Our Story

“We have a long history with wool and woollen blankets in New Zealand, from trading blankets, the integration of wool to our traditional Māori weaving and woollen blankets as common attire in the early 1800’s through to the time of the NZ Land Wars. 50 years later woollen blankets would warm and comfort our soldiers in WWI & WWII. From the New Zealand sheep boom that celebrated our shearing heritage to Nan’s itchy blanket at the homestead….here in Aotearoa, wool is a part of our story”.

Noa Blanket Co weave luxury wool blankets, made from 100% pure New Zealand wool, that share our unique stories. Intentionally drawing on Māori design, Noa blankets are crafted as a keepsake, an art form reflecting national New Zealand identity within our homes.

Consciously made in Aotearoa, Noa blankets are an opportunity to create deeper meaning to the ceremony of storytelling and gift giving, weaving the stories of our ancestors, to be shared, gifted and treasured, to remind us every day of who we are and where we come from.

Noa means neutrality, a state of freedom, free from restrictions.

Noa is more than just a blanket that can give warmth, calm a restless body and reduce anxiety, but a work of art - a taonga, a collaboration of culture and colour, a woven representation of our nation's strength and resilience.

OUR FOUNDERS

Born and raised in Tauranga, Whakaawa and Joshua Te Kani spent their upbringing immersed in the Māori culture and developed a passion for Māori language, arts and customs. While Whakaawa has an eye for design and textiles, Josh has a vast knowledge of matauranga Māori and a natural flair for sharing and applying these learnings in today’s world.

After years of preparation and planning, Whakaawa and Josh founded Noa Blanket Co in December, 2021, believing the knowledge of identity and the role it plays ensures connectedness through relationships with people and to places.

“We believe our collective stories hold the many threads that bind us to who we are and where we belong. These stories are woven together commemorating our unique identity and speak to the shared values that underpin them.We want to weave as many of our collective stories as we can - to treasure and to share.”