Rongoā comes from a tradition of living as a part of the natural world and the accumulation of generations of close observation of every detail (Pa McGowan, 2019). As such, rongoā is very specific to our beautiful homeland of Aotearoa and its particular plants and species. While plant identification skills are critical to learning rongoā rākau (the misuse of a plant could result in serious harm or even death), it is important to understand that rongoā isn’t just about using plant constituents to cure our mamae (ache, pain, injury, wound). To truly learn rongoā Māori you must also develop your understanding of te ao Māori (the Māori way of understanding the world). Learn more about the ways of rongoā in our Rongoā Learning Guide.