The Rēwana Collective
My Rēwana journey began as a child watching my grandmother Pearle and my mother Mihiora prepare kai together.
About ten years ago, I asked Mum to teach me how to make a Rēwana bug and Rēwana dough. From that moment, I fell in love with the process. I later completed the Coles Supermarkets Skilled Bakers Certificate, where I built on what Mum taught me and deepened my knowledge of fermentation, shaping, and baking.
My goal is to help keep Rēwana alive by sharing knowledge that honours our tūpuna and gives whānau room to be creative. The Rēwana Collective is a place to explore traditional Māori Rēwana, try modern techniques, and share the stories behind this special bread.
Our whakapapa
My whakapapa is part of why I share this mahi. Here are three of the whānau whose stories I carry with me.
Kimi Reweti Ngātai (1904–1989), our Nanny Kimmy, was born in Tauranga. She was the daughter of Te Tuhi McLeod and Reweti Ngātai, the eldest son of Taiaho Hōri Ngātai.
Nanny Kimmy was a skilled Māori weaver. She made whāriki, kete, pōtae and tukutuku. Some of her weaving has been displayed at St Mary’s Anglican Church in Mount Maunganui.
She had a small bach near Whareroa Marae and would set her fishing net in the waters just outside the marae.
Our whānau also remember how much she enjoyed baking.
At Whareroa, my tupuna Taiaho Hōri Ngātai farmed the whenua. The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography records that for years he grew more wheat and maize than anyone else in the Tauranga district. Read his biography on Te Ara.