Every name has a story. Ours begins on a street in Rotorua — Vaughan Road.

It’s where our journey started. Two sisters, Tereina and Hayes, born in Rotorua, raised in Sydney, but always grounded in our Te Arawa whakapapa: Tūhourangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Tapuika. Vaughan Road wasn’t just an address. It was the place that shaped our earliest memories. The place we carried with us when we crossed the ditch. The place that whispered, don’t forget who you are.

For years, the idea of creating something for us, by us, lived in the background. We dreamed, we doubted, we pushed it aside. Until one day, we stopped waiting for “the right time” and built Vaughan Road — not just as a brand, but as a home.

Why Vaughan Road Matters

Growing up in Australia meant growing up away from the marae, the reo, the pūrākau, and the whenua. That distance was heavy. It left gaps that couldn’t be filled by books, classrooms, or the mainstream narratives around what it means to be Māori.

But here’s the thing about distance: it can create determination. The ache of being far from home made us more determined to learn, to unlearn, to reconnect. Vaughan Road was born from that determination.

It’s our tribute to the place we came from. Our love letter to our people. A reminder that identity doesn’t come with conditions. You don’t have to be fluent. You don’t have to live on the whenua. You don’t have to tick some invisible box to be enough. You’re Māori — and that’s your starting point.

More Than a Street Name

For us, Vaughan Road is not just a location. It’s a metaphor. It’s the road that connects us back to who we are.

Through bold slogans, cultural references, and the kind of humour only we would get, we’re building a space where Māori can be loud, proud, funny, fierce, and free. A space that celebrates every version of being Māori — whether you’re back home in Aotearoa or holding it down across the ditch.

Vaughan Road is for the ones who are still learning their reo. For the ones who left home to chase opportunity. For the ones who never stopped feeling like something was missing. For the ones who know that being Māori is not just about where you are, but who you are.

Always Māori. Always.

Vaughan Road is more than merch. More than fashion. It’s identity stitched into cotton. It’s laughter printed in bold type. It’s whakapapa you can wear with pride.

This is our way of reclaiming, remembering, and representing. For ourselves. For our whānau. For our people.

Celebrating being Māori. Always.