Ep. 5 Rongoā - How to reclaim your voice with Hinekoia Tomlinson Video

Tēnā tātau Nau hoki mai ki tenei terenga o te punua pāpāho o Rongoā - healing through indigenous horsemanship. A podcast where we explore indigenous matauranga/ indigenous wisdom and practices to help guide us in healing the connection to te Taiao, our Hōiho and ourselves. In this episode I kōrero with Dr Anaha Hiini. I was a bit nervous / āmaimai to be honest, and my reo trauma brain went into overdrive and when I asked if he would like to open with karakia or myself, and he replied with "kei a koe" "up to you" my brain heard "you do it"…sigh! lol! I totally forgot to ask 'ko wai koe, nō hea koe - how we would usually begin in whakawhanaungatanga. So I want to make sure I bring about some balance with a intro "Dr Anaha Hiini is a Māori academic, language expert, and cultural leader dedicated to the revitalisation and promotion of te reo Māori. He is the founder of Kōtihi Reo Consultants and leads Kōtihi Rehia, which delivers authentic Māori cultural experiences through performing arts and entertainment. Alongside his professional and academic work, Dr Hiini enjoys horse riding and has spent the past couple of years riding his purebred Clydesdale horse, affectionately known as Trojan. He is widely respected for his leadership, cultural knowledge, and commitment to te ao Māori." What an honour it was to have Dr Anaha on, despite my shaky start I learnt so much, and this kōrero has sent my mind down rabbit holes to explore and expand on even more. I loved listening back in editing and hearing the beautiful poetics in his reo - like when he shared a little of his takutaku to his nan and Koro to look after him his Hōiho. We covered everything from his journey with his first Hōiho and learning to train while only speaking to him in te reo Māori, he introduced me to takutaku (like karakia (prayer) but off the cuff and also letting go of needing to be able to speak fluent to reo/or any at all, right through to te ao wairua, the spiritual world.

Imagine a world where our horses did something not because we forced them to, but because it was the natural result of their hauora across taha wairua, hinengaro, tinana, whānau and whenua. In this episode of Rongoā - Indigenising Mahi Hōiho, Ellie sits down with Aroha Grant of Standfast Stables (Te Kaha) to talk about working with horses in a way that builds their confidence rather than diminishing it - what Ellie frames as the difference between whakamana and whakaiti. Aroha shares how that same principle shapes the healing wānanga she runs for wāhine, rangatahi, and for people in addiction recovery, and why good behaviour, in a horse or a person, isn't something you train in, it's what happens naturally when every part of a being is well. A kōrero about reindigenising the mind, observation, curiosity, and choosing less control in favour of asking why

In this episode of Rongoā: Healing Through Indigenous Wisdom/Horsemanship, I sit down with Ariana, who works as a coach and soul translator alongside Rangatahi (youth), wāhine, tāne and couples, for a conversation about what it really means to be in community. We talk about the dangers of cancel culture, whanaungatanga as more than a concept, as a living practice that shapes how we show up for our communities, our young people, and ourselves. Ariana shares insight from her work on the ground, and we explore the threads that connect community, connection, and healing back to the same kaupapa this podcast is built on: reindigenising the relationships between people, horses, and the whenua. This one is a reminder that none of us were meant to do this alone. We were woven for community, and it's in that weaving that healing becomes possible. 🎧 Listen now. Supported by Te Taura Ora o Waiariki