Pounamu trade arouses concern
21 September 2004
By AMANDA SPRATT
Souvenir shop operators and agents are passing off imported jade as
New Zealand pounamu, with mark-ups of as much as 1400 per cent.
Some retailers are blatantly lying about where the stone is from,
using deceptive practices and hiding behind tags of "genuine
greenstone".
But in most cases, employees are either not aware of the stone's
origins or only disclose it if asked specifically by the consumer.
"We find most tourists don't ask," said one Christchurch retailer, who
said about "99%" of what they sold was imported jade. "I guess they
probably assume it is from New Zealand."
The issue is a touchy one tied up with economic and cultural
sensitivities and agendas, with many in the industry refusing to
comment.
But while carvers and those involved in the management of pounamu say
the practice is not new, they fear the situation is getting out of
control.
Many are welcoming steps taken by Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu (Tront),
which owns all greenstone in New Zealand, to address the issue.
The iwi is starting a pilot project that will see a few retailers
labelling New Zealand-sourced greenstone, which is found only in the
South Island, with a trademark saying it is "Ngai Tahu pounamu".
If it runs smoothly, the iwi plans to launch the trademark nationally
next year.
But meanwhile, the iwi's pounamu management spokesman, Bill Doland, is
warning people to be careful if they want true New Zealand jade.
"There are a few unscrupulous operators out there. A lot of it is
imported. You'd find it hard to go out and find a piece of pounamu
now."
It was difficult for a lay person to differentiate between pounamu and
good quality British Columbian pieces so it was important retailers
were upfront about what they stocked. Doland said there were some
obvious pointers for the consumer wishing to buy pounamu, with
"carvings of dolphins and bears with fish in their mouths" clearly
imported, usually carved in Asia from Chinese or Candian jade.
But due to gargantuan mark-ups in the value of the cheaper imported
jade, the price tags of traditional korus, fish hooks and tikis were
often similar.
"I've seen Asian people come in with suitcases of the stuff. It's
rough as, it's got bumps on it. They sell them at $7 to retailers, and
retailers sell them at $100 or more."
Carver Norman Clark said often shop owners were unaware that what they
were buying from agents was imported.
Yesterday, the Press contacted one Australian-based supplier of a
major souvenir chain store who said they were not sure where their
suppliers sourced their greenstone.
Meanwhile, one employee at the Christchurch store carrying the product
assured The Press that it was pounamu, while another said it varied
depending on the piece.
Clark said to knowingly mislead was insulting to Maori beliefs.
"That to me is not just deceitful, it's a criminal act."
Well-known Ngai Tahu carver Bevan Climo said imported jade had its
place and was good for training carvers, but only if marketed as such.
"The foreign jade's good if it's marketed properly," he said. "The
more foreign jade we get, the harder pounamu is to buy, the more it
goes up (in price)."
With carvings mostly contemporary art, Climo did not see imitations as
cheapening Maori culture. It was a different story if it was being
marketed as pounamu, which is believed to hold special spiritual
properties.
Climo said he was aware of some people who hid behind labels such as
"genuine greenstone".
Some retailers attached the "Made in New Zealand" label to imported
jade because it was carved in New Zealand.
Climo had even come across one West Coast retailer who claimed not to
be doing anything wrong when she displayed an imported carving in a
box labelled "New Zealand made".
"She said the box was made in New Zealand. I took her to task over
that."
Commerce Commission communications manager Jackie Maitland said the
commission was aware of the issue .
Retailers who claimed something was pounamu when it was imported could
be liable for fines under the Fair Trading Act of up to $200,000 for a
company and $60,000 for an individual, while those who labelled
foreign jade carved in New Zealand as "made in New Zealand" could also
be at risk of breaching the act.
http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/thepress/0,2106,3039790a6009,00.html
[This warning may well apply also to items being sold on ebay].
Cath |