By PETER ROWE
Winya Indigenous Furniture is the only company in Australia to be awarded a United Nations Leadership in Sustainable Development Goals honour.
Winya is a genuine Indigenous business, founded in 2015 before any Government Procurement Policies by Kamilaroi woman, Debbie Barwick, the inaugural chair of the First Australian’s Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Greg Welsh, whose father was a hidden generation Kamilaroi man.
Together, Debbie used her expertise in labour hire and Greg leveraged his background in the Australian furniture industry to build Winya’s profit-for-purpose model that creates traineeships& apprenticeships for Indigenous people with partners across the Australian furniture industry.
For Winya’s unique approach to Indigenous empowerment, in 2018 Winya became the only company in Australia to be Awarded that UN award.
Winya maximises its procurement outreach programs with timbers from remote communities, fabrics from women’s art centres and has created programs in Prisons to train Indigenous inmates to reduce recidivism & build better communities.
Working with ANZ Bank
Winya has been working with ANZ Bank and the architect Breathe to produce the roll out of the new ANZ branches.
The awarded design for ANZ by Breathe is a nationwide, 100%-carbon-neutral-in-operations branch design, focused on environmental sustainability, secure housing, and financial wellbeing.
In collaboration with ANZ’s revolutionary ‘Breathe’ project, Winya was proud to supply
bespoke furniture that perfectly aligned with the initiative’s sustainability and
community-focused values.
As part of this large-scale project, Winya provided custom-designed Australian timber furniture, the modular kit-of-parts approach was produced using FSC-certified timber.
The furniture they supplied was designed for longevity, reuse, and minimal environmental footprint, reflecting both ANZ’s and Winya’s shared commitment to sustainability.
Signage was even painted directly onto our FSC-certified timber furniture, further reducing waste.
The design was awarded The Allan and Beth Coldicutt Award for Sustainable Architecture at the 2022 Victorian Architecture Awards.
Service and Products
Winya Indigenous Furniture offers a wide range of high-quality, sustainable furniture
solutions tailored for commercial environments. Our product line includes workstations,
sit-stand desks, task seating, lounges, storage solutions, lockers, boardroom setups,
and custom-designed reception areas.
In addition to their products, they offer services such as design consultation, CAD support, work with artists, designing for country and interior design expertise.
Winya is a national business with significant focuses on sustainability, Indigenous employment and Indigenous engagement.
Contact:
1300 184 799
