Hemaima Carkeek Wiremu is from Ōtaki and belongs to Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga. As well as being a highly regarded teacher and practitioner of rongoā, she is also a counsellor, lecturer and artist. She holds a degree in visual arts from Auckland University of Technology, and diplomas in rongoā and adult teaching from Te Wananga o Aotearoa.
These formal qualifications supplement Hemaima’s deep understanding of traditional Māori knowledge and thinking, and she acknowledges her mother and elders as significant educational influences in her life.
She is a regular speaker and presenter on rongoā to forums such as the National Cancer Society Conference 2020, the National Māori Nurses Conference 2021, and the Department of Justice launch for adoption law reform 2022.
Hemaima asserts the strong links between personal health and environmental health. She has given lectures and led workshops locally and internationally on climate change. These include ‘Indigenous Voices’ roles at COP 21 2015 (Paris), COP 2016 (Morocco) and Climate Change – Pacific Nations Conference 2018 (Wellington).
