Four One Seven ORA

Ko wai au?

“E rere kau mai te Awa nui i te kāhui maunga ki Tangaroa

Ko au te Awa Ko te Awa ko au.”

I te taha maamaa.

Ko Maungatapu te Maunga

Ko Maitahi te Awa

Ko Aorere te Moana

Ko Marahau te whenua

I te taha papa,

Ko Cyril Martin raua ko Herenora Martin (nee Ratana) ōku Matua. 

Ko Joeline Ratana toku Ingoa.

Born + raised in Tokomairaro (Milton) still living here with my whānau, my tāne Mark and our four children and two moko, but Whaea / Nanny + Koro to all our nieces and nephews whānau. 

I was fortunate to grow up with rongoā, my māmā had a remedy for this mamae and that mamae, making poultices for boils,(haki) she used to call them, some hot oil remedy for earache, sadly, I didn’t pay attention to how or what she was doing and by the time I grew up and wanted to learn, it was too late, my māmā suffered a stroke, and if it wasn’t for my two sisters and myself and the power of karakia and mirimiri we would have lost our mum that day, we gave up our lives for just over two years to care for her and that’s where my love started with rongoā.

I learnt the beautiful art of mirimiri from a Tino Ataahua wāhine, Te Aomihia Rangihuna who hails from Te Puia Springs on the East Coast but now resides in Ōtepoti and has a booming business named KOHA hands, from working alongside her I started making balms to coincide with that Mahi and I will be forever grateful we crossed paths. 

I love having a tutu with harakeke, and love watching my moko be born, even more so when they are born at our home, all of this is rongoā, teaching our tamariki and moko how to gather kai, whether it’s from Tangaroa or out in the Ngahere, how to harvest rau, always following correct tikanga, the love I have for our kaupapa really kicked off when Covid hit, learning from the absolute best and still continuing to learn every day. 

I am truly humbled and blessed by the life I have been given and thank my Tupuna for who I am today. 

Māuri Ora