Emma Conyngham’s Kabul factory faces strain from high air freight costs
A $287,250 Air Freight Bill Threatens Kabul Factory
Sustainable holiday product enterprise Waste Free Celebrations is facing severe financial strain as soaring air freight expenses threaten the survival of its manufacturing operations in Taliban-controlled Kabul, the NZ Herald reported.
Logistical barriers have sent operational costs climbing. According to the NZ Herald, the company’s air freight bill reached $287,250 this year.
From Wānaka Market Stall to Export Operation
Founded by Aucklander Emma Conyngham, the business produces reusable Christmas crackers, fabric gift bags in seven sizes, and wrapping cloths for Hanukkah and Diwali to eliminate single-use gift paper and plastic landfill waste. What began as a home-sewn market stall in Wānaka in 2020 expanded into an export operation after online sales surged. Following a suggestion from Conyngham’s sister-in-law, who worked at the Māngere Refugee Resettlement Centre, the company began employing Afghan women needing work.
Today, business partner Rahila Sayed oversees the factory in a large, converted mansion in the Afghan capital, employing 34 women who are widows or have disabled husbands. The enterprise won the top award at the Clean + Conscious 2026 Sustainability & Social Impact Awards, alongside a gold award and editor’s choice for its reusable Christmas crackers.
Air Freight Replaces Shipping Amid Border and Power Disruptions
With the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan closed alongside the Strait of Hormuz, container shipping has become impossible. The business relies entirely on expensive air freight to deliver goods to New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and Britain. Additional expenses compounded when Customs and Border Protection at JFK Airport in New York intercepted an air-freighted container, charging US$13,000 to release it.
Power cuts frequently halt operations at the Kabul factory for most of the day, disabling sewing machines, water pumps, and Wi-Fi. The enterprise installed a solar system, but panels regularly overheat or run out of power. Paperwork is also labor-intensive, requiring manual stamps and signatures in person across multiple government departments. In one instance, securing two signatures took eight hours.
Living Under Taliban Rule and False ISIS Accusations
The company employs one male staff member, Noori, to handle tasks requiring a man's presence or signature, including driving the female employees to and from work in a company van to comply with travel restrictions.
Operations faced a major scare when a defensive Pakistani cotton mill supplier falsely reported Conyngham and Sayed to the Taliban as ISIS operatives following a commercial dispute over unusable fabric. Sayed discovered the accusation when an online shipment code was rejected by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.
Richard Bennett, a New Zealand national and the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, noted that while the Taliban regime enforces severe restrictions on women and girls—banning them from universities, NGOs, government roles, and professional jobs—private sector employment is permitted. Bennett stated that providing fair employment to Afghan women is positive, though he acknowledged that Pakistan’s border blockades are deliberately designed to pressure the Taliban by stifling the economy.
The Search for New Premises in Kabul
With the land currently housing the factory requisitioned by government administration, Noori is searching for new premises to rent in Kabul while Sayed takes a break in Auckland. Conyngham continues to bankroll the operation from New Zealand, awaiting a potential reopening of the Pakistan border to resume sea freight through Karachi.