What to Expect from Rongoā Māori Healing, A Client's Perspective

When Rongoā Māori healing was first suggested to me through my ACC sensitive claim, I was hesitant.

I’d seen it advertised at Whare Manaaki, a beautiful te ao Māori space in my local Māwhera | Greymouth community, but I assumed the sessions were held in groups. That alone made me nervous. Living with complex PTSD, the thought of being vulnerable in front of others was overwhelming.

(Unless you attend a community clinic, each session is one-on-one in a private space with your practitioner.)

Taonga Pūoro

At the time, I felt deeply disconnected, not only from people and purpose, but from my own Māori identity. I was lost, as if I was living outside my body. I carried shame, confusion, and uncertainty about what it meant to be Māori.

So when I first walked into Manahua and met Keri, my guard was up. I thought she’d see all the things I tried to hide, the disconnection, the not-enough-ness, the old wounds and decide I didn’t belong there.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Manahua Māori Kairomi | Keri & Joe

Keri & Joe | Kairomi

The moment I stepped into the whare tapu (sacred healing space), something shifted.

I broke down. I cried.

And Keri, without trying to “fix” me, simply stayed. She didn’t rush. She didn’t judge. She held space, listened, and allowed my story to unfold in its own time.

That first session felt almost like counselling, but it wasn’t. There were no labels, no attempts to change my thinking. Instead, it felt as though Keri was helping me open a kete I’d forgotten I carried, showing me that I already had the tools I needed. She simply helped me see them again.

We sat face to face in a warm, calm room. A massage table sat nearby, but we didn’t use it that day. Keri explained the principles of Mirimiri and Romiromi—traditional Māori bodywork practices that release trauma, tension, and blocked energy. She let me decide when I was ready to receive hands-on treatment.

Taonga Pūoro

Joe | Taonga Pūoro

When I returned for my first physical session, I lay fully clothed on the table, covered with a light blanket.

Before touching me, Keri used a kaupare and waitai (fine saltwater spray) to cleanse and protect the space around my body, a spiritual cloak of protection. This ritual clears heavy energy, returns tapu to noa, and honours the sacredness of both client and practitioner within the 3 hearts.

She began with a karakia (prayer), hands resting gently on my head. It was as though she was calling my scattered pieces home.

Moving to my feet, she grounded me in the space, then worked her way up the back of my body using purposeful, breath-led movements. She encouraged me to breathe with her inhale as her hands connected, exhale as pressure was applied. With each cycle, tension began to unravel, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

At my navel, she applied gentle pressure that sparked a vivid image of my umbilical cord being untangled. In that moment, it felt as though my whakapapa,my connection to my mother, my tīpuna, and myself, had been restored.

The heaviness began to shift.

Throughout, she played taonga pūoro (traditional Māori instruments). Their deep, resonant tones reached places that touch and words could not—like a spiritual tuning fork, bringing me back into harmony.

The session closed with another misting of waitai, a glass of water, and time to kōrero.

No rush. Just time to breathe and return fully to my body.

I stood taller, clearer, lighter. Something had shifted, not just in my body, but in my mauri. I felt like I had remembered myself.

An overview of a treatment with Joe at Manahua

A Year of Healing

Over the past 12 months, I’ve continued to receive healing from Keri, Joe, and now Jools at Manahua, supported by my ACC sensitive claim. These sessions have helped me not only release trauma but reclaim identity, belonging, and connection.

I’ve learned how to recognise where I hold tension, how to release it, and how to honour my own energy. I’ve reconnected with my whakapapa in a way that feels embodied and real.

What to Expect at Manahua

If you’re considering Mirimiri or Romiromi but feel unsure, anxious, or whakamā, know this:

There is space for you here. A safe, sacred space to return to yourself, to be seen, to be held, and to remember that everything you need is already within you.

Manahua Māori Healing offers Rongoā Māori through ACC and private bookings.

Each session takes place in a private, culturally safe environment, honouring the sacredness of your journey.

To learn more or begin your healing journey:🔗 www.manahua.co.nz