Ngāi Tahu taonga (treasures) identify us as a people, anchor us in the landscape and help to express our relationship with the land, our tīpuna (ancestors), and our traditions. In the case of the Aho brand we draw our inspiration from the paintings on the walls of rock shelters, carvings in wood and pounamu (greenstone) and kākahu, garments woven from natural fibres, that have been handed down to us by our tīpuna.

As they travelled across the land, our Ngāi Tahu tīpuna drew and painted on the walls of rock shelters. The art they created is among the most ancient in Aotearoa.

The Ngāi Tahu Māori Rock Art Trust supports the use of rock art designs in the Aho range. A proportion of the profits from the sale of Aho shawls will be returned to the Trust which plans to open a rock art tourist centre in Timaru later this year.