tote
The aim of this project was to design a salt and pepper mill for a whanau that embodies and embraces the cultural identity of Aotearoa. The target market is focused on a New Zealand whanau between the ages of 5-80+. Users can also include wider family members such as grandparents and uncles/aunties.
Tote is the Maori translation for “salt”. Although salt was introduced by early Pakeha settlers, it is often adopted to enhance traditional Maori cuisine. Seemingly bland food such as kumara and taro was transformed by the introduction of salt.
Tote is an electric salt and pepper mill which embodies the cultural identity of Aotearoa. Tote is aimed at being a prominent piece of any New Zealander’s household, exploring bicultural aspects that capture the uniqueness of Aotearoa New Zealand. With myself hailing from the Rotorua region of New Zealand, I wanted to exploit the bicultural identity that is particularly prevalent in my hometown. Tote captures these aspects both explicitly and through implicit design cues that evoke biculturalism.
The southern cross star cluster is displayed prominently on the side of Tote. The southern cross is significant in both Maori and Pakeha cultures. It was traditionally used as a guiding path for sailors navigating the sea, and as a symbol of the Christian faith.
Tote embraces a puhoro kowhaiwhai pattern engraved on the main body. Puhoro symbolises unity between Maori and Pakeha in Aotearoa. This is arguably the most valued aspect of the project, and explicitly representing this significant bicultural aspect is extremely important to the project
Tote also has a piwakawaka, or fantail engraved in the main body. Piwakawaka is a native New Zealand bird, which is commonly found in both native and urban habitats. Piwakawaka have energetic and friendly nature, with a distinct “cheet-cheet” sound. They are also a sacred bird to Maori, being responsible for the presence of death. In this case the piwakawaka is not represented as a symbol of death, but as a symbol of energy and uniqueness of Aotearoa.
User Interaction
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