Masterton inventor's new safety goggles demonstrate clear vision

The export launch of a Masterton-designed product has been about developing and following a clear vision literally.
Safe-Eyes are mesh-based safety goggles designed by forestry worker Phil Hall, who got tired of his plastic goggles fogging up.
Mr Hall's homemade efforts have led to a professional product that has now passed tough UK quality tests and is set to break into the European market and possibly American markets.
On Friday, UK importer Nigel Haworth joined Mr Hall and his supporters in a product celebration attended by Masterton Mayor Garry Daniell.
Mr Hall's first sets of goggles were made with mesh provided from a Masterton engineering company, and in 2004 Mr Hall established a company, Kiwi Ideas Ltd, to take his product to market.
Funding support was provided by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, and technical expertise by Rex Pike, of Pikes Plastics Limited, a Masterton-based plastic moulding manufacturer.
Safe-Eyes are now found across New Zealand stocked by outlets including BOC Safety, Farmlands, Lakewood Products, Mitre 10, Mowac Corp, NZ Safety, Protector Safety and Wholesafe.
Mr Hall developed the export markets for Safe-Eyes over a three-year period under the support and direction of David Binning, a Martinborough-based business mentor.
Originally conceived as a forestry product, Mr Hall has now heard of more than 50 different applications ranging from harness racing to building and construction, to home use to mining.
Soon after the product's New Zealand launch, Mr Haworth, of UK-based Baxter Baye Limited, read about the product in a New Zealand export magazine and contacted Mr Hall to establish a distribution network within the United Kingdom and Europe.
European legislation, however, requires all safety glasses and goggles to be independently certified to a European standard.
Thus began a three-year process of further product development as Mr Haworth arranged independent tests and the product was improved to meet them.
Kiwi Ideas is now in the process of producing the first batch of Safe-Eyes for export to the UK next month.
Within Australia, Kiwi Ideas has a distributor for Safe-Eyes and is now waiting for the product to be tested to a new standard for Australia and New Zealand.
Kiwi Ideas is also in discussion with a distributor in Brazil and are about to apply for testing against the American standard, for export to the US and Canada.
"It seems like a long three years," Mr Haworth said, crediting Mr Hall's persistence with seeing the job through.
Mr Daniell said Safe-Eyes is an example of one of the many quality products that come out of Masterton, as evidenced by the "Made in Masterton" exhibition last year.
"There's some absolutely amazing things made here," he said. "It's wonderful to see the innovation and the talent that is within our district."