Lisa Critchley
I remember wanting to make natural remedies since I was a teenager. I have always been a natural tutu or tinkerer. Growing up there was not a single time that we didn’t have a garden for kai. This was my dad’s garden. Mum always had beautiful flower gardens, we always had fruit trees or vines. One of my nanas used to be involved in garden communities groups, and my other nana grew up at the Marae.
Gardening is in my veins, along with food preservation but also soil health. My dad always had the meanest composting system for soil restoration, and I ferment all my food scraps and compost my weeds and branches.
My employment history is in the Horticulture and Food industries. At High School age I was offered an apprenticeship for baking bread, cakes and pastries. After I was made redundant I looked for an outdoors job, where I started my horticultural journey and an Apprenticeship came up through work, and I completed my Level 4 at M.I.T.
Little did I know that my path would lead me to the answers of the skin allergies I have suffered with since toddler age.
5 years ago I started going to Rongoā community workshops, show casing our beautiful Rakau Taonga and how to make natural remedies for our whanau. Our Facilitator and Kaiako was Judy Henderson. She has been a valuable start to my Te Ao maori journey.
From here is where I started researching to start my healing journey for skin allergies. It took a 3-year period for me to find time to find the right rakau and ingredients that worked for me. This is also the time I applied to study Rongoā Maori through Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
A huge mihi to my Level 4 kaiako Helena Netana and Level 5 Diploma, Riwia Te Kaawa. The matauranga shared through the eyes of these 2 wahīne is so extensive, but also to the wider rongoā community through Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
Today I share some of that knowledge through Rongoā Hikoi alongside different communities in Tamaki Makaurau. Whether it be walking around a park or ngahere locally. Open korero identifying plants, their medicinal properties, tikanga and kawa/ rules and protocols, nga Atua/gods, elements and history’s of that area and how we can show respect by maintaining the health and wellbeing of Papatūānuku and caring for our rakau.
Ko au te taiao, Te taiao ko au
Ko au te whenua, Te whenua ko au
Ko au te tangata, Te tangata ko au
Whakawheti ki a koe mo te wa ki te panui, ka whakanuia.
Thank you for taking the time to read, appreciate you.
