My Pounamu Necklace

Stewart gave me something very special upon my return to New Zealand: a pounamu necklace.

I first heard about pounamu necklaces in a New Zealand guidebook that my friend and I were pouring over in late 2019 in preparation for our month-long trip the following March. The guidebook’s very brief explanation was that “pounamu” (a te reo Māori word, pronounced “pu-na-mu”) necklaces are almost always carved from nephrite jade, occasionally referred to as “greenstone.” You see them everywhere around NZ, from cheap knockoffs in tourist shops to real handcrafted ones made in an artist’s studio.

The thing I love so much about them is that you cannot buy yourself a pounamu necklace. You must be given one.

A pounamu is a significant gift to receive, as they are considered precious and therefore aren’t gifted lightly (and they can also be expensive). You may be given one to mark a special occasion–a friend of mine received one when they left their job of many years–or you may have the honor/honour of being the recipient of a pounamu because, for example, you have finally made it back to New Zealand after having been away for so long. ☺️

Real pounamu necklaces are hand-carved, one of a kind works of art. Jade has long played a significant role in Māori culture and is considered a taonga (treasure). Some of the traditional pounamu shapes are hei matau (fish hook), a pikorua (twist), a koru (spiral shape representing an unfolding silver fern), a whale’s tail, or a simple circle.

The necklace Stu gave me was made by an artist in Kūaotunu, a tiny little town about 20 minutes north of Whitianga. My pounamu is shaped like a toki, a Māori woodcutting tool similar to an axe. It represents courage, determination, success, and bravery, all of which I will need in spades on my journey towards becoming a permanent resident of this incredible country.