Aho Creative began with a single thread — a desire to create meaningful, beautiful design that reflects who we are and where we come from. From humble beginnings crafting baby wraps and textiles for our own whānau, our journey has evolved into a multidisciplinary studio spanning homewares, ceramics, and collaborative art forms. Each collection carries the spirit of connection: between materials and makers, between traditional wisdom and contemporary form. What started as an exploration of design has become a movement of kaupapa — a living expression of whakapapa, care, and creativity.
Less a business, more a kaupapa. Aho Creative is guided by values that honour both people and planet. Our design practice is relational, intentional, and grounded in mātauranga Māori and sustainable design.
Our philosophy is to design with meaning, to produce with integrity, and to tread lightly on the earth. Every thread we weave, every piece we shape, carries a story of connection — between past and present, art and whakapapa, maker and wearer.
To create design that upholds the principles of kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, and whakapapa, reconnecting people with the land, with each other, and with the values that sustain us. Our mission is to design with purpose, to produce with respect, and to share stories that nurture a collective sense of belonging and pride in who we are.
Our work is grounded in place — shaped by both Aotearoa and India. Each region we work within carries its own deep lineage of craft and material culture. Since conception, it has been our mission to understand the whakapapa of our products, from seed and whenua, to completion and customer.
In Aotearoa, we draw from the natural beauty of our landscapes, our renewable natural materials and the skills of local makers, predominantly whānau.
In India, our long-standing relationships with like minded and ethically accredited manufacturing partners allow us to produce textiles we cannot source or manufacture locally. We're transparent and proud about these partnerships and collaborations.
Our creative practice has evolved organically over time, growing as we have grown.. We began with simple, functional textiles — pēpi wraps and home linens designed with care and sourced with integrity.
As our kaupapa deepened and our lives evolved, so too did our forms of expression.
Today, our collections include our studio made ceramics, native wood products and homeware objects. Besides the fabric products, all of our products are made here in Aotearoa, predominantly by us.
Each evolution reflects our commitment to storytelling through design , designing products and sourcing materials that align with our values, and creating cool things that we love and fill our creative cups!
We hold deep respect for the hands and lands that make our work possible.
In India, we partner with a phenomental team of visionaries who uphold fair trade, support the sustainable livlihoods of farming whānau by investing in organic cooperatives,small enterprise and education, while honing modern technology to create premium quality textiles.
In Aotearoa, our studio continues these values through local production, sustainable materials, and intentional design. Each material we use — from organic fair trade cotton to clay and timber — is chosen for its provenance, its ethics, and its connection to the whenua it comes from. We aim to create products that are heirloom quality- Taonga tuku iho, and with materials that do not have an adverse impact on Papatuanuku. These sourcing practices ensure that every Aho piece carries a story of care, integrity, and whakapapa.
We believe that true sustainability begins with relationships.
By investing in local makers, we strengthen our creative economies, nurture intergenerational skills, and preserve the art of making by hand. We favour small-batch, high-quality design rooted in authenticity and transparency. We're not averse to using technology to realise our visions- We create contemporary pieces in a contemprary context. Every product is an offering — a testament (and a test) to the idea that design, when done with care, can sustain communities, honour the threads of whakapapa, and shape a more connected future.
Kristy Bedi (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Pākehā) is the founder and creative director of Aho Creative. Her work is shaped by an interdisciplinary background spanning politics, Māori visual arts, and community development — fields that have deepened her understanding of culture, equity, and the power of design to create meaningful change.
Kristy’s practice is grounded in kaupapa Māori, guided by the principles of whakapapa, kaitiakitanga, whanaungatanga, and manaakitanga. She sees design as a relational act — a way to honour provenance, uplift communities, and nurture the connections between people, materials, and the whenua. Her approach blends critical thinking with creativity, bringing together political insight, cultural knowledge, and a deep commitment to ethical, sustainable production.
Through Aho Creative, Kristy works collaboratively with artisans in Aotearoa and India, as well as with her own whānau, to create pieces that are thoughtful, culturally informed, and responsibly made. She founded Aho to explore how design can weave together story, identity, and care — producing work that respects the past, responds to the present, and shapes a more connected and intentional future for her uri and her wider community.
Reuben Theobald (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Māmoe, Pākehā) is the technical manufacturing arm of Aho Creative — the brilliantly practical mind who brings Kristy’s creative visions and designs into precise, beautifully crafted form.
An engineer with an intuitive maker’s instinct, Reuben is the one who turns concepts into reality. He is technically minded, meticulous, and an exceptional problem-solver, moving between materials and processes. From mixing glazes with accuracy, to crafting wooden taonga, ceramics and paper cuts, he brings a level of refinement and reliability that anchors our mahi.
Where Kristy imagines and shapes the creative direction, Reuben ensures every piece is executed with excellence. His calm ingenuity and hands-on expertise make him the engine room of our local production.
Together as tungāne and tuahine, they embody collaboration grounded in whakapapa, complementing each other’s strengths to create work that is both meaningful and beautifully made.
