Pania Roa and Mark Lander. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika
Pania Roa and Mark Lander. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika
When Mark Lander heard about the strains and injuries kaiaranga (weavers) suffered while preparing harakeke for weaving - he wanted to find a solution.
The South Island paper-making engineer-artist has invented a flax-stripping machine and gifted it to a Rotorua charity so it could continue its work addressing funeral poverty.
The charity, Te Atawhai Aroha, is a charitable trust that supports people who are going through death, dying and grieving.
Lander's machine - called the "swamp creature" - was inspired by the injuries he heard about during a 2015 conference in Rotorua.
The conference pulled together many people who worked with harakeke - weavers, rongoa and artists.
Harakeke paper in the frames, drying in the sun at the Village Arts Centre.
Swamp creature was the sixth iteration of his invention and it has been gifted to Pania Roa of Te Atawhai Aroha.
Roa said she planned to use swamp creature to make the large shrouds.
She said many families were suffering due to funeral poverty and with Work and Income grants, about $2600, would only cover a portion of the cost of saying goodbye to a loved one.
"There is a lot of pōhara [poverty-stricken] people - both Pākehā and Māori.
"People can't afford funerals these days. So making shrouds enables our community to be able to cope with the debt of coffins - which are from $1000 to $3000 and a funeral is about $10,000 minimum."
Roa said when people make their own shrouds, they have a connection to it.
"The experience of making a shroud for the loved ones is more meaningful. Whānau can add their aroha and manaakitanga to the making of it," she said.
Lander said his machine had reduced the 48-hour flax preparation usually required for a kopaki, to four hours.
"It's remarkable. She put through 250 leaves in the first few days," Lander said.
"She can now get on with the creative work that she loves doing, which is weaving."
Lander said his harakeke paper complements Roa's raranga - she makes whāriki kopaki (woven mats).
"The difference is, that instead of taking a whole week to recover from sore shoulders, she can happily cater for more people."
Pania Roa with 'swamp creature'. Photo / Tamara Poi-Ngawhika
Lander acknowledged the reverence of harakeke in te ao Māori.
"It's an absolute privilege to share knowledge with Māori. It's so special.
"Harakeke paper is a new use for a traditional Māori medium.
"Harakeke paper is the bridge between the indigenous materials of New Zealand which have been traditionally used by Māori and the more European knowledge of paper-making.
