Ko te manu e kai ana i te miro, nōna te ngahere.
Ko te manu e kai ana i te mātauranga, nōna 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 further.
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 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 whether it's at mahi, at home, at the gym or 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 ideal for sensitive skin. Here are some of our favourite creations so far:
- 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 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
- 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
- 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
- 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've also released our Kaitiaki Bomber Jacket that features two Huia feathers designed on the back
We love to create pieces that offer an opportunity to celebrate, learn, and 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 requests for donations of products or pūtea, and while we would love to fulfil every request, we have to be mindful and maintain practices that are sustainable for our 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.