use computers more easily.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales
Northern Advocate

Far North homes without power after severe gales

More than 170 customers south of Cape Rēinga are still without power.

17 Jul 08:26 AM
'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi
Northern Advocate

'Economic growth is key': Luxon discusses Northland's potential with iwi

17 Jul 06:02 AM
Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime
Northern Advocate

Northland businesses unite for CCTV initiative to combat crime

17 Jul 04:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP