Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Click here for English translation
Ko tēnei mihimihi e kōrerotia nei ko te Chapter One Boutique kua momona i ngā tini tangata nā te mate uruta hai tōna tangata hautu a Jacinda Bennett kai te korokoro a ia e pōteretere ana.
"Kua puta mai te iwi ki te tautoko i ngā pākihi rikiriki pēnei i ahau -kai te anipā hoki ahau me te wāhi tū o taku mahi kāre e tino puta mai ana te iwi ki te tāone he māharahara nō rātou nā reira ngā painga nā reira hoki ngā taumahatanga engari nōku kē ēnei whakaaro". Kua toru tau a Jacinda ( Nō Tūhourangi -Ngāti Wāhiao) e whakaaraara ake i tēnei pākihi a Chapter One Boutique
Ka timatahia tana pākihi ki te ipurangi, nā wai rā ka neke ki tō rātou toa tuatahi kātahi ka pakeketia."
Nō te tau kua hori me tō mātou kuhunga ki tō mātou toa tuatahi kua pūāwaitia te pākihi – kai te tiriti o Eruera tō mātou toa".
Tokowha ā Jacinda me Jordan tamariki. Nō Ngai Tūhoe me Te Arawa a Jordan, whoi anō ko Jordyn kotahi tekau mā tahi ngā tau,koia te matamua, ko Jazmyn kotahi tekau ngā tau, ko Jerzey e whitu o ngā tau, ā, ko Judah te whakapakanga, e toru ōna tau.
Nō Atiu te whānau o Jordan he kūki airani tō rātou whakapapa." Kai te akoranga reo rua āku tamāhine koinā taku hiahia mō rātou" hai tā Jacinda. He toru tekau ngā tau o Jacinda he wahine i whānau mai i pakeketia i Rotorua engari ka noho hoki ia i Kawerau mō tetehi tau me tetehi tau hoki i Tūrangi nōna e kura tuarua ana.
E whakamomori ana i te korenga tāngaengae ōna ki tōna whenua kura.
Nō te whānau Hunt a Jacinda ko Danny Gorman tōna koroua. Ko Hinemihi ki Ngapuna tōna marae."
Ko tētehi tēnā o ōku tūmanako nui o te ngākau nōku e taipakeke ana kia māori noa taku whakatupu,hā hei aha i a koe e te tūmanako."
"Nō nā tata nei ahau ka kuhu atu ki tō tātou ao taketake he ahakoa he timonga kau ka tuaruangia te timotimo, ka wāia ki te māngaro o te reka, ka ngūnguru te hiakai hai oranga mōku me āku tamariki" Ka nui te hiahiatia ki te reo nā reira tana kaha akiaki i āna tamariki kia whāia rawatia te huarahi o te ao Māori, ko te painga kē atu kai te waka kōtahi katoa mātou, e mea ana hoki ōna hoa he wahine marae, he wahine tiaki i tana pā harakeke a Jacinda".
Engari anō te taha ki te pākihi – e kare mā, komekome ana ngā ngutu he manawa kai tūtae i whakatōkia ki roto ki a ia e ōna pakeke, kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
"He toa tōku māmā, he pēra hoki tōku koroua nōku e nohinohi ana, ko rangatira kē rāua ki te hautū pākihi".
"Nā taku kitehanga i tēnei āhuatanga ka tupu te kaha ki roto ki ahau kia rangatira taku tū ko ahau anahe".
Kai te mau i a ia tēnei wairua ā moroki noa nei. " Ko te taha ki te moni anahe te wāhanga pākihi ka tukua ki wāhi kē atu!"
"Ko Shacquille Mohi he poumahi nā Kollectiv & Co tōku tangata tiaki pukapuka -he tuahangata!". Kua huri te takiwā mahi inaianei hei tā Jacinda.
"Kua mārama kehokeho taku titiro ki te painga o te haere ngātahi atu te pākihi me te pae pāpāho pāpori – me matāra te tangata i ngā wā katoa kia whakatupu ai te pākihi kia noke whakatemua hoki ai.
"Me kanohi atu te tangata ki a kite kau te hunga i a koe – tukua te māmari o tōu waka , engari hoki, ka nui te manaakitanga o ngā pākihi rikiriki i ēnei rāngi tāingoingo e te mārea, kai te mātau ngā kanohi me te hinengaro o te hunga hoko ka pēwhea nā e hoko kame ai, ki whea rātou hoko kame ai".
Ko te pae tawhiti mōna ki te whakaara ake tētehi toa pakeke kia rua pea. " Kai te wairua o te ara pūtea o naianei e tino mōhio ai a Jacinda ka pēwhea nā te whakatutukinga o tēnei moemoeā ōna – ka hūnuku pea ki tētehi whare pūkainga taonga ki reira aro pū ai ki te hokohoko ā ipurangi ki te mārea rānei ka puta ohorere pea ahau ki te iwi i ngā wāhanga nui ana te pukumahi".
"Kāre e tino hāneanea taku noho i tēnei wā kai te pae o māharahara taku ngākau e titiro atu ana ki te tau hou – kai te whakarehurehu aku kanohi i te kokenga whakamua".
He ngāwari noa āna kupu rangatira ki te hunga pirangi whakaara pākihi; Kia noho te aroha o te hāpori mātua tēnā i te whakataetae tētehi ki tētehi.
"Hōhonu kē atu te ātea nui pākihi nei, kia tika te whakahoahoa ki tētehi – he oranga i te mahi ngātahi – e noho ki te rūnanga rangatira, kia rere ngātahi katoa ai ngā whakaaro e pikopiko-i-whiti ai tōu waka. Hōea!
The recent economic climate has brought Chapter One Boutique more customers but has also delivered founder Jacinda Bennett into a scary space.
"I have definitely gained customers who are looking to keep as many small businesses in business as possible.
"It's also been a scary time for my shop space, less people are visiting town because they are cautious. It's had its good points and its bad, speaking personally."
Jacinda (Tuhourangi-Ngati Wahiao) has been working on building Chapter One Boutique consistently for three years.
They started out online and moved into their first shop and grew from there.
"The biggest growth has definitely been in the past year since moving into our new shop [Eruera Street]."
Jacinda and her husband Jordan Poona (Ngai Tuhoe Te Arawa) have four children: Jordyn, 11, Jazmyn, 10, Jerzey, 7, and their only son, Judah, 3. Jordan's dad's whānau come from Atiu in the Cook Islands.
"My daughters are all in bilingual classes at school, something I always wanted for them," said Jacinda.
Jacinda, 30, was born and raised mostly in Rotorua but spent a year in Kawerau and a year in Turangi during high school.
She regrets not having a connection with her whanau marae.
Jacinda descends from the Hunt whanau through her grandfather, Danny Gorman. Her marae is Hinemihi at Ngapuna.
"I've always wished it was different though for as long as I can remember.
"I've only recently been shared information of my Maori heritage. It was never part of my upbringing. The older I get, the more I want to learn about where I come from, for my children's sake and my own."
Jacinda is keen to learn te reo and encourages her tamariki to be involved in all reo learning activities. They are learning as a whanau.
Although she was not raised in Te Ao Maori, she inherited the values of her Tipuna. Her whanau and friends would all agree she is selfless and has spent her lifetime looking after her village.
When it comes to her business, she does not lack confidence as she was set good examples by her mother and grandfather.
"My mum worked for herself a lot through my childhood, so did my Gramps.
"I always knew it was something I would want to do, to be my own boss. Right from when I was young."
Up until this point in her career, Jacinda has done everything on her own.
"I haven't out sourced anything except the accounting/bookkeeping side of things.
"I have an absolutely amazing bookkeeper. Shacquille Mohi, from Kollectiv & Co. She's been a Godsend!"
The climate has changed since Jacinda set up in business.
"I definitely see a shift in how small businesses operate in terms of social media presence etc.
"There's a demand for you to be present constantly for your business to work/grow.
"It doesn't come down to just having a shop and relying on foot traffic anymore.
"You have you to make sure they see you: Put effort into marketing your brand.
"But also, the support for small businesses is growing with everything going on in the world. People are becoming more conscious of how and where they shop."
Of the future, Jacinda says she would love to open a bigger shop, maybe even a second one.
"Depending on how our economy tracks along from here on out. I may look at moving into just a warehouse instead and focusing on online sales and distribution, maybe do pop up shops during busy season.
"I'm in a funny place at the moment, a bit of a cross-roads going into the new year. I'm not sure what's going to be the best steps moving forward."
Her advice for anyone contemplating a life in business is simple: Community over competition is a big one.
"There's enough room for everyone to have a piece of the small business, big empire pie.
Build meaningful relationships along the way. They make the hard work worth every minute. Surround yourself by like minded people."
An online petition supporting the hapū has over 1950 signatures.