Piupiu

Piupiu — Pricing & Quotes

Piupiu are made entirely by hand and take on average 30–40 hours each to complete. The skill, experience, and resources involved are all reflected in the price, which currently ranges from $18.50 to $24.00 per waist inch (plus GST and shipping). The exact price depends on several factors, including pattern complexity — some patterns are more intricate and time-consuming than others.

Free Quotes for Schools & Groups

We’re happy to provide a free quote for your school or group, suitable for funding applications or to place a firm order (pending availability). To prepare an accurate quote, we’ll need:

• Waist measurements in centimetres or inches (not dress size, age, or S/M/L)
• Gender and the corresponding number of each
• A photo of your existing pattern, if you have one, as pattern complexity affects pricing – but you can also choose to have a more “standard” Korirangi Pattern.

The easiest way to gather measurements is to measure a spread of your group — someone on the smaller end, someone on the larger end, and a few in between. From there, you can estimate how many members fall into each size bracket. In most groups, the majority cluster in the middle sizes, with fewer at either end — though there are always exceptions.

As a general guide, we consider waist sizes 30″ and under to be children’s sizes (with a shorter drop), and 40″ and above to be extra-large (which may require an extra-long drop). Exceptions do apply in both cases.

How We Work

We are a team of four, working across three locations, and have maintained a substantial waiting list for several years. As orders are completed, those next in line move to our “actively working on” board — meaning that at any given time, we may be working on orders placed up to a year ago, particularly large orders that can take months to finish. Our team approach has been carefully developed with long-term sustainability in mind.

The nature of harakeke shapes everything we do. When we harvest, we receive leaves across the full range of lengths — long, medium, and short — and we cannot selectively take only what we need. Caring for the plants is, and always will be, our first priority.

For this reason, we do not accept full-size female orders in isolation. We need a parallel male order to make use of the shorter leaves, and ideally a primary school-size order as well to work through the medium drops. This approach allows us to care for the plants responsibly while helping as many groups and kura as possible — sometimes working on up to four different orders at once.

It’s worth noting that sourcing long harakeke for full-size female piupiu — particularly extra-long — remains genuinely challenging. Not all plants we have access to are fully mature, and some older plants have become stunted.

We work strictly on a first-come, first-served basis, but also give priority to repeat customers. Thank you for your understanding!

To give you a sense of just how involved the process is, we’ve put together a presentation on making a piupiu — you’ll find it on the right. It’s not a tutorial; if you’d like to learn to make one yourself, the best path is one-on-one with an experienced kaiako. (We do offer some online lessons inside the Weaver’s Circle, but these are a complement to in-person learning, not a replacement for it.)

When it comes to sizing, each piupiu is essentially made to measure — and priced accordingly. That said, we don’t need a precise measurement for every single person in your group. For larger groups of up to 50, that would be counterproductive. Instead, most schools and groups settle on around 4–6 size brackets, perhaps with 2 to 4 inch intervals, that can also serve future members. If you send us your best estimate of the spread, we can help group them from our end.

This applies even if you’re ordering just one piupiu for yourself — we still need your waist measurement to get it right. When it comes to piupiu, one size definitely does not fit all.

Finally, once your piupiu arrives, take a moment to watch the Te Papa video on the right about how to store and transport it properly. (Spoiler: the stocking method is not recommended.)

Please use the form on our contact page to get in touch with us regarding the ordering of a piupiu or the request for a quote for piupiu. If your enquiry is urgent, then please give us a call at 021 14 77 395 or 03 212 88 33 or e-mail us directly: flaxworx@gmail.com

A Note on Children’s Piupiu

The smallest piupiu we make starts at around 22″–24″ waist, which corresponds roughly to a 5–6 year old. Below this size, the work becomes increasingly fiddly — more time, more detail, and yes, a higher price per size than you might expect. For very young children, we’d actually recommend a cloth version from Kanikani Kids instead. The real thing requires a degree of care and handling that very young tamariki aren’t always ready for yet, and a cloth version will hold up much better at that age.

It’s also worth knowing that certain patterns — mumu, poutama, and similar designs — are simply not suited to smaller piupiu. These patterns need room to breathe: the more canvas, the more detail, as the saying goes. For any piupiu under 30″ waist, we recommend the Kōrirangi pattern only, as it’s the one that translates well at a smaller scale.

Below you’ll find photos of just some of the piupiu we’ve made over the past fifteen-plus years. Some are custom designs created for specific clients and can’t be repeated, but there are literally hundreds of variations across each pattern group — so there’s no shortage of inspiration.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all of this. We know it’s a lot to take in, but we hope it gives you a clear picture of what goes into every piupiu we make — and why we care so much about getting it right.

We do thank you for your understanding!