Expo showcasing Rongoa¯ Ma¯ori
Grassroots support for struggling wha¯ nau
The health and wellbeing expo showcasing holistic healing practitioners and their methods returns to Levin next month with a new site. Te Hauora Tangata Ki Horowhenua, which was first staged in 2019, will be held at the Levin War Memorial Hall and adjacent Village Green for the first time.
There would be 16 Rongoa¯ Ma¯ori and holistic practitioners giving treatments in the Memorial Hall on October 1, while 30 market stall holders would set up stalls outside on the village green.
It also included live entertainment booked to play from 10am, featuring Killa D, Peanut Slab and Shellie Hanley among others.
The expo was the brainchild of former Levin woman Renee MacDonald, who was brave enough to share her experiences with methamphetamine addiction and road to recovery to help and support others.
MacDonald (Nga¯ti Raukawa, Muau¯ poko) said Te Hauora Tangata Ki Horowhenua focused on grassroots support for wha¯ nau and the community in dealing with mental health, addiction and suicide.
It was no mistake the expo coincided with Mental Health Week.
“I created Te Hauora Tangata Ki Horowhenua due to the prevalent gaps within the system.
‘‘Through my own life experiences I have understood the importance of Rongoa¯ Ma¯ori and holistic pathways as they have supported me in my own wellness journey,” she said.
MacDonald found kombucha so central to her own story of recovery that she went into business, creating Soul Sisters Kombucha after completing a Diploma in Rongoa¯ Ma¯ori Medicine at Te Wananga O Raukawa in 2018.
“Recovering from methamphetamine has been my number one reason. If I can recover and change the systemic predisposition of addiction within my whakapapa then I can support others to do the same,” she said. “It’s about breaking cycles.” She continued to study, and in 2020 completed Certificate 4 in Rongoa¯ at Te Wananga O Aotearoa.
MacDonald opened her first store, Soul Sisters Kombucha, in Levin early 2021 before moving to a new shop at 286 Cuba St in Te Aro, Wellington, later that year.
“I am proud to be the second Ma¯ori-owned business on Cuba St. I have a boutique Kombucha Brewery in store, alongside a Rongoa¯ dispensary and creative art space,” she said.
MacDonald said no money was involved in organising Te Hauora. Everyone gave their time freely and it was important to acknowledge that commitment.
“I believe we all play an important role as a collective to tackle these challenges together,” she said.
MacDonald said the health system was “tapped out” in dealing with many problems related to mental health and addiction, and there was no harm in showcasing the holistic support networks that existed “outside of a doctor visit and a pill”.
“People out there are exhausted and sometimes it’s about connecting them with some of the grassroots support systems that are out there,” she said.