Once plentiful, Kauri and Tohorā now face the threat of extinction. To save them we need to listen to the message of Tiwaiwaka, writes Donna Kerridge. We’ve heard it all before: New Zealand was a nation dependent upon whaling and logging for its economic survival and today we depend on farming, fishing, gas and oil … Read more
One hundred and fifty Māori medical practitioners, doctors, nurses and medical graduates converged on Rotorua in April to discuss the Māori health Kaupapa Inquiry. Ātea’s rongoā expert Donna Kerridge made the case for Māori health framework before her peers. “Rongoā Māori is a threat to the medical economy because it is about sharing knowledge, not selling … Read more
When we think of berries we think of the delicious summer varieties – raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and more. But Aotearoa has an abundance of native autumn berries, if you know where to look. For some of us our childhood memories of berries might range from picking wild blackberries on our way to school or trekking … Read more
Karaka berries are a good source of protein and carbohydrates but can be toxic if not prepared properly. Rongoā and traditional healing practices tutor Donna Kerridge shares the many excellent attributes of this beautiful berry. The flowers of the karaka (Corynocarpus laevigatus) herald the appearance of the stars Kopu and Tautoru in July. As the … Read more
Just as mamaku holds the earth together after landslides, so too can it heal wounds and infections in us, explains Donna Kerridge. Mamaku (Cyathea Medullaris), also known as kōrau, katātā and pītau, is one of my favourite rongoā. It is the largest of our tree ferns and prefers damp soils and frost free hillsides. At … Read more
Kawakawa is said to have the healing properties of all the other plants in the ngahere combined. Donna Kerridge explains how to use this versatile plant. Kawakawa (Macropiper excelsum) is one of the most easily recognised plants in the New Zealand bush with its heart shaped leaves, knobbly joints along its trunk, its holey leaves … Read more
Rongoā practitioner Donna Kerridge explains how to make a simple decoction for respiratory conditions and digestion. Wairakau (decoctions) were once one of the most common and favoured remedies used by rongoā Māori practitioners. Rongoā Māori practitioners are not chemists and most are unlikely to know what the constituents or active ingredients are in the plants … Read more
Rongoā Māori medicine is about more than lotions and potions, explains Donna Kerridge – it’s also about connection. Traditional Māori medicine (rongoā Māori) requires a special understanding of the world that acknowledges the interconnectedness of all things and that everything we think, say or do has a corresponding effect on the world around us. It … Read more
Practitioner Donna Kerridge introduces the core philosophy behind Aotearoa’s oldest medical practice. “If modern society is to have a future, what we need above all is a renewed respect for nature and reverences for the life of all created things” – Jurger Moltmann The essence of rongoā Māori and many other indigenous health practices is … Read more