Grantee Update: Hidden Pūpūrangi
October 30, 2026
Weaving Art, Community, and Environmental Stewardship
2026 BONZA Civic Ignition Grant | Whangārei, Aotearoa New Zealand
Sometimes, caring for a threatened species begins with a game of hide-and-seek.
Led by Elise Koncsek, Hidden Pūpūrangi invited the Whangārei community to discover pūpūrangi—giant carnivorous kauri snails native to northern Aotearoa New Zealand—through weaving workshops and a playful public park event. Participants learned to weave snails from harakeke (flax), then gifted their creations for others to find, adopt, and rehide.
The free workshops combined hands-on art with education about this taonga (treasured) species and the tikanga (customary protocols) for harvesting and working with harakeke. With a population of pūpūrangi living in a park near the town center, the project helped neighbors learn about an often-overlooked species and how to respect its habitat.
Gifting and Radical Inclusion were woven into the experience.
Participants received weaving knowledge and used it to create gifts for the wider community. Organizers made sure all venues were accessible by public transport and wheelchair, and one workshop took place at the local Pride HQ. Young children and people with arthritis received extra support, while experienced weavers helped others learn.
The BWB grant covered the full project budget, including tools, venue hire, promotion, and educational resources, making every workshop and all materials free to the public.
“It was really fun to hear people afterward talking about how excited they were to show and share the woven pūpūrangi they had made or found,” Elise shared.
The connections have continued beyond the workshops: Elise now recognizes participants around town, and community members have already asked for the project to return. Hidden Pūpūrangi shows how a creative invitation can bring people together while building more caring relationships with the natural world.