Our Story: A Legacy of Pounamu
For nearly five decades, the Moreton family name has been synonymous with authentic, handcrafted New Zealand greenstone. But our story begins with a single licence, a respect for the stone, and a family's enduring connection to the land of Poutini.
The Rimu Licence: A Rare Beginning
In the mid-20th century, very few licences were granted to take pounamu legally from the South Island's West Coast. The land, rugged, remote, and steeped in tradition, held its treasures close. Among the few who were entrusted with the right to source this sacred stone was Alfred Moreton, father of Moko's founder Deane Moreton.
Alfred's licence, issued for the Rimu area of the West Coast, was more than a permit. It was a recognition of responsibility. In those days, securing a licence required not just perseverance but a deep understanding of the land and a commitment to working with integrity.
The documents, signed by the Minister of Energy under the Mining Act 1971 (which governed the extraction of both gold and greenstone) remain treasured family heirlooms, tangible links to the beginning of our journey.
"The licence wasn't just about extraction," Deane reflects. "It was about respect. My father understood that pounamu isn't like other stone. It carries mana. You don't just take it- you honour it."
A Changing Landscape: The 1997 Vesting Act
The legal and cultural landscape of pounamu shifted profoundly in 1997.
With the passage of the Ngai Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act 1997, ownership of all naturally occurring pounamu within the Ngāi Tahu rohe was returned to the iwi as part of their te Tiriti o Waitangi settlement.
This was not an ending for families like the Moretons, who had worked the land for generations. It was a new beginning, a recognition that the future of pounamu lay in partnership.
Working Alongside Ngāi Tahu
Today, Moko Pounamu works alongside Ngāi Tahu to obtain material. We are proud to be part of an industry that now sees several of the major pounamu businesses in Hokitika, the jade capital of New Zealand, in iwi hands, restoring Ngāi Tahu's role as the lead in this ancestral industry.
A number of the existing boulders owned by Moko Pounamu from Alf’s original licence are registered with Ngāi Tahu. When pieces are cut and carved from these boulders, we purchase certification for individual pieces and upload the relevant details to the Ngāi Tahu Pounamu authentication scheme.
This scheme, established to combat the flood of imported jade and protect the integrity of genuine pounamu, provides each taonga with a unique traceability code.
We also purchase pounamu from Ngai Tahu directly to be carved and certified. While not all pieces on our website are certified, our customers can be confident that every piece we sell is legally obtained and genuine NZ pounamu (nephrite jade).
This code allows our customers, whether in Christchurch, Switzerland, or the United States, to identify the origin and whakapapa of the stone, how it was extracted, processed, and who the artist was that carved it.
Helping to Build the Māori Economy
Every time we sell a piece of pounamu, we are contributing to something larger than our own business. The licence fees paid to Ngāi Tahu when we purchase each code help build the Māori economy, supporting iwi development and preserving the cultural and economic future of the people of the land.
But our commitment goes deeper. For decades, as well as creating a large number of pounamu pieces himself, Deane Moreton has commissioned work from some of the finest carvers from around the country - talented artists who pour their skill, knowledge, and spiritual connection into every piece.
By providing marketing and sales channels for these carvers, we help ensure that the artistry and tradition of pounamu carving in Aotearoa is not just preserved, but flourishes.
"There's lots of talented carvers who don't have their own marketing or sales channels," Deane notes. "Now we can provide that for them while offering our customers beautiful one-off designs."
From Wholesaler to Retailer - the Pandemic Pivot
For nearly three decades, Moreton Jewellery operated primarily as a wholesaler, supplying beautiful New Zealand keepsakes to souvenir gift shops across the country.
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed New Zealand's borders in 2020, everything stopped.
"When the announcement was made that borders were closing, everything just stopped dead," Deane recalls. "People stopped ordering; the orders just stopped. Over lockdown I put a lot of thought into what I was going to do next and how I was going to keep the business going for my staff."
The answer was transformation. Moreton Jewellery pivoted to become a direct-to-consumer retailer, Moko Pounamu, launching both an e-commerce website and a bricks-and-mortar store on Durham Street in Christchurch. The response was immediate and heartening.
"There is a lovely sense of patriotism in New Zealand at the moment to support New Zealand businesses and New Zealand-made products, and we have seen that people want a piece of pounamu to give to their family members. It's not just in New Zealand either. We have had orders from Switzerland, Hungary, England, Australia and the US."
Several years later, with the border re-opened and the tourist trade largely back to the pre-Covid years, the wholesale market for pounamu has recovered and now sits alongside our retail shop and online business.
Our Commitment: Respect for the Stone, Respect for the Story
Throughout our history - from Alfred's original Seddon Terrace licence to our modern-day relationship with Ngāi Tahu - one principle has remained constant: respect.
Respect for the stone, which carries the spiritual essence of the whenua.
Respect for the carvers, whose hands and hearts transform raw material into taonga.
Respect for the iwi, who are the rightful kaitiaki of pounamu.
And respect for you, our customer, who will carry these taonga forward into the next generation.
We are proud of our history. We are honoured by our partnerships. And we are committed to ensuring that every piece of pounamu that leaves our hands does so with integrity, authenticity, and the mana it deserves.
He taonga tuku iho - a treasure handed down. This is our story, and we are grateful you are part of it.
