How the Maramataka became the backbone of a 90-day wellness programme This structure I call the 90-Day Engine, the Maramataka integration —all of it—didn't come from a whiteboard session or a literature review. It came from a determination to complete an alcohol-free period, where I found myself struggling to stick to that fasting period. Then, suddenly, in the second week, it seemed to be a lot easier. That shift is where Te Ara o te 90 Rā was born. Walking My Own Programm

How the Maramataka — the Māori lunar calendar — gives Te Poutama o te Ora its heartbeat Before clocks. Before timetables. Before the five-day work week carved up our lives into uniform chunks, there was the moon. For Māori, the moon was not simply a light in the sky. It was a teacher, a calendar, a health guide, and a spiritual companion. The system built around its cycles is called the Maramataka, and it has guided people in Aotearoa for centuries — telling them when to plan

A Māori Christian’s Journey Through the Whakapapa Dilemma, Religious Trauma, and the Cave That Changed Everything I did not lose my faith. I lost the colonised version of faith that had been used to wound my wairua. As a child, my Christian faith was unshakeable. God was real. The Bible was the truth. I didn’t question. By my mid-twenties, it had all crumbled. Not because faith is wrong, but because the version I’d been given couldn’t hold the complexity of my actual life — m

Find Out Before You Choose Your 18-Day Practice Mōrena e hoa mā. Let me ask you something before we get into the 18-day practice plan. Have you ever started a wellness habit full of energy — and then quietly abandoned it around Day 5 or 6, not because you didn't care, but because something about the approach just didn't fit how you work? If that sounds familiar, this is the post for you. Here's what I've learned, both from developing Te Poutama o te Ora and from working with

The Double Exile, and Why You're Not Broken — You're Colonised I want to tell you about a particular kind of loneliness. The loneliness of being surrounded by people in two different worlds and belonging fully to neither of them. For a long time, I thought this was my personal failure. A character flaw. Some essential inadequacy in me meant I would always be slightly too much in one direction and not enough in another. It took me a long time — and a forced stop, courtesy of a

Kia ora koutou, Over recent months, I have been quietly developing a new part of the IAnTeMo Counselling journey — a living daily rhythm experience integrating Maramataka and Te Poutama o te Ora (TPO), my nine-dimensional wellness framework. Today’s Alignment is designed as a gentle daily guide rather than a productivity tool or traditional calendar. It offers a reflective space to pause, observe rhythm, and consider how energy, focus, well-being, and restoration may be mov

The Healing Dimension of Creative Expression Ko te auaha te ara e tukuna ai ngā kōrero o te whatumanawa. Creativity is the pathway through which the stories of the heart find release. Let Me Tell You About a Poem A few years ago, my daughter wrote a poem for me. It was about plastic windows. On the surface, that does not sound like much. But when I read it, I felt something shift in my chest — a recognition so deep it was almost physical. She had found language for something

There is a world that exists before a life is born. A threshold. A held space between what is and what is becoming. Our tūpuna knew this. They built everything around it. The Whakapapa of a Wound series traced a wound from childhood through to the next generation — from the child at the washing basket to the Tamariki asking why they cannot go home. But there is a place the series did not reach. A place before the washing basket. Before the child draws her first breath. Befo

Series Introduction Humble Beginnings: Matapihi Kirihou – The founding backstory of Te Poutama o te Ora The plastic windows were never just plastic. They covered what glass couldn’t be afforded. They let in light, but not clearly. And they were the beginning of a backstory that travels forward — into bodies, into relationships, into the homes our children grow up in, and sometimes into the arms of experiences, others and systems that step in when those homes become unsafe.

The Question Children Carry What the Whakapapa passes on – the Children of the Wound The continuing story of Mere Children of the Wound This is the fourth piece in The Whakapapa of a Wound. We have followed Mere from the washing basket, through the biology of her childhood, into the relationships that replicated what she first learned about love. Now we turn toward the children. Toward the question that is the most tender of all: Why am I not with my Mum and Dad? There Is No

Trauma Bonding, Debt-Based Love, and the Wound That Goes Looking The continuing story of Mere She is in her forties now. She left the first one after seven years. She told herself she had finally chosen better. New city, new beginning, new person. She believed it completely. The second one looked nothing like the first. Different face, different voice, different reasons she fell. It took four years before she realised she was standing in the same room with different wallpaper

Last week, I introduced the Weeds of Anxiety and how those were planted at the age of two when a sibling arrived, and all of the love and attention went to this new person. Leaving the question for this two-year-old of "why do they need them?"...." aren't I enough?". We pick up this story again, this time in relation to Mere - a Māori Wahine struggling with these weeds that have played out in her life. This narrative now forms a wider body of work called 'Whakapapa of the Wou

I presented last week the image of a young girl who, at two years old, could not understand why she became invisible when her sibling arrived. 'Wasn't she enough?'. I left that article with questions around how that weed could be pulled out, and stopped from reseeding or transferred to other aspects of her life and more importantly, to her children. I present the closing conversation. What Pulls the Weed Out? This is the question that led me to develop Te Poutama o te Ora (TP

Consider this: The thoughts of not being good enough stem from that time when you first felt anxiety about being inadequate, or you faced a situation in life that you said you couldn't handle, and you reasoned this to be - "It's because I'm not Good Enough". If I then proposed that: Anxiety is a weed , with the root of that weed stemming from a dysfunctional belief or thought . Further, if it is a thought, then it likely can’t be medicated. Instead, you must train your br

Consider this. Think of the last thing you really wanted. Maybe it was something you saw online; something a friend mentioned; it’s been sitting in the back of your mind for months — a holiday, a purchase, a version of your life that looks a little different from the one you're living. Now here's the deeper question: where did that wanting come from? In te Ao Māori, we have a concept called whakapapa. Most people know it as genealogy — the tracing of family lines, the recitat

A Te Poutama o te Ora reflection on desire, clarity, and the wisdom of knowing yourself There is a moment that many of us know well. You are standing in a shop — or scrolling through a website at midnight — and something catches your eye, and almost immediately, a thought forms: I need this. But do you? Really? The difference between wanting something and needing something might sound like a straightforward question. But in my work as a wellness practitioner and in developing

A three-phase Te Poutama o te Ora reset for when life piles up, and momentum goes missing. Consider this scenario Do you know that feeling — when life has quietly piled so much onto your shoulders that you can no longer remember what your plans were, what you were working toward, or even where to begin? The to-do list has grown into a to-do novel. The inbox feels like a living thing with demands of its own. The body is tired in that deep, specific way that sleep alone does no

In the quest for wellness and deeper understanding, many seek to explore concepts that blend tradition, technology, and healing. One such intriguing term is iantemo . This word carries layers of significance that resonate with those interested in indigenous knowledge, holistic health, and the integration of modern technology for personal growth. This article delves into the meaning behind iantemo, its cultural roots, and how it can inspire new approaches to wellness. Understa

Life coaching has become an essential tool for many seeking personal growth, wellness, and clarity in their lives. With the rise of technology and wellness healing, more people are turning to life coaches to help them navigate challenges and achieve their goals. However, one common question that arises is about the costs involved. This guide will explore the factors influencing life coaching costs in New Zealand, helping you understand what to expect and how to make informed

The maramataka is a traditional Māori lunar calendar that has guided indigenous communities in Aotearoa New Zealand for centuries. It is a system that connects people with the natural rhythms of the moon, the environment, and seasonal changes. For those interested in wellness, indigenous knowledge, and using technology to enhance healing, understanding the maramataka offers a unique way to align daily activities with nature’s cycles. This beginner maramataka guide will introd