Kahu ki Rotorua: Whakamāua te pae tawhiti kia tata – kia tīnā! - Young, local business leader in the making

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air

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He ahakoa he kotahi tekau mā whitu noa te pakeketanga o Lahaina Kiel kua hipa noa atu ngā tau e toru a ia e waihanga, e hoko poi atu ki te ao me te mea nei ka kore te tatakutanga e pā mai ki a ia.

Nōna te whare pākihi a Poi Palace he kaupapa i whai waewae i runga i te aroha o ōna mātua a Eraia rāua ko Tania Kiel ka whakaurungia e rāua he pūtea tāti i te moemoeā o tō rāua tamāhine anei ngā hua o taua awhinatanga.

He whakaaro i pupū ake i te ngākau o tēnei tauira nō te kura o ngā tamāhine hai whakangāwari i te utu o te kura, te kapa haka me āna hākinakina huhua.

'Tūturu kia mātua mōhiohio ai kotou ko te pūtake nui hai mahi moni māku, ka rua, hai kawe i ahau ki te whare wānanga o Brigham Young i Hawai'I waihoki hai utu i taku mātauranga e whai hua ai taku tūnga ki te ātamira whakangāhau o te Polynesia Cultural Centre'.

Engari, nā te mate uruta kua whakamoea kētia tēnei huarahi.

Nā reira kua matawhāitingia ngā kanohi o Lahaina Aroha Rangikahiwa Kiel ki tētehi anō huapae moemoeā.

Ko te hokitanga tēnā ki Te Kura o Te Rautāwhiri hai taumata kotahi tekau mā toru kia oti i a ia tana mātauranga ka kōtahi atu ki te Whare wānanga o Waikato.

Nō tōna kuia a Georgina tōna ngākau pono ki te waihanga poi, ' he wahine nui te mātauranga ki te mahi poi, ka heke iho tēnā puna ki tōku māmā, nā ki ahau – kia kāua rawa e tīneia tēnei taonga tuku iho, e koa hoki ai te ngākau o te iwi ka kawengia e ahau tēnei māuri ora'

'He Māori noa te wānanga kāre e taumaha ana ka noho tahi māua ko toku māmā – nā wai rā kua tae mai te wairua o ngā tupuna'.

'Kia tika taku arero, nā wai rā ka pakeketia taku mōhiohio, whoi anō te kōrero e mea ana, kāre he mutunga o te ako kai te tika rawa tēnei mātauranga'.

'Ka ora katoa ahau i te ngākau pūare o toku māmā, mēnā ahau e pōkea ana e te mahi, e te kapa hapa e te hākinakina rānei ka hāpaingia aku ōtā e toku māmā, māna hoki e whakatika aku tākihi me ērā āhuatanga katoa o te ao pākihi'.

17 year old Lahaina Kiel runs her own Poi making business called Poi Palace located in Rotorua. Photo / Supplied

Kai te kāinga o ōna mātua a Lahaina me ōnā taina nō te kāwai rangatira o tōnā māmā ka whai pānga atu ai a Lahaina ki ngā waru pūmanawa o Te Arawa, he Ngāti Porou, he Ngāti Whare, he Ngāti Manawa, he Ngāti Awa, ā, he Ngāti Raukawa ki te Kaokaoroa o te Pātetere hoki ia.

Ki te kāwai whakapapa o tōna matua tāne, he Te Arawa, he Waikato ka oti ana, he Ngāti Kahungunu.

I whānau mai a Lahaina i Rotorua ko te reo Māori tōna arero taketake.

'He ahi kōmau tāku ki Tarimano kai reira te māuri wairua o taku whānau , te wairua toa o taku pā taunaha kia tirohia e koe te ihi o te awa ka kipakipa katoa te whatumanawa he ahakoa te kaupapa koinā taku tumu herenga waewae ki te whenua ukiuki'.

Ko te taha ki te pākihi me whakawhānui i tana titiro kia pūāwaitia

"E murakehu nei ahau me ōku whakaaro ka tae mai ngā tini oranga i a māmā i a Nan, mā tēnei ara e pai ake, mā tēnā ara pea e pai rawa atu ai – whoi anō kai te mōhio ahau ko te hokinga mai ki te whenua te oranga tika mō taku pākihi me taku kaupapa nei'.

He pai hoki ki a Lahaina ki te waihanga poi hou mā ōna tangata, he tā pikitia ki te weweru, ko te koru te tino pikitia e hiahiatia.

He poi papaku māhanga nei , he poi roa takitahi, he poi waeroa āna tini waihangatanga, whoi anō kai te pou hoko te mana. Nā te mate uruta ka āhua tataku kau tana mahi engari rā e hoki kaha mai ana ngā ōtā.

'Ko te pukamata te wāhi mahi ka hoko atu ai ki ngā tangata hiahiatia, ko te kaupapa tuatahi mā māua ko taku māmā ko te whakapūare whārangi mahi ki pukamata hai whakakitenga mā ngā pouhoko kia kite hoki ai rātou i ngā poi me ngā nama.

Ko taku kaupapa tēnei haere ake nei, ko te whāngai i tō tātou ao taketake ki te ao katoa mā te poi tēnei waka e kawe.

Eraia Kiel Jnr and his big sister Lahaina Kiel. Photo / Supplied

'E tika ana te kōrero i hinga kaha nei taku pākihi i ngā whakapōreareatanga o te mate urutā engari i ū tonu ahau ki te kaupapa matua mā te kawe atu i ngā poi ki ngā pouhoko me te tuku a karere nei e mana ai a Poi Palace'.

He pito kōrero whakamutunga nā Lahaina ki te hunga e whai whakaaro nei ki te whakaara pākihi:

"Tukua mā te kare-ā-roto koe e kawe, kāre e tino take ana te rautaki pākihi, he tohu pākihi rānei, ko te mea nui o ēnei ko tō whakapono ki tō ngākau koroingo, engari me whakapau kaha !

Ko te mana nui kai a koe – hikingia! kawengia ! whāia – whakamāua te pae tawhiti kia tata - kia tīnā !"

Lahaina Kiel is only 17 but has been in business for herself for three years, making and selling poi — and there's no sign of her slowing down.

Poi Palace is her creation, started with a loan from her parents, Eraia and Tania. That has long been repaid and her parents continue to be her biggest support.

The Rotorua Girls' High student planned her business to fund her academic, cultural and sporting endeavours.

"But really I wanted to make some money so I could study at Brigham Young University in Hawaii and help pay for my studies by performing at the Polynesian Cultural Center."

The Covid pandemic has cancelled those aspirations of the child of seasoned kapa haka performers.

So now, Lahaina Aroha Rangikahiwa Kiel has set herself new goals.

She will return to Te Kura o Te Rautāwhiri to complete Year13 and then go to the University of Waikato. Lahaina's main inspiration for poi making came from a legacy her late nanny Georgia had created.

"She was a well-known poi maker in Te Arawa, she passed those skills down to mā and later to me. I wanted to carry it on and share it with others."

There was no training as such.

"All it took was a few tutorials from mā and away I went.

"Not gonna lie it did take a few goes to perfect my technique but still to this day I am learning new tricks and tips to better my creations."

"My mā is my biggest help. When I am busy with kura, sports, or hakas she will take orders for me and make sure I am all set up with my taxes and and all that technician stuff."

Lahaina lives at home with her parents and two younger siblings. Through her mother she connects to Te Arawa Whanui, Ngāti Porou, Ngāti Whare, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Awa, me Ngāti Raukawa ki te Kaokaoroa o te Patetere. On her father's side she is Te Arawa, Waikato and Ngāti Kahungunu.

17 year old Lahaina Kiel runs her own Poi making business called Poi Palace located in Rotorua. These are samples of her crafts. Photo / Supplied

Born and raised in Rotorua, Lahaina's first language is te Reo.

"My connection to Tarimano Marae is that of an Ahi kōmau, the wairua of my whānau, the spirit of my pā and the beauty of my river reignites my ahi every single time I am there, no
matter the occasion."

So far as her business is concerned Lahaina is always looking to diversify.

"I always find myself thinking what nan or mum would do in some situations but looking into the future I am trying to find more sustainable ways to create my poi to help our environment."

Lahaina is happy to customise poi for her clients even to creating pictures on cloth. The koru is a popular choice.

She makes double short, single long and double long poi — whatever customers want.

Covid lockdowns caused a dropoff in demand but that has since rebounded.

"Facebook is where I began selling poi, mā and I had to figure out how to set up a Facebook shop, which customers can see all products and prices.

"I plan to keep making poi, and sharing our culture.

"During covid lockdown my sales did go down but I was still able to keep my business running, making more deliveries and dropping off packages to the courier."

For anyone else planning on setting up in business Lahaina has this advice:

"Passion and drive is key, you don't need a business plan, or a degree all you need is a great idea and the willingness to work hard. Anything is possible and you can accomplish it."