Rongoā is the healing practice of Māori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. Much more than herbal medicine, although it is that too, rongoā is a way of seeing the world, of understanding the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things, and of understanding that wellness, for all of earth’s species, comes from being whole – spiritually and physically.

Western medicine, so valuable in so many ways, divides us up into parts. Rongoā and te ao Māori, the Māori worldview, take into account our life essence, our ancestral knowledge, the wisdom that comes from being connected – to each other and to the land. This ancient knowledge has been at risk of being completely lost. Thankfully, cultures that have remained indigenous have held on to so much ancestral wisdom. Donna Kerridge shares some of that insight in this film, and calls on us all to listen to the whispers of our ancestors.

Find out more about Donna Kerridge and her work as a rongoā practitioner here.