2025 was not a light year.
It didn’t arrive with softness or spaciousness.
It arrived asking something of us, again and again.
It was a year that required ‘stretch’.
Stretch of capacity. Of faith. Of patience. Of bodies and budgets and belief.
And yet, it was also a year of substance.
A year where we squeezed everything we could out of what was placed in front of us.
Not through force or frenzy, but through intention.
A Year Held by the Collective
One thing 2025 reaffirmed, deeply and without question, is that no kaupapa is ever carried alone.
This year was strengthened by collectives who understand that business is not just about growth, but about care. Who see enterprise as a living system, one that needs nourishment, accountability, and community to thrive.
Spaces like Rise IWI, Oyster Workshop, Coralus, Te Kāinga Wāhine, and Angels of Impact reminded me, often quietly, sometimes fiercely, that my mantra of we rise together, is a lived one.
They offered perspective when the weight felt heavy.
They offered challenge when comfort crept in.
And they offered trust, which is never given lightly.
The People Who Hold the Centre
If the year stretched us outward, it also pulled us inward.
My team, our team, held the vision steady when things were moving fast. They adapted, showed up, stayed curious, and continued to care — even when it would have been easier not to.
And my whānau, who live with the realities of this work every day, held me. Through exhaustion. Through doubt. Through moments of quiet pride that didn’t need to be spoken aloud.
Again a special heartfelt thanks to our Rosco - his skills, insight and incredible ability enabled our whare to form in the short and intensive time.
There is no separation between business and life here.
There never has been.
And I am deeply grateful for those who understand that and still choose to walk with me.
Building at Home, While Reaching Outward
2025 was a year of anchoring.
We opened our new whare.
Not just as a physical space, but as a declaration. A place that reflects how we want to operate in the world. A space where values are visible, felt, and practiced.
We let go of the concept of a store and opened reflective realms instead.
We achieved Qualmark Gold again.
A recognition not just of quality, but of consistency. Of showing up properly. Of doing the work when no one is watching.
Our relationships with Tātaki and Treasures of Tāmaki continued to ground us in place, reminding us that growth is strongest when it remains connected to whenua and community.
And we moved into printed cans, a practical shift, yes, but also a symbolic one.
A sign of maturity. Of readiness. Of stepping fully into who we have been becoming.
Carrying Our Kaupapa Beyond Our Shores
Internationally, the year asked for courage.
We exported to Canada
A milestone that carried with it both celebration and responsibility.
Standing as part of Coralus’ 10-year celebrations there was a moment of reflection — not just on where we are going, but on how far we have come.
We began gently exporting to Tahiti, opening a Pacific pathway that feels both natural and meaningful.
And conversations in Saudi Arabia reminded us that Indigenous-led, values-first businesses are not niche
they are necessary.
That our ways of working, grounded in care and connection, have relevance far beyond where they are born.
Each step outward required us to be clearer inward.
Clearer about what we will share.
Clearer about what we will protect.
Clearer about what is non-negotiable.
Standing Where We Stand
Throughout the year, we remained firm in Toitū Te Tiriti.
Not as a slogan.
Not as a trend.
But as a daily practice.
In decisions.
In partnerships.
In how we employ, produce, host, and trade.
2025 reminded me that alignment is not always easy
but it is always worth it.
We chose depth over speed.
Integrity over convenience.
Care over extraction.
And that choice shaped everything.
Leaving the Year Changed
This year stretched us
emotionally, physically, financially.
There were moments of fatigue.
Moments of questioning.
Moments where stopping would have been understandable.
But 2025 also clarified us.
It stripped back what wasn’t needed.
It sharpened what matters.
It reaffirmed why this work exists in the first place.
We leave this year tired, yes — but grounded.
Clearer about who we are.
Clearer about what we will protect.
Clearer about what we are here to build.
There is more — always more — but this feels like the right place to pause.
To breathe.
To acknowledge the road already walked.
And then, gently, to step forward again.