Mahuru (September) is a time of regrowth and rebirth and triggers matiti kura, the first phase of summer. It is Mahuru (September) and many of us are excited about warmer days! The name Mahuru is a shortened version of the name ‘Te ahunga o uruao’ which means the new generation of whitebait. This name aligns … Read more
We are entering the fourth phase of summer and the teoteo are calling out to let you know their chicks have hatched. Read on to find out what else Hakihea (December) holds. Welcome to the maramataka for Hakihea (December). Heading into the beautiful sunny season you can expect to see new tohu depending on whether … Read more
The low energy day of Whiro is best spent fasting, meditating and cleansing the body. Want to know more? Check out the maramataka for October. Kia ora tātou, welcome to Whiringa-ā-nuku! Hopefully the last few columns have got you thinking and talking about the maramataka. With this latest instalment, we will continue to add mātauranga as … Read more
A new book looking at native plants of the South Island discusses their traditional Māori uses. The stories describe how Māori and Europeans grew and processed the plants, and uncovers some surprising uses. According to Rob Tipa, author of Treasures of Tāne: Plants of Ngāi Tahu, scientists are in many cases just now discovering the … 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
Last weekend the New Zealand Māori Council with the National Hauora Coalition hosted a hui to discuss Wai 2575, the Waitangi Tribunal’s inquiry into Health Services and Outcomes. Gabrielle Baker was there. For some of the people assembled at the national hui on Māori health issues, this was a long awaited chance to talk about … 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
Whakapapa is about relationships, not just relations, and can help us understand our all-round wellbeing, explains columnist Te Miri Rangi. Whakapapa describes a person’s genealogy, lineage or descent. It helps identify the relationships we share with others in to an organised system. Intimate knowledge of whakapapa was integral in traditional Māori society for not only … 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