Linda Munn, the sole living designer of the Tino Rangatiratanga kara (flag,) and the team at Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust have teamed up with Aroha Avenue, the speciality Māori gifting company, to launch a special collaboration – the Mana Motuhake/Self Determination box.
The Mana Motuhake Box is designed to facilitate learning about Te Tiriti and what sovereignty means for Māori. This box is for everyone interested in this kaupapa. Tino Rangatiratanga products, included in the collaboration, are exclusively signed by Linda.
Aroha Avenue’s gift box concept resonates with Māori and Tāngata Tiriti audiences, as their gift boxes promote te reo Māori, and contain uncommon, yet desired products that convey deeper meanings, stories, and memories that connect people to the Māori world.
Linda says Aroha Avenue aligned with her kaupapa, as they present Māori culture and art authentically and aesthetically, while actively promoting other Māori businesses and artists/authors.
Linda and Te Tuhi Mareikura Trust are working to protect the mana of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag to ensure that Māori are always the beneficiaries of what the flag represents and that it is not misused and misappropriated.
Linda says this special collaboration ensures that these things are in place, so purchasers should know that in buying the box, you are respecting the intellectual property of the kara and supporting a kaupapa of mana motuhake, which means self-determination and control over one’s destiny.
The Tino Rangatiratanga flag is an iconic art piece that has become the most powerful symbol of Māori identity and absolute sovereignty. Designed by Linda Munn, Hiraina Marsden and Jan Smith in 1989, the flag embodies our hopes and aspirations for the betterment of Māori culture and our enhanced wellbeing.
“The kara Māori is symbolic of Mana Māori and has become a tohu of Tino Rangatiratanga to tautoko a generation and future generations of iwi, hapū, whānau and mahi kaupapa Māori,” says Linda.
Aroha Avenue founder Bridgette Tapsell says they were blown away when Julie Paama-Pengelly, from Te Tuhi Mareikura Charitable Trust (TMT), suggested the partnership.
“Julie is a highly respected tā moko practitioner, cultural artist, writer, and painter and we got chatting about things while she was doing my tā moko. To work with TMT on this project is one of our biggest honours.” says Bridgette.
TMT fosters connections between audiences and artists in the Tauranga Moana region. Julie is the chairperson and Linda is on the board.
Details of the Mana Motuhake Box:
Specially designed by Te Tuhi Mareikura artist Kereama Taepa, the gift box is conceived as a wakahuia – container for taonga and features the Tino Rangatiratanga flag.
Inside you will find exclusive Tino Rangatiratanga products signed by Linda, a Te Tiriti book, a beautifully designed drink bottle and sunscreen to keep you hydrated and sun safe when you take up the call to hikoi for the movement.
The box comes in two sizes, and retails between $150 and $200 with a percentage of profits going back into TMT’s work supporting Linda and the Tino Rangatiratanga kaupapa.
Individual products can be purchased from Aroha Avenue’s website www.arohaavenue.co.nz or www.tinorangatiratanga.nz from $20.00.
