A Waikato startup is catching the wave of water conservation awareness as householders turn to its practical, attractive solution.
Designer Tanks, founded in 2019, is poised to further boost sales after attracting investment from NZX-listed Just Life Group.
The rainwater harvesting tanks, imported from Germany, come in a range of shapes and styles and in a complete kit ready for the householder to install. Buyers can easily connect the Graf above-ground tanks to downpipes and then use the gravity-fed supply to water their gardens.
Co-directors Chloe Barrott and Ingrid Cook say they have been seeing people’s mindset changing in the short time since they have been operating from their Rukuhia base.
The two Cambridge women say most customers are retro-fitting the tanks out of conservation awareness or in order to keep watering their garden during restrictions.
Barrott describes the process as a change management exercise. “What we’re saying is, rainwater is free! It’s crazy how much of it goes down the drain when it could be saved and used,” she says.
“But the solution doesn’t have to be ugly. A lot of it is change management. It’s about taking people on the journey.”
Cook says they are seeing particularly strong interest in the Bay of Plenty, with its stringent water restrictions, and at the recent Tauranga Home Show they sold almost everything on their stand.
Home shows have proved a happy hunting ground for the pair, who are now also set to support one of their partners at Fieldays, sharing a stand with tiny home company Amazing Spaces.
“Each time we attend a show, we notice how much people’s mindset has changed,” Barrott says. “Now what we’re finding is people are saying, ‘oh, I’ve been looking for you, this is such a good idea’.”
Cook says that includes one woman who had seen their social media feed and sought them out. “She couldn’t look at anything else in the show until she’d seen us. She bought two tanks.”
Styles range from the Antique Amphora terracotta urn shape to the Silver and Lava cylindrical stone look, and the Barrica, which resembles a wine barrel.
There is also an unobtrusive brick wall style that takes show visitors by surprise when they realise its function.
Many of the tanks have a planter cup on the top that can be used to grow plants in them.
The investment by Just Life, which has bought a 60 percent stake, not only injects funds for increasing product volumes but also provides valuable support in marketing and logistics.
The two women say Just Life founder and chief executive Tony Falkenstein has also given hands-on support, attending the Tauranga Home Show and talking to customers.
“He’s genuinely really interested, and the whole management team at Just Life Group are wonderful, positive people to be around.”
The firm sits under GOAM (Girls on a Mission) which is about women helping women. “There are so many women who leave the workforce to raise a family and lose their confidence along the way. We really want to help upskill and provide a supportive environment for people to grow.”
The impetus for Designer Tanks came from Barrott’s experience in 2018 of Outward Bound, where as part of the Solo Expedition the attendees bring their human waste back to Anakiwa for recycling so it is fit for drinking. One of the leaders said he didn’t want to be telling his children in 10 years’ time that they used to use drinking water to flush toilets.
“It just sat with me for ages and to be honest, it still hasn’t left me,” Barrott says. “I thought, there’s got to be a way to at least contribute to this in a sustainable way, and a way that most people would want and can afford and is helping at least a little bit. I didn’t see why it needed to be ugly.”
That led her to sharing the story with Cook who, similarly keen on the conservation message, was quick to join her in the formation of GOAM and Designer Tanks.
“Sustainability, getting back to the basics of doing your own garden and growing your own veggies, that’s really important as we move forward in this day and age – and rainwater is the best thing for plants,” Barrott says
Cook adds: “Rainwater is free, everyone should really be collecting it.”
You can find Chloe and Ingrid with some of their tanks while helping Amazing Spaces at Fieldays site RL58 from June 16-19.
