Hansen handed netball trophy commission
Whether it be Pretoria, Port of Spain or Pontypridd, the winners of the inaugural Super Club netball competition will take away more than just memories from their time in the Nelson region.
Netball New Zealand has partnered with Jens Hansen as the official jeweller of the inaugural Super Club, commissioning the Nelson jewellery workshop to make the winner’s trophy.
The top three teams from the ANZ Premiership will be joined by five other teams from Australia, South Africa, Wales, Trinidad and Tobago, and Fiji, for the event, which will be held at Nelson’s Trafalgar Centre between July 2- 7.
Halfdan Hansen from Jens Hansen said his team were rapt that Super Club was launching in their home town and that they were given the opportunity to handcraft the first trophy.
While renowned for being the home of the ring used in The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit epics, the workshop has also made a number of significant sports trophies, such as rugby’s Air New Zealand Cup and a Super rugby trophy and numerous local events, such as the annual Classic Boat Show.
‘‘I was also showing one guy through our old scrapbooks and he said ‘I know that [trophy], we played for that’ – and it was one of those old junior basketball ones from back in the 70s – I had no idea what it was for,’’ Hansen said
‘‘This one is particularly special as it is our first netball trophy and it will be the centre piece for a brand new international competition.’’
‘‘Most of our clients are women, so it’s also nice that we’re finally making something to do with women’s sport.’’
Netball New Zealand chief executive Jennie Wyllie said as Nelson’s internationallyrecognised jeweller the Jens Hansen workshop was the obvious choice to make the trophy.
‘‘Once we confirmed that Nelson would play host to Super Club we felt it was important to work with businesses that showcase the best that Nelson has to offer.’’
‘‘We love the Jens Hansen style and the final design they have presented to us. We have had some exciting sneak peaks throughout the process, and look forward to the big reveal ahead of day one of competition on July 2.’’
With less than a month to prepare the trophy, Hansen and his team were working hard to finish their latest masterpiece.
While not wanting to give too much away, Hansen said the finished product would take on a silver plate aesthetic and encompassed aspects of the Nelson region as well as the teamwork aspects of netball.
‘‘Netball New Zealand gave us a clear direction about their vision but were also keen for us to put our own ‘Jens Hansen’ mark on it,’’
‘‘They wanted it to be something that played to our strengths, but at the same time you don’t want something that ages straight away.’’
Hansen said it was exciting to engage in a trophy making project, given there had been a noticeable shift from creating ‘‘America’s Cup’’ styles of handmade trophies to an increased use of nontraditional materials.