19/09/2026
I was asked a really good pātai
Which I will try and answer
With honesty and integrity at the fore
‘Can I sell my Rongoā?’
I will be pono
Asking me that pātai still makes me
Feel a bit uncomfortable
Not because I don’t have an opinion
But because of who I’m answerable to
In offering my answer
I have been formally practicing Rongoā
Since 2006
Trained under a Tohunga till 2009
Gathering ourselves as Kairongoā from 11.11.2011
And opening our first Whare Rongoā - ONE
In Waikanae from 12.12.2012
The studio came via a series of wairua-led oho
That meant we couldn’t ignore its beginning
Too long for this post but the alignment
Was beyond words
It was pure synchronicity
When we started we offered koha led services
Everything else was funded by our business
Rent, power, equipment, resources
We self-funded for 2 years gaining
Experience and banking the learning
And man, did they send us the lessons
Human ones mainly but they were necessary
To help us gain insight into Rongoā
And especially people’s motives
During this time I became active
As the regional rep for Te Kāhui Rongoā
I was again mentored into this
By our kuia and was honoured
To sit amongst the Tohunga of the time
We were definitely challenged about
Looking after the mana of this taonga tuku iho
That we have been left to tiaki
Lessons I am now very grateful for
From this we began delivering our first contract in 2015
As part of a regional group of Kairongoā
That didn’t last long
As our values and tikanga were not aligned
We exited in 2016
After the loss of my Paapaa
Closed our studio and moved home
The next phase saw me teaching Rongoā
In the community, taiao and marae
Before long a new opportunity arose
To teach at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa
And eventually we rewrote the
Certificate + Diploma in Rongoā
Alongside an amazing roopu
of Matanga/ Tohunga
On leaving TWoA, Covid hit
I established Te Whare o Rongo in 2020
Which was a way to make Rongoā products
Under a collective model
Bricks and mortar businesses had stopped
And we needed to offer a pathway
to continue delivering Rongoā
We undertook kaupapa based orders
delivering to large regional hauora events
Some of my Diploma graduate tauira became involved
And were able to build confidence in their
Products and offerings
Again we learned a lot together and
In the meantime we began delivering services
With and to our people
I have continued to do this
Now designing and delivering
Whakaruruhau, Hui Ora and Wānanga
Services, Workshops and Schools of Learning
Both in Kapiti, across the hapori
And in Taranaki with my whānaunga
Another 5 years of experience
I officially am no longer working
I am living the life I was destined to embody
I spark joy from the magic Rongoā
Offers me and those I work with and for
Regardless, I am still a servant and that continues to keep me humble to Rongo
As a result
I can hand on heart say
I am remunerated for this
For the years of knowledge gathered
The experience gained
And the 1000s of people I’ve served
So, if you ask me
‘Can I sell my Rongoā?’
The answer is yes, you can BUT
Some of the better questions to ask is:
Do I have enough knowledge, experience and wisdom for Rongoā to choose me as its servant?
Have I served sufficiently to be able to be withstand challenges to my practice, my integrity, the kaupapa of Rongoā?
Am I able to sustain my practice with or without remuneration? Or is remuneration the motivation?
Do I know enough about what I am offering? Or am I a Pia? Akonga? Tauira? Pukenga?
Who is standing beside me to support and endorse my mahi?
Who checks on my tikanga/ practice?
Hence, the money question doesn’t become
the primary issue. If you market well enough you can sell anything.
My interest is that you have sufficient ability to honour Rongoā and do the mahi to uphold the kaupapa with integrity and truth.
It is why we move collectively and in common unity within this kaupapa. Under the mantle of kawa and tikanga. Alongside Kaumatua, Matanga and Tohunga.
This knowledge system is multi layered and has depth. You cannot know this if you’re only new to the kaupapa. It is slow medicine and requires you to build knowledge through experience OVER seasons.
Don’t be in a hurry like Whiro. Follow the route of Tāne, one step at a time, one lesson at a time. Consolidated. Eventually you get there.
And that original question is no longer necessary.
I loved being asked this pātai
I respect people for asking it
As it’s an important one
Me aro ki te hā o Rongo
Kei reira te whakarauora
