Some edits have been made to the original blog first published in April 2020
Where to buy your face mask in New Zealand
There are no two ways about it: the last year and a bit have been an extraordinary time for pretty much everyone. When Aotearoa entered its first lockdown requests keep coming in from you, our customers, to provide face masks. With that in mind, and in the interests of maximising choice through raising awareness, we’ve curated this list of all the outlets we’ve found selling face masks.
Why would one wear a face mask?
While wearing a face mask may not prevent you from catching Covid-19, growing evidence suggests that wearing one can dramatically help reduce the spread of the virus. Washing your hands and following social distancing guidelines still offer you the best protection. A mask should only ever be worn in addition to, not as a substitute for these measures.
Our face mask - just one option of many
We are pretty proud of our face mask, thousands of people have purchased them and there are a few features that make it unique. They're made from 100% organic cotton, machine washable and with a replaceable HELIX.iso™ filter. We opted for around the head elastics as opposed to around the ears, this is for comfort when wearing for an extended periods, ensures a better seal around different sized heads and is also more functional for those that wear glasses or have hearing aids. Our masks start from $20 (including filter) and support not only our local fashion community but our Fair trade certified production partners in India too. Alongside our mask making we have funded more than 25,000 meals to workers in India through our Meals for Migrants Partnership and also donated masks to Organisations Including Neonatal Unit and Wellington Soup Kitchen.
We are currently dispatching our masks within 1 business day and as we have plenty of filters in boxes that we would much rather see on faces we are now selling these at cost.
Proud as we are of our own product, however, we are aware that we are not the only producers of face masks in New Zealand and different masks are more suitable for different situations. We’re aware too that now, when our lives are locked down and our liberties curtailed for the common good, freedom of choice seems more important than ever before. It is in this spirit that we share with you information about where you can currently buy a variety of face masks. What’s more, we encourage anyone who has used any brand of face mask to leave a comment about their experience so as to support other readers in making informed decisions about how to protect themselves and others.
Where to get face masks with filters
Where to get masks without filters
Make your own
If you have the time you can easily make your own mask at home, there are heaps of online tutorials and patterns - we recommend this one hereand have filters available here too.
Wearing masks right as we unite against Covid 19
When wearing a mask remember: to not touch it once it’s on, to wash or replace it after every use, and to wash your hands regularly. Doing this, along with ongoing social distancing as set out by the New Zealand Government, and continuing to be kind and accommodating to one another, will help to ensure that we are all as safe as possible in our journey together through these extraordinary times in which we find ourselves. Stay safe, stay well everybody.
Samantha Jones
Samantha is the CEO and Founder of Little Yellow Bird and is an advocate for sustainable and ethical fashion.
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