The Centre of Research Excellence: Indigenous Sovereignty & Smoking is a Research Centre that focuses on the effects of smoking and smoking addiction on Indigenous peoples. The centre is founded and run by Marewa Glover (Ngā Puhi). Her research approach is based in Māori methods and is sympathetic with other Indigenous frameworks. In 2019, she was a New Zealander of the Year finalist because of the contributions her research has made. 

The brief was to design a uniquely Aotearoa gift pack that the research centre could gift to global Indigenous research partners. The gift had to be special but compact enough to travel with internationally. 

Our approach was to create a taonga that spoke to the Research Centre’s kaupapa and shared Māori wisdom with other Indigenous cultures to strengthen international bonds. 

We teamed up with master carver Brian Flintoff to create 20 custom porotiti, a form of taonga pūoro, a Māori singing treasure (or musical instrument). Alongside Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns, Brian Flintoff was one of the key figures in the revitalisation of traditional Māori instruments in the 1990s. 

Alongside their musical use, porotiti can be worn as a necklace / pendant and have medicinal qualities. They belong to the instrument family of Tāwhirimatea, linked to wind, air and breath. 

Traditionally, when played, they help to clear blocked airways and ease breathing issues. Nowadays, their soothing vibrations can also be used to help ease cigarette and nicotine cravings. 

A key characteristic of taonga pūoro is that each instrument is recognised as an individual, with each individual having their own distinct voice. With this in mind, taonga pūoro cannot be mass-produced. We worked with Brian to make sure that each of our porotiti were individually crafted by hand from pōhutukawa, ensuring each had a unique voice.

With Brian’s blessing, we adorned the taonga with the Research Centre’s raupo pattern, a contemporary Māori brand pattern we created for the centre that references the Okura Long Bay and Torbay area in Tāmaki Makaurau, where the centre is situated. 

The porotiti is gifted with an explanation card, contained within a bag that also features the raupo pattern. The card features a karakia and an explanation of the porotiti.  

Ahakoa he iti, he pounamu

Although small, it is precious