Next time you're over at Aranui Park see if you can spot the new harakeke plants. They just went in the ground a few days ago, and are the beginning of a pā harakeke (flax plantation) that, in a few years, will provide a valuable resource for weavers to utilise.

The plants may not look like much now, but given harakeke's hardiness and tolerance to a variety of conditions I've no doubt they will not only survive, but thrive in their new home. We are very fortunate to have received these harakeke plants, which are all varieties from the Rene Orchiston Collection, which is a collection of weaving flaxes of national significance. 

Rene Orchiston started this collection in the 1950s when she noticed that special weaving varieties were not being looked after properly, and that many weavers were using inferior varieties because that was all they had access to. She traveled around New Zealand (particularly the East Cape) trading fruit and honey for some 60 varieties of flax, while documenting each variety by its name, special features, and what it was best used for. 

A replica of the Rene Orchiston Collection was established at Paines Ford (near Takaka in Golden Bay) in 1990, and this is where our plants have come from. Department of Conservation staff were kind enough to collect samples of around 20 varieties for us, and these plants form the basis of our pā harakeke here in Māpua. Eventually there will be boardwalks around the flax bushes, work benches, and signage with information on the individual varieties and how to harvest flax correctly, but for now we just have to sit and watch the flax grow.