Blending tea & jewellery TIMMY'S GÉM D OF AN IDEA

Her girl's eye problem led to a successful family enterprise

- Elisabeth Easther

Timmy Smith, 51, is a Waiheke Island- based entrepreneur, mother and grandmother, who has built two dynamic businesses while also caring for family, staffand her wider community.

“My story is my taonga [treasure],” says Timmy, who is of Whakatōhea, Te Ūpokorehe and Ngāti Porou descent. “It’s greater than any piece of jewellery I can create and it’s more comforting than any cup of tea.

“I lived in the same whāre [house] in Ellerslie till I went to university, but the Hauraki Gulf was our family’s true home, because Mum and Dad were keen boaties who were always taking me and my sister Karle out there. That’s also where Dad taught us that on the moana [sea], we all have the same backyard, no matter the size of your waka [boat].”

Those maritime adventures fostered Timmy’s passion for the environment and, after finishing high school, she went to Lincoln University to study Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management.

“The culture shock down there was real,” she recalls. “Going from Penrose High to Christchurch, I had to morph into that new environment. Which is why years later, when I reconnected with my Māori culture, friends who’d known me for decades said they didn’t know I was Māori.

That’s how well I fitted in.” Following graduation, Timmy relished various ranger roles before moving into youth health work.