west coast

Mahi toi: the West Coast carver connecting through craft with Te Ao Māori

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“Kia ora, ko Haylie toku ingoa.” Haylie Fry of A Slice of Poutini is a self-taught carver living in Te Tai Poutini, the West Coast. In Māori tradition, you should not carve or buy a pounamu item for yourself – it should be gifted, in the same way the stone has been gifted to us from the land. Haylie sees her creative journey as one of both receiving and giving, connecting with Te Ao Māori through mahi toi, her craft, giving back to her community, and supporting her tamariki, who whakapapa to Ngāi Tahu.

Lasting essentials: a West Coast leatherworker’s pursuit of quality form and function

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Qi Huang of Coast Craft started teaching herself the art of making beautiful, durable wallets and cardholders in 2018, working at her kitchen table in Franz Josef. Her leather goods are built with care to be accessible, functional, and long-lasting essentials that age gracefully and uniquely to every owner. These days she does have a dedicated workspace, which she describes as “my spaceship in the universe.”

Harvesting wild roses – the natural evolution of Fox River Bath Company

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Harvesting wild roses – the natural evolution of Fox River Bath Company

Life has been busy of late for Fiona McDonald of the Fox River Bath Company on the South Island’s West Coast. Teaching her child via correspondence school, attending the Co-Starters Business course at Westport, and preparing for markets, along with running not one but two businesses – it’s enough to make her realise it is time to take it back a notch and focus on doing less, but doing it even better.