It is our vision to design and create taonga (treasures) that celebrate and whakamana (affirm) our unique identity, culture, and aesthetic inheritance in Aotearoa, New Zealand.
We want these taonga to be treasured, but also used and practical- fusing art with form and function. A living expression of our ever evolving culture.
It's our dream that our kāinga (homes), our kākahu (clothing) and our everyday spaces might reflect, affirm and celebrate the rich whāriki (a woven rug) of our cultural identity.
An Aotearoa-centric narrative and aesthetic if you like.
Our Kaupapa/ Philosophy
We pursue this vision from a kaupapa (foundation) of mātauranga Māori (a Māori worldview).
For us, this is the starting point for all our business decisions. It shapes and informs the choices we make about everything- from product development, to material choice, supplier, designs, pricing and distribution.
We strive to keep whakapapa- the connections between people, environments and processes at the centre of our philosophy, which means seeking out and employing processes, practices and materials that are sustainable and that ensures a better future for the people and the environments involved.
We believe that our lands, resources and culture belong not only to us, but to our tamariki (children), and theirs'.
Mō tātou, ā, mō kā uri ā muri ake nei
– For us and our children after us.
Ko wai mātou?/ Who are we?
Aho is the moemoeā (dream) of Kristy Bedi. Of Kāi Tahu, Kāti Mamoe and Pakeha descent, Kristy is based in Ōtautahi, Christchurch with her hoa rangatira, Achan, whose whakapapa stretches back to the foothills of the Himalayas in India, and her three tamariki.
An education in Māori Visual Arts and Political Science as well as adventures abroad imprinted a deep interest in social justice and cultural identity.
It was the transition into Māmāhood in 2016 that provided the momentum to breathe life into the dream of Aho, and a new urgency to intentionally contribute to cultural landscape that will shape their identities and experience as tangata whenua in Aotearoa. The dream that they will grow up secure and confident in their tūākiri Māori, Māori identity.
Over the last 8 years Aho has continued to evolve, weaving in new dreams, inspiration, creative curosities and seasons of life into the mix, and from the original offering of Pēpi focussed products, it has expanded to include Home wares, NZ Made Clothing, Fabrics, Wooden taonga created in collaboration with whānau and more.
While the product offering evolves and expands, the kaupapa remains true to its origins. Aho is the merging of these passions into beautiful, sustainable and practical products that affirm indigenous identities, have a positive environmental impact and whakamana the communities that make them.