Joanna Hakaraia
Kia ora, ko Joanne Hakaraia-Olson tōku ingoa. I am a Māori wahine born and raised in Ōtaki, Aotearoa. I am tangata whenua of this land. The Tararua ranges, the Ōtaki and Waitohu rivers raised me. My parents are both Ngāti Raukawa and Ngāti Whakaue. My waka are Tainui and Te Arawa.
I am a Rongoā Māori healer and I follow in the footsteps of my tūpuna. My great-great-great grandmother Mereruia Hakaraia and her sister Heneti were kairongoā. They were medicine women and spent considerable time on Kāpiti Island cultivating land that had been given to them by Te Rauparaha in the 1800's.
My dad would use rongoā for his rugby injuries and mum would go and get the plants from outside for him. I was keen to learn but my dad was concerned for me, and wanted to keep me safe. I didn't understand this at the time, but I do now. Once you know something there is a huge responsibility and the learning is ongoing. I dabbled with plants all my teenage years making medicine for my skin. I loved the feeling of it and the sacredness of applying it. I started studying rongoā seriously in 2010 when I moved to Auckland. My greatest teacher was Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa (Waitakere Ranges).
The founding of Rongoā Mauri came from a calling to work with the indigenous plants of Aotearoa. I have dedicated my life to working with the plants and the ngahere (forest).
Most of Aotearoas' trees, ferns and flowering plants are native having evolved in isolation for millions of years. There are forests of unique conifers, called podocarp, whose species include Rimu, Totara, Matai, Kahikatea and Miro, whose lineage stretches back to Gondwana. Our trees and ferns hold the DNA of millions of years. This is mauri and it is a powerful and potent rongoā not just from a physical state but primarily within the esoteric realms. Our tipuna passed down pūrākau that hold the key to unlocking the codes to these realms.
For many indigenous cultures around the world, plants and the natural world are the pure resonance of AIO, the Supreme Being. This is the esoteric component of indigenous medicine. Our tūpuna left us a guide-book and a map to enter these realms.
I created a waka, an esoteric vessel, to navigate my way through the ngaherehere (forest). One tree at a time. I gathered a roopū (group) to come along with me and we studied the trees that protect the ngahere. Then we went further into the ngaherehere and studied the Rākau Rangatira (Older trees). This path is considered tapu and it was forbidden to enter up until recently. The tapu was lifted. I dedicate my life to this work and I am deeply humbled and grateful to the tūpuna and kaitiaki for the journey.
I have been healing for nearly 20 years serving thousands of clients in Aotearoa and globally.
I intuitively read energy patterns and tohu (signs and symbols), interpreting the movements and messages of the environment.
Over the years, in collaboration with the plant kingdom, I have grown my apothecary of plant medicine and now make it available for everyone.
