Omā Collective

13/09/2026

Last day to sign the petition e te whānau. Stand together and help stop this Government from continuing to exploit Te Tiriti o Waitangi.

Share with your whānau. Let our voices be heard ❤️🖤🤍

Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

11/09/2026

Kūmarahou 🌿💛

Our kūmarahou is flowering beautifully so today we gathered the rau and putiputi to prepare a fresh wairākau.

One of the beautiful things about kūmarahou is its natural saponins when the leaves and flowers are worked through water, they create a gentle soap like lather.

Traditionally kūmarahou was also used by our tīpuna as a natural cleanser for the body, making use of these naturally occurring saponins long before commercial soaps and body washes became part of everyday life.

A simple reminder of the taonga that grow around us 💛

04/09/2026

❤️🌱

03/09/2026

A simple idea for a gift or Father’s Day!
Everyone in our whare loves the texture of this soap! I got our eldest moko to help with making this and she loved it 🤍

Not only is it nourishing on the body it gives a good scrub with oatmeal added so a 3 in 1 to clean, hydrate and exfoliate 🌱

🌿 Kawakawa, Coconut, Oats & Honey
Soap

300g kawakawa-infused olive oil
🥥 125g coconut oil
75g shea butter
💧 140g distilled water
69g sodium hydroxide
🌾 10g finely ground oats
10g honey
a few drops of lavender (optional)

1. Melt the coconut oil and shea butter then add the kawakawa-infused olive oil.
2. Carefully add the sodium hydroxide to the water and stir. Leave to cool.
3. When both mixtures are around 35 40°C slowly add the lye mixture to the oils
4. Stick blend until slightly thickened.
5. Stir in the oats and honey
6. Pour into your mould and leave for 24–48 hours
7. Remove, cut into bars and cure🌿🤍

Safety: Always wear gloves and eye protection when working with sodium hydroxide, and always add the lye to the water, never the other way around.

29/08/2026

Our mokopuna have always enjoyed being outside getting their hands in the whenua and helping us grow and care for our kai 🌱🤎

These are the simple things we want to pass on teaching them where their kai comes from, how to care for the whenua, and the importance of growing our own kai.

These are the little lessons that become lifelong mātauranga 🥰

24/08/2026

The sun is shining, so I thought I’d go for a hikoi with my mum and moko and along the way we found some māwe ☀️I love how nature works, often the rongoā we need appears for us at the right time.

Māwe is used to support the lymphatic and urinary systems and can be enjoyed as a spring cleanse 🌿

Māwe detox tonic 🤍

1 good handful of fresh māwe
1 litre of water

Gather māwe and wash well.
I used my infuser but for a normal kitchen method, you can pour hot water over the māwe, cover and steep for around 10–15 minutes, then strain.

Along the way we also got to soak up some vitamin D from the sunshine and enjoy the fresh air ☀️🌿🤍

18/08/2026

With all the winter bugs still going around, I thought I’d try making another little immunity booster, some kūmarahou and blueberry ice blocks for the mokos 💜🌿

When they’re not feeling the best, it’s nice to have something cold and soothing on their throats. Ice blocks are also a great way of helping to keep them hydrated.

What I used:

* 1–2 Tbsp dried kūmarahou
* 2 cups frozen blueberries
* Juice of 2 lemons
* Honey to taste
* 3 cups water

Gently simmer the kūmarahou in the water for around 10–15 minutes, add the blueberries and let them soften. Strain and allow to cool until warm, then stir through the fresh lemon juice and honey to taste.
Pour into ice-block moulds and freeze. I got my moulds for $8 at Kmart.

It’s an easy way to get a little extra goodness into them and they think they’re just getting an ice block! 💜

For the adults: You don’t have to freeze it! Keep some of the wairakau aside and have it as a little wellness shot. I added ½ teaspoon of turmeric to my adult batch for an extra boost.

15/08/2026

Comfort kai that many of us love to eat!! 🤎

Certain kai or recipes that have been passed down through whānau are special. They carry memories of the people who made them and the times we shared together 🥰

Many of us probably have a favourite recipe or kai that reminds us of our nannies, our mums, or someone in the whānau who used to bake or make something that reminds us of them.

I can think of so many in our whānau. My Nan used to make the yummiest sponges, and certain kai can take you straight back to those memories.

This is a chocolate eclair recipe that the kids love!

So I thought I’d share the recipe for anyone else who loves eclairs 🤎

Chocolate eclairs

• 100 gm butter
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup plain flour
• 3 eggs

Bring the butter and water to the boil. Remove from the heat, add the flour quickly and mix until forms a ball. Allow to cool slightly, then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Pipe or spoon onto a greased tray. Bake at 200 C for 30 minutes, then reduce to 120 C for another 15 minutes until golden and crisp.

Once cooled, fill with freshly whipped cream.

Chocolate icing
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tbsp cocoa
• Small k**b of butter
• 1–2 tbsp hot water

Mix until thick and smooth, then spread over the top 🤎

Who doesn’t love a treat!!🥰 eat and enjoy!!

13/08/2026

With all the coughs and colds going around at the moment, I made some kūmarahou and honey lollipops for the mokos🌿🍯

Kūmarahou is used to support the respiratory system and soothe the throat. I thought I’d try making it into something a little easier for the mokos to enjoy.

These ones turned out a little chewy 😂 but still yummy! You could cut down on the honey if you prefer a harder lollipop.

🌿 Kūmarahou & Honey Lollipops

You’ll need:

* 1 cup strong kūmarahou wairākau
* 2 cups sugar
* ⅓ cup honey
* A squeeze of lemon (optional)
* Lollipop moulds and sticks

How I made them:

1. Make a strong kūmarahou wairākau and strain it really well.
2. Add 1 cup of the wairākau, sugar and honey to a saucepan.
3. Gently heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
4. Bring to the boil and continue cooking until it reaches hard-crack stage, around 150°C.
5. Remove from the heat and let the bubbles settle.
6. Carefully pour into your lollipop moulds, add the sticks and leave to completely cool and set and enjoy!

Kūmarahou can naturally be quite bitter, so the honey helps balance the flavour 🥰

10/08/2026

After being away, it’s always nice to come home and be back in my māra🌱💚

At this time of year, I especially love seeing the new growth coming through. It always reminds me of my Nanny and the many little things she would do in her garden.

She would put epsom salts around her plants, along with eggshells and other things that were good for the garden. Growing up, I never really knew why.

Now I understand there was a reason. Epsom salts contain magnesium and sulfur, which plants can use when the soil is lacking those nutrients, while shells returned calcium and mineral-rich material back to the whenua.

Looking back, nothing seemed to go to waste. What came from the whenua often found its way back to the whenua.

It’s amazing how much we learnt simply by watching our Nannies and kaumātua. At the time we may not have understood the why but those memories stay with us 💚🌱