About HAPA

WHO ARE WE

Kia ora! HAPA is a local design gift store which began life inside a shipping container in Christchurch, New Zealand, launched on October 2011 as part of the Re:Start Container mall project.

Designed to bring back life into the city after the devastating earthquakes in 2011, the innovative mall consisted of a group of shipping containers and represented the start of the rebuild of the CBD.

At HAPA our product range is an interesting, unique, bespoke range of gifts, jewellery and homewares that we have carefully curated to delight our customers. We showcase local, Māori and indigenous design and work directly with more than 300 local creatives, as well as produce a range of our own HAPA designs.
HAPA is a word with many interesting meanings. In Te Reo Māori it refers to something imperfect, a puzzle, out of place... we like its resonance with the handmade products that we showcase, which are not "machine made" perfect - they show the heart, handprint and humanity of the makers. Its also a reference to our origins in the aftermath of the earthquakes in 2011 - a "hapa ripa" is the Māori phrase for "fault line".

We are constantly on the lookout for innovative jewellery, homeware and gifts - if you have something interesting to offer, we would love to hear from you!

HAPA is owned by Maureen Taane (Ngāti Maniapoto, Ngāti Uekaha) and partner Blair Morton. We are a proud whānau business, and employ 7 members of extended whānau and friends, across both stores.

HAPA JOURNEY

In October 2011 we opened our ReStart Mall container store.

In October 2014 we launched a successful 3 month pop-up concept store situated at The Colombo.

In October 2015 we opened a HAPA store in the beautiful Tannery Emporium - this heritage space is a boutique shopping centre on the banks of the Heathcote River in Woolston, Christchurch Ōtautahi. The old industrial precinct is now home to an eclectic group of artisans in their own rights: a hub of creativity and hospitality, retail and craft.

In January 2018 the ReStart Container Mall closed its doors for good, to make way for the new Riverside Farmers Market to be built on the same spot, and all tenants relocated to different parts of our new central city.

In May 2018 we opened our brand new HAPA store in the busy BNZ Centre - you can find us at 111 Cashel st. Enter the BNZ Centre off both Cashel and Hereford streets - we are just down from Scorpio Books.

STAY IN TOUCH!
We love having an active open communication with our customers via our facebook page and Instagram

RESTART CONTAINER MALL STORE, 2011 to 2018:

Photographs - Maureen Taane

THE TANNERY HAPA STORE, 2015 - present:

THE BNZ CENTRE HAPA STORE, 2018 to present:

Photos - Nancy Zhou