“This rare pounamu is highly sought after. Earlier this year, Tahutahi pendants were gifted by Ngāi Tahu to New Zealand’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, and a custom set was gifted to Kuini Nga wai hono i te Po during her first official haerenga south.”

Te Tai Poutini (the West Coast) history is steeped in pounamu, but recent history has been marred by large-scale thefts and the black-market trading of illegally sourced Tahutahi.

“Tahutahi is prized for its beauty and rarity, and unfortunately that has made it a target for illegal trade,” Madgwick said.

Following prosecutions in the early 2000s, Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu acquired stolen raw Tahutahi pounamu and carved taonga. Some of the taonga available for purchase are repatriated and mana-restored pieces that were recovered through this process.

After carrying the mamae of these thefts for two decades, Madgwick says it is a big step for Ngāti Māhaki to finally be able to honour the mana of their pounamu taonga.

Tahutahi was previously referred to by some as “snowflake”.

The Crown’s rights to pounamu in the takiwā of Ngāi Tahu were officially returned to Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu in 1997 through the Ngāi Tahu (Pounamu Vesting) Act.

Madgwick says it’s easy to check if pounamu is being sold authentically through the Ngāi Tahu Pounamu authentication scheme.

“We want people to have confidence they are buying genuine pounamu. All taonga sold by Ngāi Tahu Pounamu carries a mark of authenticity and a unique traceability code.

“Currently, Westland Greenstone is the only place selling authentic Tahutahi in-store and it is not available online. We hope to make it available at other Ngāi Tahu businesses on Te Tai Poutini next year.”