Can salves and balms made from native plants help our aches and pains? You bet, says rongoa (Maori medicine) practitioner Donna Kerridge. Donna joins Atarangi Muru for workshops and one-on-one sessions about traditional healing, its place in modern life and the healing properties of native plants.
Gaining a Bachelor of Health Sciences in 2004, Donna felt there was still more to learn and says when she studied rongoa it was like the missing piece of a jigsaw feel into place. She likes its more holistic approach of looking at the entire person and their environment.
"How we care for the land and our environment is often reflected in how we care for ourselves," she says. "I'm not saying one system is better than the other, but they can - and should - work together. "I'm looking forward to showing how traditional healing can help, so Aucklanders and our international visitors can appreciate another aspect of our culture that makes us unique."
