What is Rongoa Maori?

Rongoā Māori – The Ancient Healing Ways of Our People

Rongoā Māori is the traditional healing system of Aotearoa. It is not just medicine—it is a way of life. Rooted in deep respect for Papatūānuku (the Earth Mother) and all living beings, Rongoā acknowledges that true healing begins when we return to balance within ourselves, our whānau, our environment, and the spiritual realms.

At its heart, Rongoā is about restoring mauri — the life force that flows through all things. It weaves together body, mind, wairua (spirit), and whenua (land), reminding us that everything is connected — what affects one, affects all.

Rongoā is both ancient and alive — passed down through generations, evolving as we do, yet always anchored in tikanga Māori (traditional values, principles, and practices).

🌿 Mirimiri – The Gentle Awakening of the Body and Wairua

Mirimiri is the art of healing touch. It goes beyond massage; it is an energetic and spiritual practice used to release tension, pain, and emotional heaviness stored within the body.

Through gentle, guided touch and connection, the practitioner works to restore the natural flow of mauri and wairua within. Mirimiri helps calm the nervous system, clear emotional blockages, and reawaken the body’s own innate healing wisdom.

It is also a form of whakawhanaungatanga — building trust and connection between healer and client, between body and spirit, between human and divine. Each mirimiri session is different, guided intuitively by what the body and spirit present in that moment.

💫 Romiromi – The Deep Release and Alignment

Where mirimiri works gently with energy and emotional flow, romiromi works deeply with the physical and energetic body — a spiritual body realignment that shifts mauri and hā (breath of life) back into harmony.

Romiromi often involves deep pressure using hands, elbows, or feet, along with breathwork, vibration, and karakia (prayer). It helps release trauma, stagnation, or blockages that have settled in the body — often layers that have built up over generations.

As the physical body is realigned, so too is the wairua (spirit). It’s a powerful process of reconnection — to self, to whakapapa, to atua.

Mirimiri and Romiromi are two sides of the same taonga — together they bring release, cleansing, grounding, and renewal.

🌱 Rongoā Rākau – The Medicine of the Plants

Rongoā rākau is the use of native plants and trees for healing — our living pharmacy gifted by Papatūānuku. Each plant carries its own wairua (spirit), mauri (life force), and kōrero tuku iho (ancestral story).

Healing through rākau is not just about physical symptoms — it’s about forming a relationship with the plant, understanding its personality, and listening to its wisdom.

From the soothing kawakawa, the cleansing kūmarahou, the protective mānuka, to the strengthening harakeke — each one offers medicine for body, mind, and spirit.

When we harvest, we do so with karakia, with gratitude and intention, never taking more than we need. This reciprocity keeps the cycle of life and healing in balance.

🔥 Mahi Wairua – The Spiritual Work

Mahi wairua is the unseen yet vital aspect of Rongoā. It is the bridge between the physical and spiritual worlds. Through karakia, whakawātea (clearing), and connection to atua, mauri can be restored, whakapapa can be remembered, and wairua can return to peace.

Healers working in mahi wairua act as vessels — guided by intuition, ancestral presence, and the natural world. It may involve energy clearing, spirit release, grounding, or reconnecting a person to their true essence.

When wairua is healed, the whole being shifts. The body follows, the mind clears, and the person stands once more in their own mana.

🌊 The Connection to Atua, Nature, and All That Is

Everything within Rongoā Māori is connected — to atua, to whenua, to tangata, to moana, to rangi, and to wairua.

Each aspect of nature represents an atua, a divine presence —

🌧 Tāwhirimātea moves through the winds of breath and change.

🌊 Tangaroa flows through our blood and emotions.

🔥 Mahuika gives warmth and transformation.

🌿 Haumia-tiketike and Rongo-mā-Tāne gift the medicine of plants.

🌍 Papatūānuku grounds us, nourishes us, holds us.

To live and heal in alignment with Rongoā Māori is to walk gently upon the earth, aware that we are never separate — we are part of the great weaving of life itself.

🌀 He Oranga Whakapapa – Returning to Wholeness

Rongoā Māori is more than healing — it’s remembering. Remembering who we are, where we come from, and how deeply we are woven into the fabric of creation.

Through mirimiri, romiromi, rongoā rākau, and mahi wairua, we return to balance — within ourselves, our ancestors, and our environment.

When we heal the land, we heal ourselves.

When we heal ourselves, we heal the land.

This is the essence of Rongoā Māori.