Harata Meretana Ma Charitable Trust

Welcome to the AIO Healing Online Shop

Kia Ora Whānau

AIO Healing is a subsidiary of the Harata Meretana Ma Chariatable Trust.

This online shop offers a range of resources, teachings, and healing products to support whānau on their journey toward holistic wellbeing. Grounded in the philosophy of traditional Māori healing practices such as romiromi and rongoā Māori, the shop provides tools that help people reconnect with their own natural healing abilities, strengthen their wairua, and restore balance in their lives.

Some of the resources available are free downloads and include publications, educational materials, healing products, and online learning tools that share practical knowledge drawn from decades of experience in traditional Māori healing and community wānanga. Many of these resources are designed to support individuals and whānau to better understand the relationship between wairua (spirit), hinengaro (mind), tinana (body), and the natural world, which are central foundations of traditional Māori healing philosophies.

Through the AIO Healing platform, Dr Mildon shares knowledge that has been passed down through generations of healers and kaumātua, while also drawing on contemporary research and community-based learning. The aim is to make this mātauranga accessible to people who wish to deepen their understanding of traditional healing practices and incorporate them into their everyday lives.

The shop also reflects the broader mission of the Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust, which focuses on empowering whānau through wānanga, research, and resources that promote holistic health and the revitalisation of ancestral healing knowledge for future generations.

By offering these resources online, the Harata Meretana Ma Charitable AIO Healing Online Shop provides an accessible way for people across Aotearoa and beyond to engage with traditional Māori healing knowledge, supporting personal wellbeing while strengthening the cultural foundations that sustain whānau and communities.

Returning Our Loved Ones Home

By Dr Charlotte Mildon

A recent research-based resource by the Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust that is available as a free download

Returning Our Loved Ones Home is a timely and important resource by Dr Charlotte Mildon, developed through recent research completed by the Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust. Grounded in the lived experiences, wisdom, and reflections of whānau, kuia, and tauira who contributed through the Te Waka Tapu o Takitimu Wānanga Series, this publication offers practical and culturally grounded guidance for caring for loved ones during tangihanga.

This free resource was created in response to the growing need for accessible information that helps whānau navigate death, tūpāpaku care, and tangihanga with greater confidence, dignity, and cultural understanding. It brings together ancestral knowledge and practical guidance on topics such as natural body care, caring for tūpāpaku at home or on the marae, legal rights and options, planning ahead, affordable coffin choices, and the financial pressures many families now face when arranging funerals.

At the heart of Returning Our Loved Ones Home is a powerful reminder that caring for our loved ones after death is not new to Māori. It is something our people have always done. The resource supports whānau to reconnect with this knowledge in ways that are compassionate, practical, and relevant for today, especially at a time when funeral costs can place enormous stress on families. It encourages whānau to explore meaningful, affordable, and culturally aligned pathways that honour both the tūpāpaku and the wellbeing of the living.

This free guide shares practical steps and traditional wisdom for manaaki i te tūpāpaku, drawn from the lived experiences of our kuia and the whānau of the Te Waka Tapu o Takitimu. To download this resource, click on this link to the online shop

Rongoā Māori Report for High Needs Whānau in Ahuriri

Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust

The Rongoā Māori Report for High Needs Whānau in Ahuriri is an important community research initiative led by the Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust, highlighting the powerful role of traditional Māori healing in supporting the wellbeing of whānau facing complex health and social challenges. Funded by Mana Ahuriri Trust, the project worked directly with high-needs whānau across the Ahuriri rohe, including communities connected to Wharerangi, Tangoio, Petane, Timi Kara, Mōteo and Waiohiki marae. Over a five-month period, a rōpū of Māori healers provided free Romiromi and Rongoā healing services, gathering both qualitative and quantitative research to better understand how ancestral healing practices can support whānau experiencing deep emotional, physical, and spiritual distress.

The report presents key findings showing that many of the challenges faced by whānau — including health issues, trauma, and social hardship — are rooted in intergenerational experiences of mamae and disconnection, and that holistic Māori healing approaches can play a vital role in restoring balance and wellbeing. Participants described the healing environment as deeply supportive, often feeling like they had become part of a whānau through the process. The research also demonstrates how traditional practices such as rongoā rākau, romiromi, karakia, and wānanga help reconnect people to their whakapapa, their environment, and their own sense of mana.

More broadly, the report contributes to the growing evidence that Kaupapa Māori, whānau-centred approaches can significantly improve wellbeing outcomes when Indigenous knowledge and healing practices are valued and supported within communities. By documenting these outcomes, the Harata Meretana Mā Charitable Trust continues its commitment to empowering whānau to reclaim tino rangatiratanga over their own healing journeys, while ensuring that the ancestral knowledge of Rongoā Māori is preserved for future generations.

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Ahuriri Community Mental Health Act Review

Aotearoa Rongoā Māori Collective – Chairs Report

The Ahuriri Community Mental Health Act Review is an important kaupapa led by the Aotearoa Rongoā Māori Collective, with support from Te Aka Whai Ora, to better understand how the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act is experienced by Māori whānau in the Ahuriri region. This review was undertaken to ensure that the voices, lived experiences, and cultural perspectives of whānau Māori are heard in discussions about mental health legislation and services that impact their lives.

Through kōrero with whānau, healers, and community members, the report explores how the Mental Health Act has affected Māori communities, particularly those experiencing high levels of distress, trauma, and disconnection from culturally appropriate support. Many participants shared concerns about the over-representation of Māori within mental health services, the impact of compulsory treatment, and the lack of recognition given to Māori models of wellbeing and healing.

The report highlights the importance of Kaupapa Māori approaches, including the traditional roles of Romiromi, Rongoā Māori, tikanga, wānanga, and whānau support, as pathways toward healing and restoration. It also emphasises the need for mental health systems to recognise the value of Indigenous knowledge and culturally grounded practices when supporting Māori experiencing mental distress.

By bringing forward the voices and experiences of whānau from the Ahuriri community, the Aotearoa Rongoā Māori Collective Chairs Report contributes to the national conversation about mental health reform. It calls for more compassionate, culturally responsive approaches that uphold the dignity, mana, and wellbeing of Māori whānau.

This work represents an important step toward strengthening community-led solutions and ensuring that future mental health policy reflects the needs, knowledge, and aspirations of Māori communities.

Tohuna Kura Waka

A Publication by Dr Charlotte Mildon

Tohuna Kura Waka, written by Dr Charlotte Mildon, is a significant contribution to the preservation and understanding of mātauranga Māori relating to traditional healing and the role of the tohuna within Māori society who were born with the ancestral healing knowledge and only taught how to access it. The Tohunga on the other hand, is trained from an early age and is mentored for a lifetime. Drawing from decades of lived experience, wānanga, and teachings shared by the Tuhoe Tohuna, Dr Arikirangi, Turuki, Rangimarie, Rose Pere nee Lambert, supported by stories from esteemed kaumātua, Tohunga, Tohunga Ahurewa and respected healers, this publication explores the deeper philosophical and spiritual foundations that underpin Māori healing traditions of the traditional Tohuna.

At its core, Tohuna Kura Waka reflects the enduring wisdom of our ancestors and the responsibilities carried by those who walk the path of healing. The publication examines the interconnected relationships between wairua, hinengaro, tinana, and the natural world and the spiritual realms of Hawaiki-tua-whakarere, offering insight into ancient traditional practices such as matekite, spiritual warfare, whakawaatea, romiromi and rongoā Māori, while also acknowledging the broader cultural and cosmological knowledge that guides these healing systems.

More than a written work, Tohuna Kura Waka serves as an important resource for tauira, practitioners, researchers, and whānau who seek to deepen their understanding of Māori healing philosophies and the sacred knowledge handed down through generations. The publication emphasises the importance of protecting the integrity of this knowledge while ensuring that it continues to be shared with humility, responsibility, and respect.

Through this work, Dr Charlotte Mildon contributes to the ongoing revitalisation of mātauranga Māori, affirming that Indigenous knowledge systems remain vital to the wellbeing of Māori communities today and into the future. Tohuna Kura Waka stands as both a record of ancestral wisdom and a reminder that the teachings of our tūpuna continue to guide the healing of our people.

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To purchase Dr Mildon’s pdf booklet, click on this link to the online shop ‘Te Tohuna Kura Waka’ features the experiences of the late Dr Arikirangi Turuki Rangimarie Rose Pere who had mentored Dr Mildon for 17 years.

He Atua Wāhine at the Source of Ancient Māori Healing Wisdom in Aotearoa, New Zealand

By Dr Charlotte Mildon

He Atua Wāhine at the Source of Ancient Māori Healing Wisdom in Aotearoa, New Zealand is a significant publication by Dr Charlotte Mildon that explores the sacred origins of traditional Māori healing knowledge through the lens of Atua Wāhine – the ancient personified divine feminine forces within Māori cosmology. Recognised as a finalist in the Ashton Literary Awards, the publication highlights the depth and richness of ancestral wisdom that has guided Māori approaches to healing, wellbeing, and balance for generations.

Drawing on wānanga, traditional narratives, and the teachings of esteemed matekite, tohunga, tohuna, kaumātua and healers, the work examines how Māori healing systems are grounded in an understanding of the natural world and the spiritual relationships between mother nature, all her progeny including people, whenua, waters, air, the stars and the Atua. Through this exploration, Dr Mildon illuminates the central role of feminine spiritual energies within Māori cosmology and their influence on practices such as rongoā Māori and romiromi, as well as the wider philosophy of holistic wellbeing.

The publication offers readers a deeper appreciation of mātauranga Māori as a living and dynamic knowledge system, shaped by whakapapa, tikanga, and the wisdom of our tūpuna. It provides important insights for scholars, practitioners, and whānau who wish to better understand the cultural and spiritual foundations of traditional Māori healing.

As a finalist in the Ashton Literary Awards, He Atua Wāhine at the Source of Ancient Māori Healing Wisdom in Aotearoa, New Zealand stands as an important contribution to the recognition and preservation of Indigenous knowledge, affirming the enduring relevance of Māori cosmology and healing philosophies in contemporary Aotearoa.

‘He Atua Wahine at the source of ancient Māori healing wisdom in Aotearoa, New Zealand’ pdf file is also available to purchase on the online shop link here. This book showcased a number of traditional Tohunga (priests/priestesses) who shared their experiences and philosophies of the feminine lores of traditional Māori healing.