The Living Spiral: How the Koru Connects Nature, Whakapapa and Balance
The koru is one of the most recognised forms in Māori art, a soft spiral that feels both ancient and alive. Its lines are simple, yet its meaning runs deep, carrying generations of wisdom about how we grow, connect, and live in balance with the world around us.
At first glance, the koru represents the unfurling frond of the native ponga fern, capturing that perfect moment when new life begins. But to understand the koru only as a symbol of growth is to see just one part of its story.
Within Te Ao Māori, the koru reflects the interconnected flow of life itself - a continuous movement linking people to nature, to their ancestors, and to the generations yet to come.
Nature in Motion
In the natural world, nothing stands still. The spiral of the koru captures that movement - the cycle of birth, growth, maturity, and renewal. Each curve of the form speaks of energy that never truly ends, only changes.
When carved from pounamu, this sense of movement becomes something you can hold in your hand. The depth of the stone, its light and shadow, its smoothness and strength, all remind us that life is both delicate and enduring.
The koru form in pounamu holds the stillness of stone and the vitality of nature in one piece, a harmony of opposites.
Whakapapa: The Line That Connects Us
The spiral of the koru can also be seen as a visual expression of whakapapa, the Māori concept of genealogy and connection. Every part of the koru flows from its centre - a single point of origin that extends outward, just as each generation grows from those before it.
This is why the koru often carries such personal meaning for its wearer. It can represent family, ancestry, or the beginning of a new chapter in life but always as part of a larger story.
A koru carved from pounamu may be gifted to celebrate the arrival of a child, a new relationship, or a milestone achievement, each one marking growth, continuity, and belonging.
Finding Balance in a Changing World
The koru’s graceful symmetry reminds us of balance between people and the environment, between giving and receiving, between what is past and what is still unfolding.
In Te Ao Māori, wellbeing comes from harmony with the world around us. The koru embodies this principle: its outer curve reaches forward into new possibilities, while its inner coil returns inward, drawing strength from its source.
In a world that often moves too fast, the koru invites us to pause and reconnect - to breathe, reflect, and find steadiness in change.
A Symbol Alive in Every Form
From the intricate designs of traditional carving to the modern koru pendants created at Moko Pounamu, this symbol continues to evolve. Every carver brings their own interpretation, but each koru retains that same heartbeat - a reminder of nature’s rhythm, of continuity, and of peace.
Whether gifted as a taonga or worn as a personal symbol, a pounamu koru carries the quiet power of renewal. It speaks of growth grounded in connection — a living spiral that binds us to the land, to each other, and to the endless unfolding of life itself.
Discover our Koru Collection
Explore Moko Pounamu’s range of handcrafted koru pendants and sculptures, each carved with respect for tradition and inspired by the living energy of Aotearoa.
Our carvers have created koru taonga from pounamu and bone, single and double koru designs and open and closed koru. You can browse some of the collection below or go straight into the shop section of our site to see more.
Moko Pounamu Knowledge Library
