Why its joining forces with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and renowned artist Fatu Feu’u.
Specsavers is once again joining forces with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ to help restore sight to needlessly blind people in the Pacific.
Since 2012, Specsavers has contributed over $900,000 towards The Foundation’s programmes, with hopes of reaching the $1 million milestone this year.
In 2016, Specsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ created their first limited edition frames featuring the work of New Zealand artist, Dick Frizzell with $25 from the sale of each frame going towards The Foundation.
Since that time, Specsavers and The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ have teamed up with renowned Samoan-New Zealand artist Fatu Feu’u (ONZM) to produce a limited-edition collection featuring two frames.
Now, working together once more, the 2022 limited-edition frames again feature Feu’u’s artwork, who is acknowledged as both a leader and mentor within the Pacific arts community — awarded the Senior Pacific Artist Award 2022 at the Creative New Zealand Arts Pasifika Awards.
Feu’u grew up in the village of Poutasi in Western Samoa, immigrating to New Zealand in 1966. Exhibiting since the early 1980s, he became a full-time artist in 1988. His work details his personal responses and interpretations of oral histories, myths, stories, songs, traditions and political events in and about Samoa.
The artwork featured on this year’s frames is called Tagaloa’s Dream, the title of the first painting in Feu’u’s Protection of the Pacific Ocean series, which highlights the need for protection of the Pacific Ocean and specifically the Kermadec Trench.
“My greatest tool is art, so to use it to bring awareness to causes I care about means a lot to me,” says Feu’u, about working with Specsavers once more. “Through my Pacific Ocean series and this second collaboration with Specsavers, I want to make people think more about the things happening around us.”
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“It can be hard for one person to feel like they’re creating change, but by partnering with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ and Specsavers, I’m able to spread the word about issues impacting my community, like the protection of the Kermadec Trench and eye health issues in the Pacific.”
Of the partnership, The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ Fundraising, Communications and Marketing Director, Jo Dowling says they’re delighted to be working with Feu’u again. “We are thrilled to see the funds raised through the sale of the Specsavers limited-edition frames go towards eye health projects in Samoa to help further our shared vision of ending avoidable blindness in the Pacific, where nine out of ten people who are blind don’t need to be.”
“We are so grateful for Specsavers’ support of this important work to make a difference and change lives for those living in the Pacific,” says Dowling. “Leading into the festive season, we hope Kiwis are able to support the campaign again this year and ‘Give the Gift of Sight’,”
Cathy Rennie Matos, Specsavers Head of Sustainability, says, “We’re so excited to see these beautiful frames launch in store across New Zealand and more so, we’re looking forward to seeing the impact the sale of these frames will have on people experiencing needless blindness in the Pacific.”
Priced from $299 for two pairs of single vision glasses, the limited-edition frames are available exclusively at Specsavers. For more information or to purchase the frames online visit Specsavers.co.nz.
