Time for our annual review again, a practice I do mainly for myself to reflect on each year in business. It's been one rollercoaster ride of a year, and not one I would wait in line to ride again anytime soon. I know I said 2024 was my hardest year in business to date, but then 2025 came along and laughed in my face and said "oh honey, just you wait."
2025 was the first year the pakihi experienced a noticeable drop in orders and sales compared to the previous period. It was also the year I took a big leap and hired our first full-time kaimahi (Marketing & Sales Manager), a much-needed strategic move to lighten the burden of wearing most of the pōtae all year round. It has been so refreshing having someone else in my corner to help champion the kaupapa, bounce ideas around, and take care of the behind-the-scenes mahi so things run smoothly. Earlier in the year, we also welcomed an Accounts Manager, who takes care of finances, payroll, reporting, and anything spreadsheet-related. A quiet but very appreciated relief.
Even though my plate has been freed up in other areas, motivation still dipped many times throughout the year. I didn’t quite feel like myself in general, and that naturally showed up in what I was able to bring to the pakihi, and how I showed up (or didn’t). Watching the numbers consistently drop despite genuinely trying to grow the business was unsettling. It also felt largely out of our control, with the cost of living crisis impacting so many whānau throughout the year. At times it felt ironic, even a bit tone-deaf, promoting our ‘nice-to-have’ products to an audience just trying to keep up with rent and groceries every week.
How is a pakihi like ours meant to grow, let alone survive, when what we create is often the first thing cut from someone’s shopping list? The stress of keeping up with overheads while still staying true to the kaupapa took its toll mentally and physically. But I kept showing up, determined to not let it defeat me.
Facilitating a mid-year Matariki Retreat for a small group of wāhine Māori in business was a standout moment of the year. It created space to slow down, step away from the constant demands of life and mahi, and sit alongside wāhine who got it. I left feeling deeply seen, re-energised, and with more clarity about what truly matters to me: flexibility, time with whānau, and nurturing the parts of my life and mahi that feel most aligned.
Despite a tough year, fresh products were released, more resources were created, insightful and unique blog posts were written, more stockists were onboarded, and we still managed to create and share content that helped learners feel seen on their journey of learning te reo Māori. I had to remind myself that all of that is a win worth celebrating, despite sales not reaching what I had hoped.
If nothing else, 2025 taught me how to sit with uncertainty without rushing to escape it. How to grow more intentionally. How to pivot while still staying true to the kaupapa. Those lessons feel hard-earned, and I trust they’ll serve us well in whatever season comes next.
As always, a big mihi to our loyal customers and followers who show up and support us in all the ways, we appreciate your tautoko 🫶🏽
↑ Images: 1. Attending Te Matatini 2025. 2. Trip to Tāmaki-makaurau for warehouse visit and radio interview. 3. Photoshoot for new keepsake collection pin range.
2025 in Review
Period: 1st January - 19th December 2025
Orders
3,965 Total Orders
17,959 Total items sold
158 Wholesale Orders
1,116 Digital Downloads
1,426 Free Downloads
Products
- 30+ New Products added to our offering
- 338 Five-Star Reviews left on our website by happy customers
- Whānau book released (May 2025)
- New downloadable Tūpou Resource Flashcards & Posters (July 2025)
- New Digital Downloads: Paraoa Parai Illustrated Recipe (June), Personaliti-tī Guide (August), Kia Kaha te reo Māori (September), Matua Kēkē (September), He rā ki tua (December)
- New Father’s Day card (August 2025)
- New Keepsake Collection Pins released (October 2025)
- New magnetic planners Mahere ā-wiki launched in two colours (October 2025)
- Sold out of our new Tangata Tiriti Enamel Pin (November 2025)
- Designer for Kaupapa Tipu, a new game released by Kura Rēhia (December 2025)
↑ Images: 1. Rough sketches for new keepsake pin collection. 2. Trialing a game prototype for Kaupapa Tipu. 3. New Tangata Tiriti enamel pin.
Top 5 Products
- Kāri Māori Playing Cards: 1,317 sold
- 'Toitū Te Tiriti' Enamel Pin: 1,190 sold
- Pakiaka: 842 sold
- 'Ngā mihi' Greeting Card: 735 sold
- 'Kia Kaha Te Reo Māori' Enamel Pin: 626 sold
Digital & Social Media
- 14 Blog Articles: Including our 2025 Māori Gift Guide, reclaiming neurodiversity in te ao Māori, cheeky ways to level up your email sign-offs, loooots of yummy kai and more.
- Gained 12k+ Instagram followers since last year
- Reached a total of 164k+ followers across all social media accounts
Events & Media
- Attended Te Matatini 2025 in Taranaki
- Facilitated a Matariki Retreat for wāhine Māori in business to connect, rest and reset for the Māori new year (June 2025)
- Guest speaker on Flava Radio for Te Wiki o te reo Māori (September 2025)
- Attended Toitū Te Reo Māori Language Festival in Heretaunga (November 2025)
- First-ever Parāoa Parai Stall, selling out of 300+ fry bread (November 2025)
↑ Images: 1. Flava Radio interview for Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori. 2. Attending Toitū Te Reo in Heretaunga. 3. Accomodation for Matariki retreat at Waihi Beach.
Expansion
- 12 New Stockists: Making our products more accessible across the motu
- Hired 2 new kaimahi, expanding the team at Maimoa Creative
- Celebrated our 6 Year Anniversary (Jan 2025)
↑ Images: 1. Sunrise team hīkoi up Mauao. 2. Content creation hui 3. Stocktake at warehouse in Tāmaki-makaurau.
