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About Joanne Hakaraia-Olson

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Kia ora, ko Joanne Hakaraia-Olson tōku ingoa. I’m a Māori wahine, born and raised in Ōtaki, Aotearoa, nurtured by the Tararua Ranges and the waters of the Ōtaki and Waitohu rivers. My whakapapa connects me to Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Whakaue and Ngai te Rangi with ancestral ties to the Tainui and Te Arawa waka.

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I carry the legacy of my tūpuna as a Rongoā Māori healer. My great-great-great-grandmother, Mereruia Hakaraia, and her sister Heneti were dedicated kairongoā. They cultivated land on Kāpiti Island gifted by Te Rauparaha in the 1800s, where they practiced traditional healing. Mereruia was also one of the Māori women who signed the Suffrage Petition in 1893, under the name Mary Bevan.

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Her grandfather, Rawiri Te Wanui, was trained for the ministry by Hadfield and ordained as a Deacon in 1872. He later worked alongside James McWilliams at Rangiatea Church.

Healing is woven through both sides of my lineage. My mother and grandmother, Rosalie and Rosalie, were Christian Science healing practitioners. My Scottish grandmother, who married Tamati Hohipuha of Ngāti Raukawa, introduced me to the healing power of prayer and the plant world. We didn’t rely on conventional medicine—this shaped the foundations of my practice today.

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As a child, I watched my father use rongoā for rugby injuries, while my mother would gather the plants he needed. I was eager to learn, but my father held back, knowing that with sacred knowledge comes great responsibility. Now, I understand his caution. The learning never ends.

In my teens, I began experimenting with plant remedies, mostly for my skin. I loved the process—the sacredness of creating and applying them. In 2010, after moving to Auckland, I began formally studying rongoā. My greatest teacher became Te Wao Nui a Tiriwa—the Waitākere Ranges.

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Rongoā Mauri was born from a deep calling to work with the indigenous plants of Aotearoa. I discovered that each plant carries a mauri—a spiritual essence—and speaks in a language beyond words. Since then, I’ve devoted myself to listening, learning, and sharing their teachings through rongoā and kōrero.

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For many indigenous cultures, the natural world is the pure vibration of AIO—the Supreme Being. This is the esoteric heart of our healing traditions. Our ancestors left us a map to these sacred realms.

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I created a waka—an esoteric vessel—to navigate the ngahere, one tree at a time. I gathered a rōpū to join me. Together, we studied the trees who protect the forest. Eventually, we were called deeper into the ngahere to meet the Rākau Rangatira—the elder trees. This path was once tapu, forbidden. But the tapu has been lifted. I walk it with reverence, humility, and deep gratitude to my tūpuna and kaitiaki.

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Today, I work alongside my husband, Nick Olson, at The Rongoā Mauri Studio in West Auckland. We’ve been married for over two decades, and Nick has always walked beside me as my rongoā harvesting partner—often venturing into wild places to gather the plants we need. Together, we bring a balanced blend of masculine and feminine energy to our healing work, offering a grounded and spiritually aligned experience for those we support.

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We are proud to be ACC Registered Providers of Rongoā Māori services, offering culturally grounded healing to ACC claimants and the wider community.

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For those outside of Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) or even outside of Aotearoa, I also offer online rongoā sessions. These global consultations are guided by traditional Māori healing and offer intuitive support for stress, trauma, and spiritual reconnection—wherever you are in the world.

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Nāku iti nei,
Joanne Hakaraia-Olson
Founder, Rongoā Mauri