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Story: Tokelauans

Women weaving in Porirua, 1990

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Women weaving in Porirua, 1990

Tokelauan women in the Wellington area formed weaving groups to make kie tau (fine mats). Most mats were made of pandanus leaves but sometimes synthetic fibres such as waste packing-case materials were used. These were obtained from car assembly plants where many Tokelauan husbands worked.

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Pātaka - Porirua Museum of Arts and Cultures

by Geoff Marshall

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How to cite this page

Carl Walrond, Tokelauans – Communities, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/3767/women-weaving-in-porirua-1990 (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Carl Walrond, published 4 March 2009, updated 1 March 2015.