Pendant

This is an early stylised bird-form pendant made from koko-tangiwai (bowenite). It has been exposed to heat, changing its natural translucent green colour to yellowish-white. It is likely to have been worn in the ear, but may also have been suspended around the neck.

Source
Stylised bird-form pendants such as this one are found mainly in the southern South Island. The koko-tangiwai for this pendant is likely to have been sourced from either Anita Bay or Poison Bay, near Piopiotahi (Milford Sound).

Koko-tangiwai
Koko-tangiwai is a relatively soft type of pounamu (New Zealand greenstone) found mainly in the Piopiotahi area and remains highly-prized for making pendants. Koko-tangiwai represents the petrified tears of the ancestor Tamaahua, who wept upon finding one of his missing wives petrified in pounamu at Piopiotahi (Milford Sound). The term 'koko' refers to an incision into one's inner being made by a deep and never-healing sorrow.