Manawa - from the heart

This is a Portrait of an Indigenous Honey Company.

In a category crowded with honeys from New Zealand, this taonga from the other worldly Te Urewera forest has not truly being seen, heard, nor reached the right people globally. We wanted to change that by helping their launch into the USA via Amazon.com

Founded by the Tūhoe Tuawhenua Trust, holding 9000 hectares of bush-clad lands about Ruatāhuna. They aim to sustainably manage the land and resources of the region for the benefit of current and future generations.

“Everything we do is about restoring our land, our people and our ways - honey is the way to do that. But the ultimate objective is to stay connected to the forest. It's a relationship shared through the generations. We're doing business because of this.”  Brenda Tahi - Chief Executive Officer, Manawa Honey NZ

Manawa, the brand name, means heart in te reo Māori – so the images need to come ‘from the heart’ and feel unapologetically Māori and Kaupapa driven. We needed to take the viewer into the world of Manawa to feel the presence of the environment and the true energy of the people and their purpose.

“In 2014, after 180 years of Tūhoe resistance, a groundbreaking New Zealand law granted legal personhood, with all its rights and responsibilities, to this rainforest, Te Urewera, the spiritual homeland of the Tūhoe people.”

The work resists usual ‘honey company’ tropes, allowing the truth of place and people to shape every frame. Broad in scope, the project highlights an incredible ngahere or forest so sacred it is the first natural feature in the world to be recognised as a living entity.

The honey itself is positioned as a carrier of hopes, traditions, and economic opportunities for both the people and place. An indigenous honey company that showcases the full spectrum of taonga species - Kānuka, Tāwari, Rewarewa and Pua ā Tāne – reflecting a holistic and delicious ‘forest print’ every season not solely focussing on the well known hero that is Mānuka honey.


Project Direction
Discovery
Tone of Voice
Videography
Photography