Inspired Patterns of my Māori Culture: Māori Motifs

Honouring Tūpuna Through Contemporary Māori Pattern Design

The Koruru Collection is inspired by the carved wooden koruru figure head that sits proudly at the peak of a wharenui. Traditionally, these intricate whakairo forms represent a tribal tūpuna, their stylised eyes, mouth, nose, and head carrying the enduring stories of generations. Through koruru, we remember who we come from. When we connect to our tūpuna, we also reconnect to the whenua they once stood upon.

The name Koruru itself brings together two powerful kupu — koru and ruru.

• Koru represents growth, renewal, and the beginning of a pattern journey.
• Ruru, the native owl of Aotearoa, carries a spiritual presence, known by its soft, echoing call, “ru, ru.”

This collection reimagines Koruru as a contemporary exploration of the etheric and symbolic movement between Te Ao Māori and the wider world. By intertwining curvilinear forms, spiritual motifs, and flowing patternwork, I’ve created an expressive visual story about connection — to tūpuna, to landscape, and to the intangible energies that shape our everyday lives.

With layered motifs and colourways that speak to both heritage and modern design, the Koruru Collection bridges cultural storytelling and surface pattern art. It’s my way of sharing mātauranga Māori through contemporary design, bringing ancestral presence into fabrics, wallpaper, and homeware pieces that can be carried into homes around the world.

Happy to talk about licencing, size and colour combinations. If you want to see more designs, head over to my spoonflower shop.