Congrats for surviving a year that kicked off with a climate emergency (from the January floods to Cyclone Gabrielle and more) and is concluding with a trio of men hell bent on undoing decades of (slow) progress for te reo Māori, Māori and Pasifika health outcomes, LGBTQI+ people and other vulnerable communities. And that’s just the mess in our own backyard.
It’s been a lot. We are tired. We need to care for each other this holiday season. This guide, part of our extremely niche Christmas gift offerings, supports those who wish to switch off and forget, as well as those who want to agitate and activate. Both are valid emotions rn, and we wish you all the best with survival, no matter what it looks like for you – or your loved one.
Locally produced gin
I’m not a huge drinker, and I don’t condone drinking to alleviate stress. But, fuck me, sometimes a stiff drink is needed to block the outside world. I love gin so assume all my loved ones do too. And while there’s nothing wrong with a staple like Bombay Sapphire for entertaining, for gifting I recommend one of the delicious local makers. Island Gin, Hastings Distillers and Dancing Sands all do incredible blends utilising local ingredients. A reminder that there is good in this country.
Holiday reading: One of Them by Shaneel Lal, $37; Excommunicated by Craig Hoyle, $40
LGBTQI+ communities face even less rights and protection under the new government. As allies we can show our support by voting with each dollar we spend – allocating it to those individuals and companies who are feeling more vulnerable and threatened than ever before.
Two people who fall in this category, and I greatly admire, have written memoirs this year that are the perfect gift for any family, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum: non-binary activist Shaneel Lal’s One of Them and my Stuff colleague Craig Hoyle’s Excommunicated, about leaving the Brethren church.
Subscription to e-tangata, from $5/month
Media, particularly that dedicated to amplifying stories that support te Tiriti, is more important than ever. E-Tangata is a not-for-profit digital magazine that provides a platform for Māori and Pasifika voices to be amplified, and their stories to be told.
Māori at Home by Scotty and Stacey Morrison, $38
Show your support for the indigenous language of this motu by purchasing resources dedicated to it, and upskilling yourself in the process. Stacey and Scotty are pioneers and legends in Aotearoa for their unwavering commitment to te reo Māori. Buy everyone you know this book so we can continue to improve our reo, even as others seek to take it away.
A night in a cabin, from $269 a night
Do a loved one a favour and send them away from this world. An off-grid adventure where one can turn off the noise of modern living is the ultimate luxury. Unyoked is a global company specialising in cabins set in nature, that allow guests to truly unwind and relax. They have a handful in Aotearoa, around the Waikato region. This one, hidden in the bush in a remote area outside Raglan Whāingaroa, is dreamy and escapist and everything good about the motu we live in.
Beehive rental, from $49 a year (which includes 2kg of honey)
We’re living in a climate emergency; the gift of helping the planet is a quiet, small win the whole ecosystem benefits from. What’s not to love! Bee hive keeping has become somewhat of a backyard trend in recent years; the less shitty (literally) version of chickens, if you will, but tending your own hives without sufficient training can result in colony collapse and various diseases affecting the bee population. Enter rental hives! All the perks (a healthy garden, improved respiratory conditions amongst the householders, and of course honey) and none of the crushing responsibility.
CBD honey
If you have any knowledge of, or interest in, the calming properties of CBD (cannabidiol, a non-psychotropic by-product of cannabis) you will know how to find a green fairy in Aotearoa. I’m not here to give up my one, or get my precious supplies of CBD honey eaten up, so if wanting to gift some chill time to a loved one, I suggest you ask around or hunt online. But as a sleep aid, a relaxant and a happy buzz maker, I highly recommend. I buy mine with a small amount of THC in it – which IS the psychotropic by-product of cannabis – and there’s nothing better than a cup of Rooibos tea with oat milk and special honey at 6pm on a Friday night, followed by Fargo and drifting off to sleep without a care in the world. I even got my 75-year-old mother into it recently (not the Fargo part).
Self-medicate with Clinicians Mood Care, $42, and Mother Made Mood, $39
Adaptogens and other herbal helpers that support us to calm the fuck down are, unsurprisingly, increasingly popular. Clinicians Mood Care contains 5-HTP, an amino acid that helps support serotonin production, for relaxation, sleep and improved moods – sounds like a pretty good gift to me! Similarly, ashwagandha is an adaptogenic herb that provides a helping hand to your adrenal glands, allowing improved energy and less stress and anxiety.
Flower subscription from Greenpoint, from $50 a month
Being in nature gives us an endorphin boost and dopamine hit. But once the summer holidays slow to an end it can be hard to get the nature fix we crave. Gifting someone random objects of beauty and nature each month is such a lush thing to do.
Purchase something beautiful from a local indigenous artist.
There’s so many out there and this is by no means an exhaustive list. But should any of my loved ones find themselves coming into money and wanting to buy me something, here’s my wishlist:
A Coromandel carnelian ring from Courtney Marama (Tainui, Ngāti Koroki Kahukura, Ngāti Ranginui), POA. I love the way Courtney has elevated the gemstones of Aotearoa in her highly coveted bespoke collections. Get on her mailing list as pieces sell out faster than she can release them.
A Curionoir Grand Clay Relic candle, with notes of blue lotus, fig wood, musk, sandalwood and passionflower, by Tiffany Witehira (Ngāpuhi), $460.
A work by artist Nikau Hindin (Te Rarawa, Ngāpuhi), POA.
A dress by Campbell Luke (Ngāti Ruanui), POA. This was one of my favourite shows at NZFW and I am desperate to get my hands on one of his beautiful broderie anglaise pieces. Aroha.
