Hi! My name is Shay Hira,
Born in Kaitaia and raised in a small, close-knit community of Awanui, where my childhood was filled with family, fishing, sports, and the simple joys that shape who I became. Creativity was always part of me — drawing, sewing, imagining, making. I moved around Aotearoa during my school years, but home was the Far North, and so was my sense of identity.
After studying fashion and design in Christchurch, I began designing my own clothing line — all while
working full-time as a single parent to my then three-year-old boy.
Life tested me deeply even experiencing the devastating earthquake in February 2011.
Through loss, rebuilding, and change, I kept moving forward, later welcoming two more beautiful children into my life.
My journey then led me into real estate. Living in Ngāruawāhia. I worked at Harcourts while studying. I sold my first home 2 weeks later — a result that reignited my confidence and ambition. Determined to grow, I set my sights on the Auckland market, moving to Pōkeno — only for the COVID lockdown to be announced the very next day.
Like many, my plans paused, life became uncertain.
During that time, something profound happened. Reconnecting with my aunty, I received a photo of my grandfather Tiaki Hira — speaker for the Māori kings. Placing that image on my wall stirred something deep. My wairua was pulled back to creativity, to culture, to learning about more about my whakapapa, my purpose.
I began designing feather earrings — pieces infused with meaning, identity, and connection. When I shared them online, the response was overwhelming. Orders poured in. Sell-outs, restocks, sell-outs again.
What started as healing became a movement.
As restrictions eased, I was invited to markets, festivals, and retail spaces, magazine and radio interviews. It was only right to hold my first stall back home. I returned home to showcase my work at the IO Festival in 2020. In 2022, I opened my first physical shop in Huntly — a milestone built on resilience, courage, and community support.
Life continued to evolve, bringing me to Perth, where I rebuilt once again — balancing real estate with the creative business that had become part of my soul. In 2024, I proudly held my first stall at Waitangi Day celebrations, sharing not just products, but stories, heritage, and heart.
Today, everything I create carries pieces of this journey, motherhood, survival, culture, faith, and determination. My work is not just something to wear; it is something to feel.
If you see yourself in these stories — strength through hardship, heartbreak, grief, love, depression, beauty rising from struggle, pride in where you come from — then you are exactly who I create for.
Welcome to my world.
