Be a part of a global community
The Outdoor Fabric Products Association of New Zealand (OFPANZ) is affiliated to the Specialised Textiles Association (STA) of Australia and is a country sector of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), based in the United States. OFPANZ members are committed to excellence and awarded for innovation and ingenuity.
OFPANZ provides members with a forum for increasing their industry knowledge, developing new skills, legislation and technology, and networking with other like-minded companies. Take advantage of apprenticeship and management training programs, stay informed and become recognised as an industry professional.
Membership Benefits:
- Network with NZ’s top fabricators and suppliers – learn how the industry experts run their companies.
- Learn the skills and gain the confidence to convert your one man band to a fully-fledged business.
- Business mentoring:
- Talk to other experienced OFPANZ members about strategy and problem solving in your business.
- Keep up with Technology:
- Use the right equipment, fabrics and techniques.
- Workshops for equipment development on:
- Welding, plotting, design and sewing machines.
- Workshops for Business Owners on:
- Employment issues, resource consents, health and safety, marketing strategies for your products.
- Exclusive access to OFPANZ Website information:
- View catalogues of award winning projects online to inspire your clients.
- Put your company in full view of clients and take advantage of OFPANZ advertising.
- Keep up with trends and developments with the quarterly Industry magazine Cutting Edge.
- OFPANZ was instrumental in setting up the Apprentice training scheme with MITO to future- proof the industry.
- Discounts on Health and Safety, Terms of Trade and Employers assistance.
- Free copy of The World’s Best Textile and Hardware Buyers magazine (Specialty Fabrics Review).
- Annual conference and trade exhibition:
- The only trade show for NZ outdoor fabric and equipment suppliers -in one place at one time
- The platform for new business relationships and information sharing.
- Conference venues change and move around New Zealand on a regular basis.
- A great way to see the country, our people and national business opportunities.
- Take advantage of our membership benefits with overseas organization in the USA (IFAI) and Australia (STA):
- Communication with and learning from other fabricators abroad.
- IFAI have a number of LinkedIn groups that are actively communicating and responding to technical queries.