Should Pounamu Be Sold? Traditions, Tikanga, and Modern Trade

Should Pounamu Be Sold? A Closer Look at the Debate

If you’ve spent time around pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) carvers, collectors, or Māori communities, you’ve probably heard the question: “Should pounamu be sold?”

It’s a deeply emotional and sometimes controversial topic that connects cultural heritage, tradition, and the realities of modern life.

Why the Question Exists

 

Pounamu is not just a beautiful stone. In te ao Māori (the Māori world), it is a taonga, a treasured item with spiritual and ancestral significance. Because of its sacred nature, some people feel uneasy about exchanging pounamu for money, believing it should remain purely a gift.

Others see selling pounamu carvings as a continuation of a much older tradition: the trading and exchanging of valued goods between people and tribes.

The Perspective of Carver Lewis Tamihana Gardiner

In a well-known explanation, master carver Lewis Tamihana Gardiner addresses this question directly. His answer reframes the debate:

• Commerce has always existed in Māori society long before the arrival of Europeans.
• Traditionally, Māori traded pounamu and other taonga for different goods of value, not for money, because money simply did not exist in their economy.
• When Pākehā (Europeans) arrived, Māori began trading with them for items they wanted such as tools, fabrics, and other resources.
• In today’s society, money is simply the modern form of exchange. Selling a pounamu carving for money is essentially the same as traditional trading, except the “goods” you receive are now currency, which you then exchange for what you need.

You can watch Lewis’s full explanation here: Lewis Tamihana Gardiner – Pounamu and Commerce.

What About the Belief That Pounamu Should Only Be Gifted?

You may have heard the saying that pounamu should only be given as a gift, never bought. This is a tikanga (custom) followed by some whānau and communities, and it is a beautiful way of ensuring the stone carries the intention of aroha (love) and connection.

However, this is not the only tikanga. Historically, pounamu was traded between iwi and with Pākehā for goods of value. In that sense, an exchange whether it is goods, services, or money can still be a form of gifting, because what is truly gifted is the meaning and connection placed into the taonga.

Some people choose to buy a pounamu carving for themselves, then gift it to a loved one. Others receive one directly from a carver they have purchased it from. In both cases, the mana of the pounamu can remain strong when it is passed with the right intention.

Why Selling Pounamu Supports the Survival of the Art

If every pounamu carving had to be gifted without any exchange, most carvers simply could not sustain their practice. Tools, workshop space, safety gear, and the stone itself are expensive.

While it is possible to gift carvings and receive goods or services in return, as happened in traditional times, this level of reciprocal support is rare in modern life. Without some form of income from carving, we would likely lose half or more of today’s working pounamu carvers, and with them, much of the living tradition.

Selling pounamu carvings, when done ethically and respectfully, is not a betrayal of tikanga. It is a way to keep the art alive, ensuring more people can experience and treasure these taonga for generations to come.

So… Should You Sell Pounamu Carvings?

If done respectfully, in alignment with tikanga, and with proper sourcing, selling pounamu carvings is not only acceptable, it is a continuation of centuries-old trade practices adapted to today’s world.

It ensures carvers can keep working with the stone, passing on traditions, and making pounamu accessible to those who value it.