About Brand
Timmy Smith & Pause For Tea is a social enterprise rooted in connection to land, community, and culture. Beginning with tactile jewellery, her practice has grown to include Pause For Tea, a sugar-free, batch-brewed sparkling tea brand and experiential tea sessions. Through both, she creates spaces for people to slow down, reconnect with land and water, and engage with indigenous Māori knowledge.
The Story
Timmy Smith’s practice began with creating tactile jewellery, which gradually evolved into a broader body of work rooted in deep connection to land (whenua), community, and the people she serves. Her guiding belief that connection leads to care, care leads to respect, and respect leads to protection continues to shape both her creative and social enterprise work.
Building on this foundation, she later founded Pause For Tea, a sugar-free, batch-brewed sparkling tea brand alongside the PAUSE for Tea experience. Rooted in the Māori creation narrative of Te Kore, Te Pō, and Te Ao Mārama, the experience guides participants through a sensory journey from raw botanicals to sparkling and brewed tea, highlighting the whakapapa of each ingredient and its connection to whenua.
More than a tasting, Pause For Tea creates an immersive space for reflection, conversation, and restoration. Through this experiential format, Timmy explores how food, ritual, and storytelling can deepen people’s relationship with land, plants, and place, while offering a non-alcoholic alternative suited for wellness, hospitality, and gathering spaces.
The Impact
Through her work, Timmy creates positive impact by supporting local artisans, sourcing from local growers, and embedding sustainable practices across her ventures. She actively measures and reduces her carbon footprint, offsetting unavoidable emissions through reforestation and rainforest protection initiatives. Guided by the principles of kaitiakitanga
(guardianship), her work demonstrates how businesses can care for both people and the environment while preserving indigenous Māori knowledge for future generations.