Aroha - Maori wisdom for a contented life lived with harmony with our planet by Dr Hinemoa Elder

Aroha, to many New Zealanders and te reo Māori enthusiasts, means love. However, Dr Hinemoa Elder (Ngāti Kurī, Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāpuhi) expands on ‘aroha’ with meaning that connects people to each other and to the earth, and even deeper than that. Māori psychiatrist and staunch advocate of te reo Māori, Dr Elder offers wisdom through a Māori lens with the aim to help the reader live a better life in harmony with our planet.

Aroha caught me off-guard. I have seen many whakataukī (proverbs) books and plenty of beautiful explanations and examples of their use. However, I hadn’t had the pleasure of reading one that connects the physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing to the living world around me through the use of whakataukī. As a young Māori woman who has experienced some mental health issues pre- and post-COVID, I found the book reassuring. Dr Elder’s personal experience that is expressed in her book have been able to provide me with some Māori-focussed ways of dealing with stress and anxiety.

About the author: 

Dr Hinemoa Elder is a youth forensic psychologist and a professor in indigenous research at Te Whare Wānanga o Awanuiārangi. In 2017 she received the Innovation and Science Award at the New Zealand Women of Influence Awards. More recently she was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to psychiatry and Māori in the 2019 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

Posted by Ali

Catalogue link: Aroha