Ngā wai koiora: Behind the weave

Nov 01, 2024

Kōmanawa mai ai ngā wai koiora nō tuawhenua, mai i ngā ngā punawai ki ngā kōawaawa, pūheke mai ki ngā tāhuna, ka puta ki waho rā ki te moana.

Taku wai koiora e rere nei!

Water is life.

Imbued into our local proverbs and knowledge systems, our ancestors encoded the environment (and all within it) as a single living entity. Its head to the hinterland, its feet reaching out to sea, and the flow of water as its lifeblood. Springing forth from the navel of the earth, vitality flows through the land, with streams and rivers likened to veins and other waterways as arteries, carrying the nutrients needed to sustain life, as it flows to the ocean.

Mai i ngā kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa, ko au te awa, ko te awa ko au. From the mountains to the sea, I am the river and the river is me.

As people with an affinity with the water, this description identifies the inherent, reciprocal and interdependent relationship we have with our local environment. As I am derived from the wai, to the wai I will return.

This blanket design speaks to the cycles of water, acknowledging its immense value as the lifeblood of our world. A reminder of our inherent connection and responsibility to our springs, rivers and oceans. To consistently return to flowing waters, to be rejuvenated and restored by them, and reciprocate the value of care given to us, by actively caring for and protecting them. When the water is well, the land is well, the people are well.

E kore a Parawhenua e haere ki te kore a Rakahore. Water does not emerge from the earth or flow well without the guidance of rocks.

Just as we are guided by our values, the promise of ascending lofty mountain peaks with the fortitude developed in the valleys of our world, we flow more freely throughout life when we are supported.

The aorangi side borders of this kaitaka inspired design reflects the source of water, as it flows from mountain springs, into streams and rivers passing through valleys below.

The main decorative border is a stylized aramoana pattern, a common recurring motif depicting the ocean, navigation, migration and wayfaring, and also to bid good tidings upon our journeys. The variations across the border are a reflection of ‘ngā ia taiheke’ a term to reflect the movements of the tide; taipari, taitimu, tai mānunu, tai pakoa, forever ebbing and flowing. Revealing the permanence of change in the cycles of water and te māramataka, the lunar cycle, affirming the seasonal nature of life. There’s a right tide and right time for everything.

As people wrap themselves in this blanket, they embody the resonance of the environment as a single entity. Ngā wai koiora, the lifeblood that binds all together, flowing and sustaining life, from head to toe. A woven reflection of the cycles of water and our innate capacity to be regenerated by and actively care for the wellbeing of water.

Ngā wai koiora is one of three new designs in our Limitless range, launching on Friday 01.11.24