Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro nōnā te ngahere, ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga nōnā te ao.
The forest belongs to the bird who feasts on the miro berry, the world belongs to the bird who feasts on education.
Rerehua Boutique was born out of our passion for te reo Māori and mātauranga. The taonga we create focus on empowering the language and cultural knowledge. As second language learners, we are always looking for the opportunity to learn and develop.
Many of our pieces feature whakataukī, these are proverbs and sayings that offer a glimpse into an indigenous worldview and cultural concepts that relate to topics like whānau, aroha, the environment and politics. Traditional sayings or quotes are one of the best ways to learn and gain an insight into a culture.
Other pieces feature significant symbols and images that are meaningful and reflect historical events, or cultural knowledge and concepts. These include the Māori flags, the huia feather, Polynesian motifs and representation of kaitiaki.
Wearing Rerehua taonga allows you to engage with the culture everyday, at mahi, at home, at the gym or on a night out. The pieces are created to be versatile and adaptive for different environments. The stainless steel material is also durable, waterproof, hypoallergenic and perfect for sensitive skin. Here are some of our favourite creations so far;
Tino Series:
- A series dedicated to indigenous sovereignty
- Tino Rangatiratanga flag - designed in 1989 by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Dobson and Linda Munn
- He Whakaputanga - Declaration of Independence 1835
- Koha given to a range of iwi and community initiatives
Mauri Ora:
- Mauri Tū, Mauri ora - An active soul is a healthy soul
- A range dedicated to hauora - health and wellbeing
- Koha given to the I AM Hope organisation to provide counselling to youth
Hawaiki Series:
- An ode to our Polynesian origins and the homelands of Hawaiki
- This range features a fusion of Polynesian and Māori designs to reflect the narratives of navigation and the connection between Aotearoa (NZ) and the Pacific Islands
- Proceeds are donated to the BBM organisation led by community leader David Letele
Whakataukī / Reo pieces:
- A range of taonga that feature proverbs and meaningful words;
- Kia kaha, kia māia, kia manawanui = Be strong, be brave, be steadfast
- Tū whitia te hopo = Feel the fear and do it anyway
- Hoki ki tōu maunga = Return to your mountain
- Tūrou Hawaiki = May the force be with you
- Kaitiaki = Guardian
- He aroha mutunga kore = An endless love
- He kākano ahau = I am a seed from the heavens
Huia:
- Our first piece featuring the Huia feather is the fedora pōtae (hat)
- The Huia is a precious manu (bird) and the feathers represent mana, nobility and leadership
- We are currently working on adding to the Huia line.
We love to create pieces that offer an opportunity to celebrate, to learn, and to encourage conversation. Many of our collections allow us to raise proceeds for a range of community initiatives. Although we are a small whānau business, we try to sew back into the community when we can. We often get daily and weekly requests for donations of products or pūtea, while we would love to fulfil every request we have to be mindful and maintain practices that are sustainable for the pakihi.
Our tūpuna might never have dreamed of such an era, where we can work alongside other pakihi Māori and artists to raise the profile of the Māori language and culture to the masses! They did the hard yards so we could thrive in this space.. kei wareware tātou.
‘Remember the soil of your ancestors, and the dreams of your mokopuna’
