One of our regular initiatives, Fabulous Fridays, is a space where kaumātua and kuia come together to share their teachings and learnings of rongoā with others—ensuring the preservation and intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge.

As part of the Te Hiku Rongoā Māori Collective, Tuia Maara Whenua has played a central role in leading or supporting various kaupapa such as:

• • Iwi Taketake visits,
  • Te Hiku Wellbeing Festival,
  • Various Wānanga Noho Taiao,
  • Otiria Wānanga Rongoā,
  • Plant & Food Research on Rongoā Māori,
  • Brokering a partnership with Te Hiku Hauora to establish a new Whare Rongoā in Kaitaia.

Our new clinic space or ‘Whare Rongoā’ opening soon is a significant milestone for both Tuia Maara Whenua and Te Hiku Rongoa Maori Collective, providing a larger space for us to carry out our mahi romiromi, mirimiri, provide a rongoā dispensary and wānanga space —ensuring more whānau in our community have greater access to these essential high quality rongoā Māori services.

We are eternally grateful for the leadership of Maria Baker at Te Hiku Hauora whose longterm shared vision to provide improve and strengthen Mātauranga Māori based health services in Te Hiku aligned beautifully with us, resulting in a powerful community driven collaboration. Te Hiku Hauora have secured the 9-year lease on the building for our collective to operate in, for the wider Te Hiku community. This means greater access to equitable, high-quality rongoā Māori healthcare. For us, it means a larger, well-equipped space to continue to provide a service that addresses the needs of our communities.

We also wish to acknowledge the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), who provided us with critical funding for our new commercial kitchen. Much thought and care was put into its functional design that will provide a valuable teaching and learning space for various rongoā Māori workshops and wānanga.

This initiative is more than just a whare—it is about ensuring the collective growth and preservation of rongoā Māori, for the benefit of whānau, hapū, and iwi both now and for generations to come.