Wāhine Māori Making Their Mark in Piripaane

My name is Bonnie Baty. After being featured in Toru Magazine, I wanted to compile an article on wāhine Māori in business residing in the Piripaane, Brisbane and Te Tai Koura, Gold Coast regions.

This is but a fraction of local wāhine toa who inspire me and are an asset to the thriving Māori economy.

We pay our respects to the Jaggera and Yugambeh nations, the land we reside in, its elders and communities past, present, and future.

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He uri ahau nō te riu o Waikato, nō Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura, Ngāti Māhanga me Ngāti Raukawa

Ko Mihikore Nolan-Davis tōku ingoa

I am a wahine Māori living in Australia, an entrepreneur, a partner and Māmā to three Australian-born tamariki. My pakihi Māpihi & Co. was established three years ago after giving birth to our youngest pēpi (baby) during the peak of Covid-19 in 2020. 

The effects of lockdowns and being disconnected from our whānau and home became the driving force and motivation for my mahi. Māpihi & Co. is an Online Pēpi Gift Store based in Australia. Everything is thoughtfully designed and lovingly handmade in our humble whare.

Our purpose and vision are centred on inspiring and empowering whānau to embrace the influences of te ao Māori in the lives of their pēpi. With our collection of taonga, I hope to instil a sense of connection and pride among our customers, regardless of where they are.

Our diverse collection of taonga includes pēpi gift and keepsake boxes specially curated for girls and boys, or gender-neutral, along with pēpi onesies, bibs, pois, and more. We offer shipping to locations such as Aotearoa, Australia, USA, and Canada.

My upbringing in kōhanga reo and kura kaupapa has been instrumental in shaping my identity and guiding me in understanding my place in the world and the importance of preserving our culture and taonga tuku iho. Though I am living abroad and away from home, I draw inspiration from the resilience and wisdom of our tūpuna, knowing that their sacrifices have paved the way for the opportunities and experiences I have today. Their strength and commitment to preserving our culture motivate me to carry their legacy and pass it on to the next generation.

 I take pride in being a custodian of our culture. My pakihi serves as a platform to share the richness of our taonga tuku iho and an opportunity to showcase the beauty of our traditions and educate and raise awareness about our Māori roots.

As a wahine Māori entrepreneur, my journey is beyond running a successful business; it is about giving back to our community and empowering others, especially those living abroad, to embrace their cultural identity.

I am dedicated to providing platforms and resources that connect people to our traditions, language, and values. I envision a future where Māori living abroad can confidently embrace their heritage, knowing they are part of a thriving and proud global Māori community.

Website: https://www.mapihiandco.com

IG: https://www.instagram.com/mapihi.and.co/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/mapihi.and.co

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He uri ahau nō Ngāti Ranginui, Ngāi Tūhoe me Ngāpuhi

Ko Tia Kershaw tōku ingoa

I am a Contemporary Māori Artist and owner of Toi by Teez K, a Brisbane based pakihi. I specialise in, but am not limited to, making handmade and small-batch clay earrings. My whānau moved from Tauranga to Australia when I was 12 years old, and Brisbane has become my home away from home. I met and married my husband Tamou Kershaw here, and we have four tamariki. I’ve been a stay-at-home māmā for many years, and now that our children are older, I’ve been able to devote more time to doing things I enjoy.

A few years back, I became obsessed with watching polymer clay artists create incredibly intricate earrings; the entire process and attention to detail fascinated me. I was inspired. After much trial and error, I found my style and learned techniques which are showcased throughout my creations. I draw inspiration from te taiao, my cultural heritage, my love for my homeland and most importantly, ‘he tangata, he tangata, he tangata’. My work tells stories of old and new with a contemporary take on traditional taonga, patterns and various aspects of Māoritanga.

A recent highlight of mine was being selected as a finalist in this year’s Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Award. I chose to memorialise my great great grandmother Tōwai Aporo Cairns nee Taiapo, the first of my ancestors I have seen with moko kanohi.

This was my first attempt at making something other than earrings; what a cheek, I know, but somehow, she came together seamlessly. It was like my tūpuna took the wheel for real, guiding me every step of the way. The entire experience was rewarding and one I am very proud of.

My ultimate goal in the creative space is to set myself apart and be different and unique in what I offer the world through my creations. As for the future, I’ve always seen what I do as a form of rongoa for the soul. I create because I find joy in it. I can see the potential for expansion into different products and am hopeful for what the future holds for my little business.

Website: www.toibyteez.com

Instagram: @toi_by_teezk

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Ko Ngati Kahu me Ngāti Porou ōku iwi

Ko Dawn Priestley tōku ingoa

I started my first business, Whakamana Wāhine, shortly after arriving in Australia. The kaupapa was a wahine empowerment movement focusing on Self Love and Self-Healing. I then started Kura Kāinga Care, offering child-care services to provide education and care options to the Māori community in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

This involved creating and selling educational resource boxes to engage whanau and tamariki in te ao Māori. A recent success is that I have achieved provider approval to now open and operate family daycare centres across Queensland.

Further to this, I run a business networking group called Mana Wahine in Business, a safe space to connect in person with other wahine Māori to learn and grow together on our business journeys.

My inspiration is my two tamariki. As a single māmā, raising them from babies into their teens has motivated me to be the best version of myself. To show them that you never have to settle for anything in life and that you are the creator of your reality.

What keeps me balanced as a wahine Māori is trusting that my tūpuna always guide me to the opportunities, blessings, and lessons I need. In business, this provides that sense of flowing through life rather than pushing for results and enjoying the journey, not just the final destination.

Website: www.kurakaingacare.com

IG: kurakaingacare

FB: Kura Kāinga Care

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Ko Panguru me Hikurangi ōku maunga

Ko Whakarapa me Waiapu ōku awa

Ko Horouta me Ngatokimatawhaorua ōku waka

Ko Ngati Oneone me Ngati Wai ōku hapu

Ko Te Rarawa me Ngāti Porou ōku iwi

Ko Arihia Chen tōku ingoa

I am the owner and operator of DOSI BY TOTORU, which I founded with my best friend five years ago. We offer a range of gifts, from clothing to earrings, bags and blankets with a kaupapa Māori influence. DOSI was born out of a desire to find kākahu that best represented what we sought style-wise and our aroha for being Māori.

A highlight for me this year was having some of my bag range available in Aotearoa through Adrienne Whitewood’s stores. I took a risk and got a reward, and the best thing I got out of it was my whānau seeing my brand. The pieces in our product ranges are all inspired by and tell a story about whānau.

I am a multiple business owner and entrepreneur with a mission to tautoko, motivate and inspire. I see my life purpose as a wahine toa and someone who genuinely has the aroha to help others. I started with nothing but found a strategy that worked and realised I could multiply it in diverse ways.

My other businesses include TOTORU BMC (Business Management Consultants), catering to businesses from start-up to the beginning stages of growth. As a culturally diverse business, we cater to Māori, Pacific and mainstream markets in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

I also run POIPOI COLLECTIVE, which is focused on rangatahi with troubled backgrounds who require support with discrimination. These are my primary businesses. I have staff across all three, and I aim to see them all functioning autonomously and independently.

As a wahine Māori, some of my greatest influences were Dame Whina Cooper whose younger sister happens to be my great-grandmother. Rose Pere and her husband, Joe. Also, Carol Marino and Aunty Winnie Jardine, the first wahine Māori vice chancellor at Te Herenga Waka University.

Website: www.dosibytotoru.com

FB: @DOSIbyTotoru

Instagram: @totorubmc

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Ko Ngāti Porou me Rongowhakaata ōku iwi

Ko Mau Caldwell Brooking tōku ingoa

I own and operate Mauri Moods, which offers luxury hand-poured infused candles, native plant medicine, workshops and healing services. Mauri Moods is about enlightenment. Our purpose is to awaken and effect spiritual consciousness and awareness by using ancient traditional Māori teachings and philosophies handed down through our tūpuna to ground us within today’s modern world. I started small with healing tools, small products, candles and rongoa, then quickly developed the hauora side of the business, offering a range of modalities to our people.

I have lived in Australia for the past 12 years with my family. I was inspired to create the business, knowing I was away from home and feeling the call to connect with mātauranga Māori. I was aware of how disconnected and mamae whānau Māori were feeling.

It was my own upbringing and healing journey that led me to work in a healing-focused kaupapa. I was in the space of needing to heal my past traumas and I navigated through my challenges by nurturing my taha wairua. After attending some healing sessions, a spark was ignited, and I knew this was the path I was meant to be on. Although raised in te ao Māori, I still felt disconnected due to traumatic experiences as a child and young adult. Over time, I felt drawn to help others I encountered with similar experiences.

The main highlights for me as a wahine Māori being in business are the opportunity for whakawhanaungatanga, making connections with our whanau here, and other pakihi Māori. The formation of many of those relationships has strongly influenced the development of Mauri Moods and the provision of a positive mental health and well-being space for Māori or ngā iwi katoa.

Website: www.maurimoods.com

Facebook: Mauri Moods Healing

Instagram: @mauri_moods