If Kehu Butler’s Latest Collection Sells Out, Quik Will Sponsor A Kid In The Pacific
Some people think the ocean is what separates us, but really, it is what connects us.
None more so than the Polynesians. Through their ancient knowledge of reading stars, currents, clouds and bird movements, the people of the Pacific gained their reputation as great navigators of the sea, settling across Hawai'i, New Zealand, Samoa, and Tahiti, among many other islands in the Pacific. Ocean-based skills aren’t just taught by their dad who likes fishing but through generations of knowledge that have been passed down through successive families to the present day. It is intrinsic and little bit shocking when you think about how few Pacific surfers (outside of Hawai’i) make a living out of being a pro surfer.
This is what Kehu Butler’s lates collection TAI KEHU with Quiksilver hopes to change.
Through collaboration with Tā Moko artists Maia Gibbs and Henare Brooking TAI KEHU is an ode to the Pacific - both people and water. With so many brands toeing the line of cultural appropriation just to make a buck, this collection is an example of reverence to Kehu’s Māori heritage and the life he has built from the ocean. We chatted to Kehu ahead of the release on what it means to see himself and his culture represented when he never saw that as a kid himself.
Hey hey, thanks for chatting today. How’s it going over there?
Today is like the first warm day.
Oh really? How warm are we talking?
It’s like 24 degrees today.
Oh, that is nice. Are you still in a full wettie though?
(Laughs) Yeah, probably will be until around December.
Yeah right.
But then we get a couple of months of boardies. But right now it’s really good for fishing. The winds are really quiet.
Yeah nice. We’re just in full northerly season on the Goldy. The wind is up at like 7am, it’s so shit.
Heavy. At least it's warm.
Yeah it’s so lovely the temp I’m not complaining about. For people who are unfamiliar with Aotearoa, can you tell me a bit about the place you grew up in?
So, I grew up in New Zealand in a little place called Mt Maunganui, or Tauranga in other ways. It’s kind of like the little Gold Coast of NZ. A surfy town can go flat for ages. It's usually the warmer place and the perfect place to grow up for surfing because you get plenty of small days to learn to surf and then when it's offshore and good, you get cyclone swells. It's a sick place to grow up. I love it here.
That is very Goldy spec. And you're still there now?
Still here now.
Have you ever lived anywhere else in New Zealand, or has that always been home?
Nah, my mum is from down Wellington way, but I’ve been here. Everywhere else in New Zealand is so, so small. There’s not much going on, and the surf is pretty average, or it’s just really cold, so I don’t think I will be leaving here.
And what about your mates growing up - did they surf too?
When I started surfing, I had one cousin who surfed as well. It was just us two of us really. We were the only ones who surfed. He moved to Australia when I was nine, so then my parents would send me to Australia to go surf with him, but other than that all my mates don't surf.
I guess it's just all rugby?
Yeah, it's all just rugby.
Do you see that shifting at all?
I reckon nowadays there are way more kids surfing here. It's quite crowded actually, which is weird. I used to surf by myself but now there's a full pack. But it's cool. It's awesome.
That is cool to see that more people are getting into it even though it kinda does suck. And how does it feel to have the Māori culture represented through this collection?
It's pretty mean to have the Māori culture represented through the collection because we have so much storytelling and it's something that we've done for generations and generations. It's cool to be able to put it out there to the world and to be able to tell it in a unique way that represents the ocean, surfing and something that I do every day. This collection is pretty open and free, but everything always relates to the ocean so you don't even have to be like a Kiwi or Māori to be able to wear it because all of us have a connection to the ocean.
What is the main focus of this collection in terms of the story within the pieces?
One of the main pieces that we push for a lot is the Puhoro design. So, that's the design where the pattern curls and then comes back down. Back in the day when my people used to leave home and find other islands, they would stick the paddle in the water and when they pulled it up it would make a spiral which is the Puhoro. It represents change, finding a better life and growing as a human. We put those designs into this collection because as a surfer, every wave is different and everything you go through in life is to build you into a better human. I’ve always loved that design and pattern; I have them tattooed all over me so I really wanted that to be the main story.
What was your connection to the Tā Moko artists Maia Gibbs and Henare Brooking and how did that relationship begin?
Well I am actually related to them down the line, we’re from the same iwi. Of course all Kiwis are related to each other when you think about it like that. But they’re unreal. They have done work with the New Zealand Warriors but they also surf and they’re from Gizzy (Gisborne) as well. We made the connection through what we called ‘whakapapa’ genealogy and connecting the dots there. And ever since then, we've just been all go with them. The way they pull pieces from the Māori world into this collection is super cool because we don’t just make it exactly Māori, we make it unique to surfing as well.
What do you mean by that? What is the difference there?
We take the ideas of the way we apply the rules of the way we do things in our designs and tweak them to make them fit the way we surf the waves. So for the Puhoro for example, we do the curl but then we bring it back in which represents a cut back in a way, because in surfing, that is what we do and that’s the shape.
Wow okay. I get what you mean now. And do you think that Māori representation is improving? Not just in surfing either.
Māori representation is definitely getting bigger and better. Over the last 20 years, I feel like all Indigenous cultures around the world have started to get more recognition. I feel like Māoris have been at the forefront of Indigenous representation. It’s pretty cool being a Māori. You walk around New Zealand now, and so many more people are getting the Tā moko traditional face tattoos from really young and speaking Māori. It’s just so much more accepted now. It’s cool this collection is a little part of that. To be able to contribute to that representation is really special because I didn’t have a pro Māori surfer to look up to when I was younger.
Yeah, in the last video series of this collection, you talked a lot about your old school - how important is it for you to give back to the young kids now?
I was so lucky to have the opportunities I did. I never would have thought in a million years that when I was a little snotty nose three year old I would ever have my own collection with Quiksilver or make something out of being a pro surfer so it's cool to be able to go back to the schools and stand there in front of the kids and for them to see and believe that it's possible.
Yeah so important to be able to see yourself in your idols when you’re young. On the kid thing, congratulations are in order for you and your partner on her pregnancy by the way. How excited are you for it to be your turn to pass down your knowledge now?
I'm super excited. I'm stoked. My partner is doing really well but there's so much to pregnancy that I didn't know. It's so hectic, and I feel for women. But yeah, excited to pass down my knowledge. When I grew up my granddad kind of raised me because in Māori culture you learn from your grandparents, especially if you're the eldest grandchild which I am. All that knowledge is slowly passed down to you over the years as you get older. It is cool to think of the information that goes through generations and never dies. It will certainly be a special moment to pass down all of the knowledge I have learnt from my ancestors down to my little boy. I’m excited to see him run a muck.
And your partner is from Hawai’i right?
Yeah. There’s actually a photo of us from ten years ago that Heywood took of us. We were doing this Quiky Pro trial at Snapper and he snapped this photo of the two Polynesian kids. We’ve still got that photo.
Kid’s gonna be an ocean baby with two parents like that for sure.
Oh definitely. It’ll be a blast.
And what are you currently excited about surfing? Like for yourself, or trips planned or even just exciting up-and-comers?
What's exciting to me with surfing at the moment is the number of talented Polynesian people. I’ve made a conscious effort to travel around Polynesia and surf different waves. We've been to the Cook Islands, Tahiti, and all those islands and there is so much talent. They have such good water-based skills, knowledge and a foundation that really translates to surfing. With this collection getting bigger, it would be cool to one day be able to sponsor a young Polynesian kid, not necessarily from New Zealand, but from one of the little islands and give them the opportunity to be a pro because I think they would do really well in the surfing world.
Yeah I interviewed James Kusitino a couple weeks back and it’s just wild to think he is the first pro from Fiji. Like why has it taken that long?
Yeah he’s crazy. That’s why I hope with this collection it just shines a light on the Polynesian kids because there is just so much talent there. I go to some of these islands and surf and see a kid and I’m like ‘who is this?’ And someone is like ‘oh he just grows coconuts down the road,’ you know?
Yeah for sure, well I have every faith this collection will certainly help that so yeah ups to you for doing that for the kids. I hope your little one arrives safe and thanks so much for chatting.
Cheers Sam!
Shop Quiksilver’s TAI-KEHU collection here. Word is if it sells out Quik will sponsor a kid in the Pacific.
