“Re-engineering natural fibre for a brighter future.”

Muka Innovations is based in Te Rohe Pōtae, the heart of the King Country, on ancestral land – Maniapoto te iwi. It is a plant fibre innovation company grounded in whakapapa and built for the future.

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The Te Kanawa name carries two of Aotearoa’s most significant weaving legacies. From the pioneering leadership of Grandmothers Dame Rangimarie Hetet and Diggeress Te Kanawa CNZM QSO - whose influence reshaped Māori fibre arts nationally and internationally - comes a deep and uncompromising respect for muka, the extracted fibre of harakeke.

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This is not simply material. It is a taonga.

That heritage is not ornamental. It is foundational.

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Muka Innovations grows, harvests and processes it's own harakeke line - traced back more than 200 years. It is controlled, traceable and whakapapa-anchored from seed to extraction. Genetic integrity and cultural continuity are preserved in every strand.

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The result is a high-performance natural fibre with impressive tensile strength and structural potential. It is renewable, biodegradable and produced with a significantly lower environmental footprint than many conventional materials. Emerging composite research indicates that natural fibre composites can reduce carbon emissions by 20–50% in manufacturing applications.

 

Muka Innovations is in the design phase for scalable processing capability, and is soon to be production ready. From cultivation, fibre extraction, through to the end product. The entire process is vertically integrated - ensuring performance, integrity and complete control of the value chain.

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Muka Innovations currently has over 6270 Harakeke Plants in the ground with partnerships with local Farmers, increasing to 38,000 plants - 100 acres over the next 3-4 years, to ensure their supply chain is secure and thriving. 

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The Ambition is Clear: 

To partner with forward-thinking companies who are ready to rethink materials. Whether in textile, marine, skincare or engineered applications. Muka Innovations offers a high-integrity, sustainable fibre

grounded in both science and story.

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This is where heritage meets industrial innovation.
Where control strengthens confidence.
Where the future of materials is grown from the land.

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