Tonight I heard many stories of past told by Māori from around the country, and as I listened I was taken back to my childhood memories of growing up in a village, a close knit community that was the first 12 years of my life. Even though most of the kaikōrero were of my parents [...]

One of the most stunning things I remember about living in Taranaki are the amazing sunsets. In summer, the sky would glow a rich red-orange-pink that lit up the sky and the earth. I spent many summer evenings following a sunset and capturing the magic before the sun went down and I soon realised that [...]

We went to Pecha Kucha tonight and I left there feeling so full and inspired! There were so many different stories – funny, sad, informative, inspiring kōrero and I just couldn’t help but think, how wonderful it is that we can share our stories in an open environment where there is no expectation about what [...]

Be kind, because you never know what a person has experienced in their lives or what they are experiencing now. Everyone wants to be loved and accepted. Be kind to one another because you never know, what you say to another may be your last words to them, and if they were your last words, [...]

Ko te pū te more te weu te aka te rea te waonui te kune te whe te kore te pō ki ngā tāngata Māori nā Rangi rāua ki Pāpa ko tēnei te timatatanga o te ao, ko tēnei te timatanga o te ao… I was in the shower today and just started singing this [...]

Winter is well and truly here! Right now, I’m picturing my maunga back home in Taranaki with a beautiful korowai mā, not really wishing I was there right NOW though, its blinken cold enough here in Tūranga! Hōngongoi is our Māori word for July but like all words in our Māori language, each word tells [...]

I have memories of going into the bush to play alone as a child. I would build my home there and felt quite at home… I loved being alone. As a teenager, I never liked being alone and I always felt the need to be with others. Later on, I relearned the joy and importance [...]

I never know what is going to come out on the rock until after I’ve painted it. And today’s rock is a different one – not my “usual” spiral painting, although the spiral is still there. But that is the joy of creating something in the moment, painting intuitively and just allowing the brush to [...]

I love the way of light; it’s ability to reflect the essence of nature in a single moment, lighting a pathway to a space or place, I see light in everything… Light expresses mood and feeling, light is a giver of life, it has the ability to bring out beauty and wonder, sadness and mystery. [...]

If the ocean was to disappear, life as we know it would not exist. Water. Such an important part of life. And as my understanding of life’s intricate systems are revealed to me, my desire to care for the ocean and our waterways has become even stronger. This life form depends on that life form [...]

I was driving through a community today and it took me right back to when I was growing up. Everything seemed so familiar, the housing, the narrow road… I thought about the tight knit communities that to some degree shape us and have an affect on us in our later years, the experiences that are [...]

It’s the name of a movie I just finished watching. Two woman are in a coma, one is a bullfighter and the other is a dancer. The dancer has been in a coma for four years and has been cared for by a man who loves her. He talks to her everyday, he washes her, [...]

Wrapping myself up in a blanket of aroha and warmth, feeling the need to hybernate for a little bit, heal some more and regroup for the new journeys ahead. There was an amazing frost this morning – I have not seen one like this for a long time. I remember them often growing up in [...]

“Ko hūpē, ko roimata hei whakamauru noa i te mamae e kai kino nei, ā, mā te wā rawa te rāwakiwaki e whakangaro.” “Mucus and tears will ease the intense pain and eventually in time the depression will recede.” Death is something that challenges me. My grandmother passed away on my ninth birthday and it [...]

We had a massive time at Matapuna training centre today. We were there to tautoko the Tomorrow People concert – an awesome kaupapa presented by Te Urunga Tū – a group of parents who want to create a future for their tamariki (children) WITHOUT fossil fuels. There was an amazing lineup of musicians which included [...]

I learnt three things today… 1. Now I see that I must give what I most need… 2. The mystery of wood is not that it burns but that it floats… 3. Those things that we need to work on most, are right there in front of us, the lessons, the challenges, the experiences are [...]

We had a lovely whanau come over tonight and bring us some kai (food) as a koha (gift) for something that Todd did for them today. We were pleasantly surprised because we were not expecting them to come over and say thank-you let along bring us some kai! It was really lovely to have this [...]

I want to say THANK-YOU to everyone who has stopped by these pages to share your whakaaro, your thoughts… To those who have followed the journey right from the very beginning and those who have recently joined the ride – thank-you!! I was thinking today how people come and go in flows, they’ll stay for [...]

I was reading John’s book today and I laughed so hard, like deep down in my puku laugh, childhood laugh and SO loud I reckon the neighbours could hear and if anyone walked in on me, they would have thought I wasn’t all there – ha! But it was SO funny! And I haven’t laughed [...]

Sometimes when I paint a rock, it’s easy. I can paint it in ten minutes. Other times like today, it will take me forever! But I’ve learnt to just go with it, to work through whatever the block is, because each rock like this rock with many layers, is stripping away the internal layers of [...]

Gosh, it’s taken me a while to write this post! So I’m just gonna have a “spilling out” session and anything goes! I wonder if it’s all the political stuff that I’m exposing myself to lately. It does make me angry and it does put a bad feeling in my gut sometimes, like I wanna [...]

This is my mantra for the day that I created this morning as I sat down to do my healing codes. It may not make sense to you all, but it makes perfect sense for me and has guided me throughout my day. I have nothing to fear Making mistakes are important steps in my [...]

Leadership has nothing to do with your ability to accumulate riches. If you are well educated, you are not necessarily a leader. Leadership is humility, patience and compassion. Leadership is passionate and courageous. Leaders speak their truth and know when no words are necessary. Leadership is not race or religion. Leadership is not age or [...]

I was up early this morning to catch the bus to the airport and as I waited, I saw a woman sleeping, tucked into the corner of the bus stop. It was raining a little and I thought, oh I hope she hasn’t missed her bus, maybe she needs to be woken up? She had [...]

I’m in Auckland for the night performing live with composer and sound artist Leah Barclay as part of the ACMC sonic art concert being held at the Auckland University music school – gosh that was a mouthful!! So we’ve had our rehearsal and I thought I would paint my rock and post before we head [...]

I watched a documentary today – a pilgrimage that our whanaunga from Pakakohi and Ngāti Ruanui in Taranaki took to Ōtākou. It was a pilgrimage to remember those ancestors who died while imprisoned for fighting against land confiscations by the crown. I was moved to tears and as I listened to the names of those [...]

You know when you’re out somewhere, maybe at an exhibition opening or at a hui and you meet someone you have never met before, do you ask them, “Who are you?” or do you say, “What do you do?” Often I will ask, “Where you from?” as a way of making a connection with the [...]

Mate atu he tētēkura, hara mai he tētēkura. As one fern frond dies, another arises to take its place. I cried big tears today. It was great! Sometimes things happen that prompt us to face what it is that we need to face in order to release it and allow healing to take place. Sometimes [...]

I’ve had three people in the last couple of days say to me that the rocks I have painted for them (one over 12 years ago!) have pride of place in their home… I am so grateful that people appreciate these kohatu – as the word “kohatu” says, they are special gifts! And they are [...]

I love stretching… I listen to my body and find places where stress is stored, then breathing in to exhale again, I let go… allowing the energy to flow again… Its amazing how your body responds when you listen… giving your attention for just a few moments can bring great healing and release… Arohanui, Jo [...]

We were talking the other day about how cheap it is for kids to buy fizzy drinks these days… and the amount of sugar that is in them! I remember walking into the supermarket first thing in the morning on a number of occasions, and there were these young kids walking out of the supermarket [...]