About Michelle

Michelle nga hua o te wairua sime
(ko hineahua tokōtokō toku ingoa)

For over a dozen years now, Michelle Sime has been working directly with the native plants, and she has worked in health and wellbeing for her whole career. Starting with a degree in chemistry with a health focus, expanding into psychology and neurolinguistic programming and now using traditional healing knowledge, Maori traditional medicines and healing methods to develop products to address illness and assist in the return and maintenance of health.

Her training in Rongoa started with TWOA, tutor Hone Ratana, who trained her as a Rongoa practitioner registered with the national board for Rongoa. Later, Billy Tuhua from Roupu ‘Nga Hau e Wha’ trained her to specialist level in Maori traditional medicines, rongoa, as a tohunga ariki matangaro and as ariki for te whare o io ma.

She has had a number of kaumatua guiding her: Parone Patene Mariu, Hinekahukura (Tuti) Aranui, Wharetatao King, Kerry Strongman and Meriraina Uruamo, and is part of the rongoa community.

She concurrently runs Better Thinking NZ, her counselling and consulting business, and Medicine Plants NZ for the Maori traditional medicines work and the products made.

Recently she also completed a PostGraduate Certificate in Business Research and a Diploma in Horticulture, and is an enthusiast in encouraging the planting of native trees for use in medicines and to restore the ecosystem in New Zealand.

She is developing a Rongoa healing location for using native plants and methods to help restore health and wellbeing in Whangarei.

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry · Graduate Diploma in Psychology · Diploma in Horticulture · Diploma in Rongoa · Postgraduate Diploma in Business Research · Master Practitioner in Neurolinguistics Programming