Description:

The Manu Kuki Reka Kani set are 3 unique cookie cutters developed for the Rauawaawa Kaumātua Charitable Trust. Representing native birds of Aotearoa, the cutters enable Rauawaawa kaumātua (elders) and rangatahi (youth) involved with the design of these cutters, to connect with their whakapapa (heritage), through the patterns and colours of the cutters using kauwhata (story telling). The cookie cutters are also designed to help elderly suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease through cooking and colour therapy. “Colour therapy can be beneficial for those with memory loss.”- Joshua J. Freitas, author of The Dementia Concept.”

Each cookie cutter reflects the natural colours of a sacred place in Aotearoa to Māori, as well as the physical bird it represents. Each sacred place around New Zealand has an ancient Māori legend associated with it. These colours and places in Aotearoa assist Kaumātua with connecting to their sense of place and reignite memories, acknowledging the many places Kaumātua at Rauawaawa come from. The cutters attract children through their natural colours, and allow Kaumātua to pass on these ancient legends to their whānau. Natural colour can facilitate attention and memory in young children. Colour has been used by cultures all over the world to relay important information and help to improve mood and memory.

“The brain remembers information better when it’s presented in colour. Images are most memorable when presented in a palette drawn from the natural world.”

Tui – Kārikiōrangi / Blue-Green
The shimmering deep greeny-blue of the Tūī feathers reflects the clear waters of Te Waikoropupū Springs. They represent the lifeblood of Papatūānuku (mother earth) and the tears of Ranginui (the sky father). The springs are home to the legendary female taniwha, Huriawa.

Piwakawaka – Peapeau / Rust-Orange
Golden brown tussock grasses of Kura Tāwhiti or Castle Hill are represented through the colour of the Pīwakawaka or Fantail cookie cutter, like it’s chest feathers. The deep grey of the limestone boulders with ancient Māori charcoal drawings left behind by Waitaha are reflected through the dusty grey feathers of the bird.

Kea – Kārikihāura / Olive
The colour of the Kea cutter depicts the jagged olive-green terrain of Aoraki, as well as the feathers of the Kea. Aoraki was the son of Rakinui, the sky father. Along with his brothers, he left the heavens in a canoe to visit Papatūānuku. He and his brothers became the first mountains in New Zealand, while their canoe became the South Island.

This collection of Manu (Bird) cookie cutters, enable Kaumātua and children to engage with their heritage through sensory colour and cooking therapy. Both rich in colour, whakapapa and values, these cookie cutters have brought joy to thousands of customers around Aotearoa.