About us
Ora New Zealand (est. in 2004) works to protect and nurture traditional Māori healing practices that honour our obligations to our teachers to share and keep alive ancient wellbeing principles in a relevant, safe and respectful way for the benefit of all people but especially for our future
generations that inhabit this land and their evolving needs.
Rongoā Māori, is the oldest healing practice in Aotearoa, New Zealand. It combines art and science in pursuit of nurturing the wellbeing of both people and planet. Both are in a constant state of change and so too their relationships with each other. Rongoā Māori will forever remain anchored deep within the lore of nature gently guiding our way in a modern world.
OUR PEOPLE
Donna Kerridge, Tonotono 1 (Chief Cook and Bottlewasher)
There is immense wisdom in Papatūānuku (Mother Earth). By listening to, learning the language and being in tune with our Earth, we can receive much insight on how to live balanced thriving lives now and for generations to come. Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) is a Rongoā Māori (traditional Māori healing) practitioner from Waikato, Aotearoa New Zealand who is deeply connected to our Earth and her wisdom.
She is a humble advocate, healer and leader, passionate about indigenous practices that focus on healing and restoring our people and our Whenua (land). Donna is able to walk with ease in corporate and policy circles, bridging Western approaches with Indigenous Māori approaches to enable us to bring the best of our collective gifts forward. She advises a number of Government and educational organisations in this space to shape policy. She lectures and educates people of all ages in Rongoā, has studied Western health science and a range of Indigenous healing practices and is a sought-after leader.
Deeply anchored in mātauranga Māori and in her intuition, Donna is a powerful facilitator, helping groups discover their own wisdom, their indigeneity and learn from each other in service of our Earth and future generations.
Emma Haslam, Our Patupaiarehe
Emma (Ngāi Te Rangi and Ngāti Hauā)is a rongoā Māori practitioner who has worked alongside both Donna Kerridge and Rob McGowan for more than 10 years. She runs rongoā wananga for local government, hapū and our rangatahi.
She has had a close association with Hospice New Zealand caring for whānau end of life in West Auckland. She is a Mama to her 4 grown children and Taua to her 2 mokopuna.
Molly Konui Tonotono 2 Ora Online (no.2 Chief cook and bottlewasher)
Molly (Ngāti Tuwharetoa, Ngāti Uenukukopako, Ngāti Te Roro-o-te-rangi, Ngāti Whakaue, Te Rarawa) is a rongoā Māori practitioner and founder of Indigework Limited. Brought up with rongoā in the whānau from her pāpā she first met Donna & Pā (McGowan) over 15 years ago and has always been grateful for their aroha, teachings and support.
A lover of our Taiao (environment), you will often find her on the whenua (land) or in the ngāhere (forest). Molly also runs rongoā wānanga and workshops for whānau, hapū, Iwi, community and schools around the motu (country). Having an IT background in a former life, Molly worked alongside Donna in setting up Ora Online and our foundation course "Our Journey into Rongoā Māori".
Conan Fitzpatrick’, Our Film Guy
Conan is our director of photography and editor with around 20 years experience, through which he has maintained a strong emphasis on environmental and social justice themes.
Recent work includes Ake Ake Ake, 3x one-hour documentaries for Māori TV on the crisis at Ihumaatao, precipitating out of a year working among tangata whenua there. His work with author and documentarian Bryan Bruce includes The Food Crisis (Sky) and Inside Child Poverty Revisited (Three), which was nominated for best documentary at the 2023 New Zealand Television Awards.
We are grateful to Conan for the great deal of time he has immersed himself in te ao Māori, informing a sensibility that now suffuses every aspect of his work and worldview.
Pā Rob McGowan, Gandalf
Pā Ropata is a prominent Rongoā Māori practitioner, well respected for his work in Rongoā Māori practice and traditional knowledge of native plants and medicines in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Today he is heavily involved in helping to build a bridge between Western Science and Mātauranga Māori in conservation management, research and supporting iwi Māori in initiatives that involve restoring the health and wellbeing of Papatūānuku. He is also the Patron for the Tiwaiwaka Movement.
We are forever grateful for his support and guiding hand as we do our little bit to lift the mana and mauri of people and place. His passion is caring for the mauri ensuring we return to our indigenous practices of always ensuring our actions put the whenua first!
Rikki Solomon, Our Hagrid & Story Teller Extraordinaire
Rikki (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Kahu ki Whangaroa and
Rangitāne-o-Tamaki-nui-a-rua), is the calm light in our team. Not only is he our story teller but he is also a PhD candidate at Te Wananaga o Awanuiarangi, a kaimanaaki tūpāpaku (embalmer) and a funeral director.
On our team he is the specialist in Maramatanga Māori which looks at the Taiao (our natural world) through the eyes of our tūpuna (ancestors) weaving the signs and stories of the heavens, land and ocean together. We are grateful to Rikki for his humorous and well-informed teachings.
Jamie Watson-Ryan, Off Grid Native & Sounds Man
Jamie (Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Maru), has worked together with Emma, Molly and Donna delivering mātauranga Māori wananga (traditional Māori knowledge workshops) for the past 10 years.
Jamie is our taonga puoro and traditional mahinaga kai (traditional music and foods) practitioner. Jamie, with his beautiful wife Anna live off-grid on his traditional lands at the northern end of the Coromandel Peninsula.
Jamie is a grass roots teacher encouraging others to learn through experience. He is a tireless worker for his hapū and invests much of his time sharing with and encouraging our rangatahi (youth) to reconnect to the stories and wisdom of their ancestors.