Rotorua operator takes bull by the horns to adress industry issues.
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
He wananga, he huinga rangatira, he huinga tangata
Click here for English translation Ko te whakarangatira i nga mahi whakarakei tukemata te whainga matua mo tetehi uri o Te Rotoiti te take i karanga wananga nui ia kia topu katoa ai nga matanga o tenei ao mahi ki runga ki te takapou o Nga Waiariki.
Ko te mea whakamiharo hoki ko te hui nui tuatahi tenei mo tenei tumomo mahi rearea. He wananga, he huinga rangatira, he huinga tangata na Rauwhiro Kennedy i whakaaraara. No te marama ko pahemo i tu ai tenei hui whakahirahira.
He kotahi rau o nga matanga whakarakei tukemata i tae a tinana mai. I tae mai i nga topito huhua kau o Aotearoa nei. Ko Rauwhiro Kennedy tetehi wahine maia. He wahine pakihi e whai panga ana ki a Ngati Hinekura me Ngati Whakaue hoki. Ko ia te rangatira whakahaere o tana pakihi e ki a nei ko Kennedy Lash.
Kati, ka puta i a ia te whakaaro ki te whakatu hui penei ki a tutakitaki a kanohi nga matanga, tuarua ki te hapai tangata me te kauawhiawhi otikau ki te kawe i te mana o tenei tumomo mahi ki tetehi taumata rangatira. Ko tetehi ano take ko te whakapiki i te wairua o nga poumahi katahi nei ka puta i te waha oreore o te mauiui kowheori me te mauiui uruta hoki.
He kitenga hoki nana e ahua ngoikore ana etehi mahi, a, me te ako ako hoki i nga poumahi ki a tika ai a ratou kawe i tenei mahi. Na reira i karanga hui ai kia topu te tini me te rahi ki tona kainga tupu nei. He waha i nga take otia ki te whakatakoto rautaki e whakatikatika ai i enei awangawanga ana otia a ratau.
Nana ano tenei hui i whakaaraara, ka nanao atu ia ki te hotera Pullman hai wahi whakatu i tenei hui, a, ka tahuri mai ratou ki tana tono. I whakaritea hoki e ia tetehi huihuinga whakapiki wairua hai whakakapi i te wananga ki Volcanic Hills Winery Tasting Room ki te wahi e ki a nei ko te Skyline Skyrides.
Ko tetehi mea i tino puta iho ko te noho takitahitanga o te hunga mahi nei he penei katoa ratou ki a Rauwhiro . Koia nei te ahuatanga o tenei mahi he mahi takitahi kaore i tino nui ana te hunga mahi takirua ana. Wheoi ano ko te nuinga iho o enei tangata e tu ana ki runga i to ratou ake mana motuhake.
Na nga pehitanga o te wa mauiui uruta e kore e taea nga pakihi penei i a Rauwhiro te noho tahi ki te whakawhiti korero.
Koia te take nui o tenei huihuinga ko te whiu patai ki te atea nui o te tepu me te ata wherawhera i nga take kia hua ake tetehi oranga e pai ai ki nga matanga katoa. E tiketike ai te taumata o nga mahi nei i Hawaiki Tahutahu. Kare kau ana he poari he hunga ranei i Hawaiki Tahutahu nei hai matai i a ratou mahi na reira ano te mana nui o tenei wananga he noho tahi, he noho rangatira.
With Rauwhiro Kennedy (left) are Sheree Miller, Varnell Clay, Lizzy Ward, Fiona Weizman, Kimberley Coleman, Khanh My Nguyen. Photos / Supplied
Ko tetehi ano hua o tenei huinga ko te akoako, kaua ki te wahanga whakarakei tukemata anake engari ra ko te taha ki te pakihi me te kawe korero a pae tukutuku me enei huarahi katoa.
He hui nana tonu i whakatu. He waimarie nona i nga hoa tata me tona whanau me i kore ake i a ratou kua waipukengia ia me tona waka. Ko etehi o ana hoa mahi i tu hoki ki te kauwhau, na wai ra ka piki ano ai te mana o te wananga.
Ko te mea whakamiharo rawa atu, na Rauwhiro tonu tenei wananga i nama. I ora hoki ia i te hokona atu o nga tikiti katahi na ka whakahirahira ai te wananga. I tutakitaki ahau ki a Rauwhiro i te tau kua pahemo no te wa i puta ai a Kahu ki Rotorua, koia tetehi o nga uiuinga tuatahi.
No taua wa tonu i whakawhiwhia e ia ki tetehi taonga nui, ara, ko te whakawhiwhinga e-commerce he awhina nui i taua wa, na reira i matau ai a Rauwhiro ki nga raweketanga o te rorohiko me nga paetukutuku hoki. Koina i rarata ai ahau ki a ai.
Tetehi wahine u kaha nei ki tana mahi engari ano ko te muri aroha ki tana whanau. I taua wa hoki e pupu ake ana te nui o ana mahi engari he uaua hoki ki te kimi pikituranga e whakakiki ai i tetehi wahanga o tana mahi, me te hiahia hoki o tana ngakau ki te whakakaha ake i tana wa whanau.
He wahine kaore e wehi ana ki te mahi, he mohio hoki nona ka nui ki mua ka iti ki muri a taihoa ake ra. Na reira ka piki atu ai te oranga o ana tamariki me te whanau.
Ko te paetata o te wananga nei ki a tutakitaki nga matanga a kanohi nei tetehi ki tetehi, he wa akoako, he wa kauawhiawhi hoki, he wa ako pakihi, otia he whakawhanaungatanga. " ko te pae tawhiti ki te kawe i te matauranga nei me nga hononga a mahi hoki kia pakari ai nga poumahi ki a mau i a ratou to ratou rangatiratanga, na wai ra kia puawai te mana tiketike o tenei ao pakihi'.
Anei ra etehi o nga matanga kauwhau. He whakamihi nana ki enei rangatira: ¦ Ko Kimberley Taylor Coleman THE LADY LASH ACADEMY ¦ Ko Lizzy Ward LASH ATHESTIC ¦ Ko Sheree Miller LASH RELIGION ¦ Ko Fiona Weizman FIFTH LASH ¦ Ko Khanh My Nguyen Me.Beaute ¦Ko Varnell (Varny) Clay VARNELL
Me whai wahi hoki ai e ia ki te tuku mihi atu ki te hunga nana etehi taonga i takohangia hai kura huna ma te hunga i puta ai ki ta tatou wananga, no reira e mihi kau ana ki a kotou katoa kai nga kura tongarerewa kaore aku manawa korero.
Ki nga hoa mahi o Revitalash, Calm Skin Company, The Brow Shop, Ahua, Lash by Elisia Web, Varnell, Fifth Lash, Me.Beaute, Lash Religion, Daylight, Aesthetics Boutique Uniform, Beauty Bar by Krih, Anna Hayes, BFT Rotorua me Meltsy Candles. — Na Raimona Inia i whakamaori
Rotorua lash artist Rauwhiro Kennedy is so determined to raise standards in her industry that she organised and funded the first annual conference held in Aotearoa.
The conference last month attracted about 100 lash artists from as far south as Christchurch to north of Auckland. Rauwhiro (Ngati Hinekura, Ngati Whakaue) who owns Kennedy Lash in Rotorua decided a few months ago that it was time for a conference.
She could see that morale within the industry was low because the covid lockdowns had led to a big downturn in business. Something needed doing.
She could also see that there were poor practices happening when it comes to training new lash artists.
It was time, she decided, that they gathered to address these issues and to uplift and educate lash artists whether they be established or just starting out.
Participants at the first lash industry conference in Rotorua last month.
So she got to work and using her own networks organised the conference at the Pullman Hotel. There was an after-function hosted by the Volcanic Hills Winery Tasting Room at Skyline Skyrides.
Like Rauwhiro, most lash artists are usually isolated and not many of them work in teams. They are mostly self-employed.
That meant that during covid, there were no possibilities for lash artists to gather for kaupapa such as this.
The purpose of this conference was to raise the standards of lashing within New Zealand.
The industry is not officially regulated in Aotearoa therefore lash artists have to attend such events as this to gain motivation for their businesses. Such events also allows them to learn new skills in areas such as social media marketing, customer service, professionalism, workplace health and safety and legalities.
No training was involved in setting up the conference, however Rauwhiro had a lot of help from whanau friends, and her fellow lash artists who were keynote speakers.
Rauwhiro funded the conference herself, and with the ticket sales, the conference was a huge success.
I met Rauwhiro last year when we started Kahu ki Rotorua. She had won an ecommerce award which helped indigenous artists expand their business by learning to use the internet and social media platforms in particular.
She impressed me with her commitment to work and to her whanau. Rauwhiro's business was growing so much that she wanted to train someone in her craft but she also wanted to spend more time with her whanau. She was prepared to work hard so her children would have a bright future.
She organised the conference with a short-term goal for lash artists to network with other artists, to learn new tips and refresh some business knowledge.
"The long-term goal is to use the knowledge learned and networks made for lash artists to better themselves as a business which in turn results in all-round business success."
Keynote speakers were: Kimberley Taylor Coleman THE LADY LASH ACADEMY Lizzy Ward LASH ATHESTIC Sheree Miller LASH RELIGION Fiona Weizman FIFTH LASH Khanh My Nguyen Me.Beaute Varnell (Varny) Clay - VARNELL
Extremely popular with attendees were the amazing goodie bags and spot prizes sponsored by Revitalash, Calm Skin Company, The Brow Shop, Ahua, Lash by Elisia Web, Varnell, Fifth Lash, Me.Beaute, Lash Religion, Daylight, Aesthetics Boutique Uniform, Beauty Bar by Krih, Anna Hayes, BFT Rotorua and Meltsy Candles.
