Rongoā Rākau

For EducatorsWellbeing / HauoraNative PlantsLearning Te Reo Māori
Written By Kim Manunui

Rongoā is sometimes directly translated as ‘medicine’, however, the healing of rongoa has a spiritual aspect that makes it much more complex than just using part of a plant as a medicine. The healing of rongoā Māori comes from being in the ngahere (forest), connecting with nature, and saying karakia, as well as from the medicinal properties of the plants. Most plants used for rongoā are found on the edges of the forest. Their job is to heal the whenua, seal off the edges of the ngahere and to shelter and protect the life within it.  We must collect these plants with care and respect so that we don’t harm the ngahere or the life within it. We should always ask permission from Tāne Mahuta and offer a karakia before taking from the ngahere, and then only take what we need.

Please, always ensure that you identify plants correctly if using them for rongoa or eating from them. Some of them can make you really sick if used incorrectly.

You can find more information about the history of rongoa and print a PDF booklet showing an A-Z of rongoā plants and their uses. This is a fantastic detailed summary of the main plants used for rongoa and how they are used. This work is from the wonderful Rongoā New Zealand Website, and is attributed to Dr Rosemary Beresford and her students from the Otago University School of Pharmacy.

Easy access to detailed information on Māori traditional uses of New Zealand native plants can be found on this Landcare Research Manaaki Whenua website. It is a great source of information. You can search for any native plant to see how it was traditionally used.

Te Amokura have an incredible online video series called Tehei Taiao which dives deeper into Rongoā Rākau.

Rob McGowan- known to many as Pa Ropata discusses in depth rongoā rākau (30min). Te Reo Māori with English subtitles.

Some common Rongoā Rākau that you might find in the ngāhere:

Kim Manunui

Hi, I’m Kim and I work with a great team to help individuals, as well as small and not so small businesses get their message, product and services to the world using digital media and creating wonderful websites that don’t cost the earth.

I was born in Canada, and grew up around Vancouver and the mountains of British Columbia. My love of pristine environments led me to New Zealand and eventually to the mountains, lakes and rivers of the central North Island which is home. My family’s heritage is here, and it’s from here that Korio traverses the planet.

The digital world is never static and neither are we.

And I say ‘we’ because I work with an awesome group of talented people who I gather together as required to complete a project.  Whatever your business, not-for-profit or individual needs are we gather the best team to get the job done.

Collaboratively we are creative, share sustainable values and work hard for great outcomes because that’s the buzz of satisfaction that drives us.

If you have an audience and market to reach, we can make that happen. Creative design, words that work and smart behind the scenes stuff that cuts through the online noise. We’ll design your website and then build it. We’ll manage the content as well as all your hosting needs. We can handle your online advertising so you get noticed,
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https://www.korio.co.nz
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