Pu te hue

Kia tuputupu nunui koe

Ka porotaka i nga ringaringa

Ka ahuahu nunui koe

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Each hue represents a journey. A year to plant, cultivate, shape, nurture, harvest, dry and transform. Each hue is one of a kind. Selected for a particular purpose. Passed on to be enjoyed and cherished. So the cycle can begin again.

No Whanganui au

Ko Whanganui te awa

Ko au te awa ko te awa ko au

Ko Ruapehu to maunga

Te whare toka

Ngaa taangata tiriti tooku iwi

No Ingarangi me Aerana ooku tuupuna

Ko Elise Goodge tooku ingoa

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I am from Whanganui

Whanganui is the river

I am the river and the river is me

Ruapehu is the mountain

The house of stone

The people of the treaty are my tribe

My ancestors are from England and Ireland

My name is Elise Goodge

I first became interested in hue (gourds) through my making and playing of traditional Maaori musical instruments, collectively named, taonga puoro (sacred voices). Some instruments in the taonga puoro pantheon are made from hue. As I had trouble sourcing hue suitable for instrument making in my region I sourced some seeds and began to grow them.

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My first crop began a journey into gourd arts that has taken me to Hawaii, seen me visit many musuems, read many books and texts and of course spend much more time in my garden. My appreciation for the importance of this crop throughout the indigenous world is endless. Gourds formed a crucial part of the journey polynesians took to settle these islands I call home, Aotearoa New Zealand. Without the capacity to store food and water for long ocean voyages the great migration and colonisation of the Pacific might never have happened. Gourds have not only afforded me opportunities to learn new skills they have also afforded me a deeper understanding of Maaori culture. This knowledge or matauranga has made me a better treaty partner and the temperamental nature of hue have kept me humble. As I take each seed and watch it grow I am reminded of the personal growth I have achieved by the grace of Hine-pu-te-hue.