The word phormium comes from the Greek word ‘phormo’ that refers to basket making using flax.
The word phormium comes from the Greek word ‘phormo’ that refers to basket making using flax. Flax plays a big part in the lives of early Maori who used the strong fibre in the making of mats, women fabric, cloaks and fishing nets. Even the flower stalks were used to make rafts.
Flax was one of the earliest, if not the first, of New Zealand’s exports in our maritime history. Well before then Maori were trading through the Pacific Islands with their flax products.