Our Story

Wool and woolen blankets an iconic part of our nation’s story.

Wool and woolen blankets are interwoven with our nation's heritage, a tapestry of wool spanning over hundreds of years. From the introduction of the wool blanket trade, the integration of wool in our traditional Māori weaving, to wool blankets being worn as common attire throughout our NZ settler and land wars period. 

As a fledgling nation, homesteads were established upon sheep stations and sheep farming became common enterprise throughout Aotearoa. A booming wool industry ensured our soldiers were wrapped in the warmth of NZ wool and the wool blanket became a staple in our homes. NZ wool quickly became a world renown prized fibre. 

Our luxury wool blankets are made from 100% pure NZ lambs wool and produced entirely here in Aotearoa, from our farms to the loom.

Intentionally drawing on Māori design, each Noa blanket shares our unique stories, weaving the threads of our identity, our culture and values into our lives and homes. 

Noa blankets give deeper meaning to the ceremony of storytelling and gift giving, weaving our stories to be shared, gifted and treasured, to remind us every day of who we are and where we come from.

Consciously crafted in wool, a natural fibre, as a keepsake that will endure into the future, perpetuating our culture of care across generations, finally returning back to the soil from which it originated at the end of its lifetime.  

Noa is more than just a blanket that can give warmth, calm a restless body and reduce anxiety, but a work of art - a taonga, a collaboration of culture and colour, a woven representation of our nation's strength and resilience.

OUR FOUNDERS

Born and raised in Tauranga, both Whakaawa and Joshua Te Kani spent their upbringing immersed in the Māori culture and developed a passion for Māori language, arts and customs. While Whakaawa has an eye for design and textiles, Josh has an in-depth understanding of mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge) and a natural flair for sharing and applying these learnings in today’s world.

After years of preparation and planning, Whakaawa and Josh founded Noa Blanket Co in December, 2021, believing an understanding of our unique identity provides fertile grounds for individual growth and an awareness of our interconnectedness through relationships with people and to places. 

As storytellers across many facets of their community, Noa Blanket Co continues their campaign for cause, sharing of our stories and values in woven wool to see them endure into the future.

“We believe our collective stories hold the many threads of identity that bind us to who we are, where we’re from and grow an understanding of our shared purpose, grounded in universal values, the most powerful source of energy for action. We want to weave as many of our collective stories as we can - to treasure and to share.”