A knife maker at 83 Halesowen Avenue in Mount Eden, Auckland, where each knife is handcrafted and many are made to order. The maker, Willie van Niekerk, came to New Zealand from South Africa and first took up knife making on a survival course at 16. The range covers kitchen, hunting, fishing, bushcraft and tactical knives, and the business says each is made to be durable, reliable and good to hold. Custom work includes designing a knife to a buyer's own needs, making a knife that cannot be mistaken for another, repurposing an old piece of steel, and repairing a much-loved knife. Willie can talk through the process of a custom knife by phone, and the shop window and visits to the workshop are open to people who want to see the work. The business also runs a newsletter prize draw for a free knife.