Seduced by Pounamu

At our staff hui this week we had a presentation of one of our initiatives from Murihiku,

Gavin Thomson received Whānau Ora investment, to support those with intergenerational trauma through the development of carving skills. The Assessment Panel had believed that the idea of preserving and passing on carving knowledge was very positive.

Gavin has been supported by Hokonui Rūnanga to follow through on his dream, “I started carving by hand instead of power tools. I used sand stone and old stone rasps and files in a similar manner as our Tupuna would have carved. I finished the pieces with many laborious hours of hand sanding and hand polishing.

I have been interested in pounamu from a young age.

At age six I found my first piece of pounamu at our whānau beach Whareakeake. It presented itself to me after a sun shower a bright green piece of stone glistening on the white sand so out of place almost as if it were a piece of plastic. And from that point of I was fully seduced by pounamu.”