Te Rangianiwaniwa a Te Harakeke – The Harakeke’s Rainbow

About this research

Project Summary 

Based in mātauranga Māori, this project brings together textile researchers, Māori practitioners, and scientists to advance knowledge of native plant dyes and fibres. With science, the research will complement the values of iwi partners Ngāti Tukorehe (Kuku, Horowhenua), ensuring that research outputs will benefit iwi and their whenua economically, environmentally, and socially. 

Many synthetic textile dyes are toxic and take many years to breakdown after disposal, Māori weavers often use synthetic dyes that are toxic, displacing sustainable customary preparation and colouring techniques. Whereas traditional customary plant dyes, and new generation substantive dyes offer sustainable alternatives, safer to use and less toxic to the people and their environment. These offer the opportunity to develop safer sustainable natural dyes for muka (harakeke fibre) to advance fibre technology and mātauranga Māori. In previous research, the team has established laboratory-scale methods to acquire solvent-free and effective flavonoid dyes for muka colouration from local native plant-based materials (harakeke, karamu, mānuka, mātipo, kānuka). 

This project will advance the research by testing methods on by-products from industry (e.g., mānuka brush from Essential Oil industry) through wānanga with Iwi weavers. The long-term aim of the project is to achieve commercial production of natural dyes for muka, offering Māori weavers an alternative to synthetic dye products.

Research Question

How can we optimise Mātauranga of natural dye practices for muka to develop an environmentally friendly alternative to harmful synthetic dyes, to avoid pollution of waterways and empower hapū? 

Lead Researcher