Ngai Tahu Pounamu

Ngai Tahu (the Ngai Tahu Maori tribe) are the Kaitiaki (guardians) of Pounamu (greenstone) found in Te Waipounamu - the South Island of New Zealand.  No-one else can extract it.

In order to protect pounamu in a sustainable and responsible way for future generations, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu have developed an authentication system to certify their products made from genuine New Zealand greenstone.

All Ngai Tahu Authenticated Pounamu shows the registered trademark and carries a unique traceability code that identifies the origin and whakapapa (genealogy) of the stone; how it was extracted and processed; and who the artist is that carved it.  This system guarantees that the stone has been extracted by legitimate means and has been treated using appropriate cultural values.

What we stock

If you want New Zealand greenstone, select only from the Genuine NZ Greenstone section.  Some of the stone will have been purchased from Ngai Tahu, but they do not provide certification to carvers who carve for other than Ngai Tahu.  And some of the stone used is stone stockpiled before Ngai Tahu took over guardianship of the stone.

Why don't we stock Ngai Tahu pounamu necklaces?  We used to, in the first year that Ngai Tahu started their authentication.  But after that first year, we weren't happy with the quality of the stone used in the necklaces.  So if you want to purchase a Ngai Tahu necklace, please deal with them directly.