PĀNUI
NEWS
Open Group Spotlight: Rongoā.
30 / 10 / 2025
Every second Monday morning, a growing group gathers quietly in one of the rooms at He Waka Tapu. It’s here that Tiana Te Moana leads the organisation’s open Rongoā rōpū, a space for reclaiming traditional Māori knowledge, reconnecting to mātauranga that was lost, and rediscovering knowledge of self.
“It started small,” says Tiana. “We used to run wānanga once a month, but people wanted more. So now it’s every two weeks. It’s evolved into an open group where anyone can come and learn.”
For Tiana, the foundation of the group goes far beyond plant medicine. People often think rongoā is just about making oils or balms, but it’s much deeper than that. Traditionally, tohunga rongoā were the ones who helped keep balance between the people, the environment and the spiritual world. Everyone had some knowledge of traditional healing. It was part of who we were.
Before the group could start creating rongoā products, Tiana says they had to begin with the why, understanding the whakapapa of healing, the atua, the domains, the karakia and the values that underpin rongoā Māori.
“We haven’t even got to making the balms yet,” she remarks. “Because the foundations are everything. You have to have the mātauranga first.”
The group welcomes anyone, whether they’re fluent in te reo or just beginning to explore Māori healing traditions. “At first, I had to really strip things back,” Tiana says. “There’s so much knowledge to share, but I realised not everyone had the same starting point. So we slowed it down, went back to basics, broke down kupu, explained concepts and made sure everyone could follow.”
For Tiana, the Rongoā Wānanga isn’t just about healing individuals. It’s about healing the collective mindset. “We’ve been conditioned to live in this ‘me first’ world, to do everything alone. But traditionally, we worked together. Our wellbeing was collective. That’s what we’re trying to bring back.”
“Because the foundations are everything. You have to have the mātauranga first. For me, it always starts with Io. Io is the foundation first and foremost, that reconnection back to Io, back to the source, is where true healing begins.”
Some members have taken their learning even further. Two participants are now training as rongoā practitioners, preparing to lead classes themselves. Others have become researchers, diving deeper into mātauranga Māori. “It’s about reindigenising people,” Tiana says. “Reindigenising our spaces, our systems and the way we think.”
The feedback from participants has been profound. “People tell me it’s been life changing,” Tiana says. “A lot of them say, ‘Why didn’t we get taught this?’ They’re learning who they are and where they come from.”
For Tiana, the Rongoā Wānanga isn’t just about healing individuals. It’s about healing the collective mindset. “We’ve been conditioned to live in this ‘me first’ world, to do everything alone. But traditionally, we worked together. Our wellbeing was collective. That’s what we’re trying to bring back.”
She believes bridging traditional and modern approaches to health is key to the future. “What’s good for Māori is good for everyone,” she says. “Working alongside medical staff, nurses, social workers, that’s the way forward. Because healing doesn’t fit in a box. Whether it’s housing, health, addiction or whānau, it all connects back to wairua.”
Tiana sees the wānanga continuing to grow, with more practitioners stepping into leadership and more people reconnecting with their ancestral knowledge.
“I think it’s just the beginning,” she says. “This is about education, teaching people who they really are, the greatness they come from. Because once they know that, everything else shifts.”
