Aotea

Driven by creating jobs and opportunity for the community of Great Barrier Island, Aotea adheres to principles of Tikanga Maori, utilising age-old recipes, flaura & fauna to make a range of functional and healing herbal health products. Our brief was to draw deep within the rich toolkit of Aotea & present an unpolished oasis of authenticity. We were to use materiality & texture found on the island, and re-position ‘Remote New Zealand’ as a premium yet unfussy experience. Objects from the island were found and repurposed within the retail experience. Rusted corrugated iron formed a hand-wash basin adorned with a brass feature tap reminiscent of the DIY fish fillet station at the bach. A giant Kauri slab retrieved from a storm on the island formed the counter. Why the rich colour? Manuka grows in abundance on Aotea, it’s benefits utlisied across their core product range. Harvested by bees, the honey takes on an oozing amber tone that elicits feelings of warmth, wellness & protection. After functional aspects of the layout were considered, the concept for her jewellery emerged - ‘Dribble the space with oozing Manuka.’