Praneeta Mahajan
Hamilton, September 1, 2023
Innovation and creativity can give a new lease of life to everyday things. Remodel, reuse and recycling are the latest trends in New Zealand with the Police and Massey University design students teamed up to put old Kevlar to good use.
Redundant armour plates from old out-of-warranty stab-resistant body armour (SRBA) have been recycled into a variety of items in a project designed to cut down on waste.
The armour-based creations of 25 design students are on display at Police National Headquarters and selected pieces will remain on exhibit for a few days.
Body armour is made to be hard to damage which is great when it is protecting its wearer but becomes a problem when disposing of it.
“The standard practice globally for getting rid of armour plate is to dig a hole and bury it,” said Inspector Geoff Logan, Police Operations Manager for Operational Capability.
“We have got three tonnes of Kevlar armour awaiting disposal, so we thought ‘There has to be a better way’.”
The question was presented to third-year Industrial Design students at Massey University’s School of Design in Wellington as a compulsory project.
“They were each given two hard armour plates and two sets of soft armour and told ‘Here you are – make something with this’,” said Inspector Logan. “We are delighted to see that some of the designs could be considered police-specific, such as a Police-issue first aid kit to fit the available space in our Škoda vehicles.”
The students had six weeks to research, design and build items and their products demonstrated an awesome degree of creativity and skill, from a sunglasses case to furniture. Other designs are folding road cones, a patient carrier for first responders and even a seatbelt-cutting/glass-breaking tool.
“This is something we are very happy to be involved with,” says Associate Professor Lyn Garrett, Subject Director of Industrial Design at Massey.
“The students took the project and the materials into places we just were not expecting. We appreciate our relationship with the Police.”
Police have a long association with Massey’s School of Design, with an MOU in place since 2017. In the past Police and Massey have collaborated on projects including the design of a new dog pod for Police vehicles and the uniform hijab for police women, which made headlines around the world.
Meanwhile, used but still usable items such as boots, forage caps and high-vis gear are donated to Pacific police services.
Praneeta Mahajan is an Indian Newslink reporter based in Hamilton.
