Stories & Histories

Discover the remarkable 1840s attempt to export pounamu overseas. A true story of Ngāi Tahu knowledge, early trade, and New Zealand’s first mineral export.

We believe that gifting pounamu is a profound act, one that deserves to be supported by deep knowledge, genuine care, and absolute integrity. This belief is the foundation of our business, which is built on three core pillars that guide every interaction, both in our Christchurch shop and across the globe.

Discover how the koru connects nature, whakapapa and balance. Explore the living spiral of pounamu and the timeless symbolism it holds in Māori culture.

Owen Mapp is a highly regarded bone carver from Aotearoa New Zealand. At Moko Pounamu we are privileged to have some of Owen’s collection of pieces for sale in our retail shop and online. We welcome anyone who would like to come in to view the collection in person.

Choosing a piece of pounamu as a gift for a valued customer, acknowledging the achievements of a staff member or rewarding members of your team is a powerful choice.

As the Southern Hemisphere settles into winter and the nights grow longer, many New Zealanders have become familiar with watching for Matariki to signal the beginning of the Māori New Year - and a public holiday to enjoy with our families. But there's another celestial guide that deserves our attention, particularly here in the South Island: Puanga, the brilliant star that serves as an equally significant marker for this sacred time of year.

Pounamu comes in many shades and varieties. In this blog post we introduce you to all of the shades we work with, their names, where they usually come from and their characteristics. Read on.

In our latest blog, we explore the origins of hei toki, its profound meaning, and the variations crafted by our skilled artisan carvers.

For many, wearing a manaia is not just about putting on a piece of jewellery—it is about carrying a piece of spiritual protection and cultural heritage with them.

In New Zealand, the shepherd's whistle has stood the test of time as a crucial instrument in controlling sheepdogs, the indispensable partners of any kiwi shepherd or shepherdess.

The Toki is a symbol of courage, strength, determination and authority, given as a gift to represent these things, and to honour the recipients' mana (pride).

At Moko Pounamu, we love to welcome customers into our greenstone shop in Durham Street, Christchurch. Browse and learn about the history of pounamu and the meaning of our carvings.

Stories from Ben Brown about his experiences growing up with weaving harakeke (flax) and his mother teaching him the techniques used by Māori in Aotearoa.

Discovering the meaning of the intricate shapes and designs incorporated into Māori carving provides insight into the history of Aotearoa. Ben Brown shares his knowledge with us.

Ben Brown shares more about the various design elements incorporated into Māori carving and their meanings. Find out more.

Pounamu is without doubt a great taonga - a ‘treasure’ of the highest order. And we haven’t even touched on the incredible utility of this legendary stone. Tools. Weapons. Ritual pieces. Personal adornments of inimitable beauty and great value.

Hei tiki are multifaceted taonga. A hei tiki is an image carved in human form that is worn suspended around the neck as a pendant. Moko Pounamu also sells Tiki sculptures.

The second most common shape found in pounamu carvings is the koru, so we have created a post about the meaning of koru and why it’s such a popular pounamu design. In te reo Māori, the word ‘koru’ means fold, loop or coil. It is also the name of a curled shoot, on a ponga tree for example.

The underlying story of harakeke is suggested in the name of the juvenile plant; the seedling, which is called Te Awhi Rito. Rito is the new shoot. Te Awhi - the supporting embrace.

Toi Whakairo - the carving arts - can be observed in virtually every aspect of traditional Māori society and arrangement adorning both the great and the mundane with symbolism, meaning and spiritual utility.

Alf Moreton, the father of Moko Pounamu's founder Deane Moreton, tells his story of moving from working with schist to pounamu on the West Coast of New Zealand, founding the Hokitika Jade company.

Losing a gifted pounamu can be very upsetting, particularly when it comes from a class of students to their teacher. At Moko we were able to create a new piece to replace one that was lost.

The art of stone carving is passed down between generations. “As a carver, I recognize that once I work the stone, I become part of its journey and evolution through time. What I create will survive well beyond me.”

n Te Ao Māori - the Māori World - particularly in pre- European times, the health and wellbeing of an individual might be regarded as an indication of the state of that person’s engagement or relationship with their immediate environment or the wider world around them. Illnesses and ailments could be seen as a clear sign of some imbalance between the whole of the individual, that is the emotional/physical/spiritual self and the physical/spiritual realms wherein he or she exists on a day-to-day basis.

Victorian Colonial Jewellery & Pounamu: Part one.

In Māori, the word ‘matau’ means fish hook. ‘Hei’ indicates that the matau hangs around the neck. For Māori there is a special connection to the fish hook design because according to Māori legend, the North Island of New Zealand was once a fish, and was caught and brought up to the surface by Maui.

Now let’s look at the science. What we know about pounamu/greenstone and its origins from the Mother Earth is that it is a metamorphic rock - that is to say rock which has been formed through tremendous heat and pressure - and evidently came into contact with various minerals which gave it certain properties. Geologists have been able to determine that a series of events which defined certain eras in geological history resulted in rock formations which had been lifted, depressed, mixed with other rocks, enveloped in swamplands, covered in limestone and heated under pressure (not necessarily in that order). Given the unique combination of locations - being South Westland as we know it today - and surrounding materials and minerals, all of this rocky business resulted in Pounamu. Lucky us, we say. Bands of pounamu formations, which tend to run in a north-easterly direction, consist mainly of dunite and similar olivine rock, serpentine, talc formations and actinolite. The addition of other minerals explains why these formations are often referred to as a mineral belt. Pounamu/greenstone is classified as a semi-precious gemstone. This is because it has some of the qualities of precious gemstones, but at the end of the day… it’s still a rock. A beautiful one at that!

All of the pieces that we have for sale in our shop are striking in their own ways, but there’s something rather special about pieces carved from Aotea stone. We have several pieces showcasing this rare and precious stone. Aotea stone is sometimes called bluestone because - yep, you guessed it - it has a distinctive b

Geologists have been able to determine that a series of events which defined certain eras in geological history resulted in rock formations which had been lifted, depressed, mixed with other rocks, enveloped in swamplands, covered in limestone and heated under pressure (not necessarily in that order). Given the unique combination of locations - being South Westland as we know it today - and surrounding materials and minerals, all of this rocky business resulted in Pounamu. Lucky us, we say. One of the most common misconceptions about pounamu/greenstone is that it’s all green. While imported stone varieties that are commonly known as jade tend to be more green and have less variety in their shades, New Zealand pounamu comes in a range of shades from dark, opaque black to milky, translucent grey and just about everything in between! Bands of Pounamu formations, which tend to run in a north-easterly direction, consist mainly of dunite and similar olivine rock, serpentine, talc formations and actinolite. The addition of other minerals explains why these formations are often referred to as a mineral belt. Although rocks of similar qualities have been found further afield, it is widely accepted that Pounamu is found throughout Westland’s alluvial glacial moraines. Also known as part of the Southern Alps - and following a gigantic fault line which creates the backbone of the South Island. The main historical gathering places are between Greymouth and Hokoitka. Just exactly where certain varieties and types of stone originated from remains a mystery, locked away in a distant past, when all was upthrust and under ice. Specifically speaking, the boundaries of pounamu discoveries are from Taramakau River in the north, the foothills of the Southern Alps in the east, Hokitika River in the south and various coastal locations in the west - owing to rocks being brought down rivers and then deposited on beaches along the West Coast. The most important things to know about the discovery and distribution of pounamu are: Any member of the public is allowed to fossick for pounamu on the beaches of the West Coast of the South Island and they can take what they find as long as they can carry it on their person without assistance If raw pounamu is discovered outside the areas open to public fossicking and/or is larger than what one person can carry, it is the property of Te Runanga o Ngāi Tahu and should be notified to the Pounamu Management Officer immediately At Moko Pounamu we have a longstanding and vested interest in the discovery and sustainability of pounamu, and we thoroughly enjoy inspecting any new pieces of stone that come through our doors. *referenced from the Pounamu Management Plan https://Ngāitahu.iwi.nz/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Pounamu.pdf