Kerry Hirini

Moko Tu Rongo begun in 2016. In 2018 my whānau and I attended a Moko Tu Rongo wananga in Kaiti Gisborne and soon after became pou in the whare mauri , romiromi, toi Māori and ta moko spaces. We established a charitable trust in 2019 and deliver six to eight 3-day wananga a year applying taonga Maori such as ta moko, romiromi, mirimiri, rongoa and toi Maori to help whanau to heal from loss of loved ones and their own grief and trauma.

Moko Tu Rongo (MTR) is for whānau and led by whānau, always with a succession plan in mind many have been involved with delivering, organising, funding and the list goes on. Critical mass is the moemoea for MTR to pass on and teach all the matauranga Māori applied within the wananga to all whānau so they can share with everyone that needs it. We delivered MTR ki Poneke in Wellington in 2021 and 2022. The whānau in Poneke, have taken on poutama roles and will continue to deliver wananga in their own communities. MTR encourage and teach whānau to build resilience within themselves and to be champions in their whānau hapu iwi and communities.