New Zealand art and craft resources are formed by a rich supply on unique natural materials as well as tradition, innovation and modern technology.
Materials like paua, punamou and harakeke are distinctive to the land rounded up by inspiration and material of the New Zealand forest and bush paired with Maori tradition and the innovation of a multi cultural population. These are the ingredients to a New Zealand unique gift idea:
Jewellery Gift Ideas - paua shells have a most wonderful iridescent property in shades of blue, green, violet and pink. Feeding the imagination of many artists and craftsmen and women beautiful jewellery and decorative accessories are created. This secured an important place for Pauas in New Zealand’s gift industry.
Carved Bone Jewellery - Bone carvings originated from a purely functional use the fish hook. Thanks to the richness of fish the fish hooks turned out to be more little pieces of art.
Maori and their connection to whales - A strong spiritual meaning is mirrored in legends telling that whales guided and protected their ancestor’s journey to Aotearoa. Others refer to individuals that rode whales back to the mainland when trapped on an island or going overboard on a fishing trip. A bone carving of whales or dolphins commemorates this spiritual connection.
Greenstone Jewellery - Greenstone jewellery has a long tradition in New Zealand. Pounamu is the name given by Maoris. The stone was a prized possession with values above gold to the traditional Maori people. An item was used for trading, a measure of richness and a valuable heirloom.
New Zealand Flax - The three ketes of knowledge connect flax to the beginning of Maori legends. The first one was filled with the knowledge of memory, prayer, and ritual. The second kept the knowing that that is evil and harmful to mankind. The third asks to help mankind. Today flax weaving takes a central position in Maori cultural identity.
Kiwi birds are national birds to New Zealand. Few people can say to have seen one in the native bush scrub or grassland where they are at home. For many artists the birds are inspirational craft resources. In painting and photographic prints, on clothes prints, pendants, earrings, and timepieces they are seen. Almost daily everyone has one in their hands since these birds are on the one dollar coins.
The Kiwi Fruitcame from China to New Zealand and had a series of names. New Zealander named the fruit "Chinese gooseberry" until America became interested in importing the fruit and its industry name became short kiwi.
Today the popular kiwi fruit is valued for nutrition as well as for favourable ingredients gained of it to create beauty care products, and liqueur.
Sheep - The first flock of sheep came with European settlers to Lake Wairarapa in the Wellington area in 1844. By the early 1980’s more than 70 million sheep grazed on New Zealand’s farm land. The sheep stock declined to about 40 million in 2008. In 2007 New Zealand still covered 86 % of sheep meat import in Europe. Products from sheep wool
Possums - In 1837 the Australian brush tailed possum arrived at New Zealand’s shore to launch possum fur trade. Soon after the plan was abandoned the freed possums conquered New Zealand’s forest. Without natural predator a secure life with plentiful food supply lay ahead that threatens the ecological balance. This led to craft resources for merinomink used in possum products.
