Honey in Kura/Schools

‘Naku te rourou nau te rourou ka ora ai te iwi' With your basket and my basket the people will live

‘Nāku te rourou, nāu te rourou, ka ora ai te iwi’
With your basket and my basket, the people will thrive.

Honey in Kura is a community-led initiative by Whenua Honey, developed to uplift the hauora of tamariki through consultation, education, and access to rongoā Māori.

Through ongoing kōrero with kura, kōhanga reo, kaiako, and whānau, we have identified key health concerns that regularly affect our tamariki:
strep throat, rheumatic fever, golden staph and skin infections, weakened immunity, recurring colds, runny noses, asthma, croup, and whooping cough.

These health challenges are most common in low-decile and rural schools, where families face barriers to affordable and natural wellness solutions.

In response, Whenua Honey works in partnership with kura to koha (donate) Mānuka and Indigenous Honeys — including Rewarewa, Ngahere (wild bush), and Korowai (wild clover) — and to share the mātauranga and science behind their healing properties.

We demonstrate how Mānuka and Kānuka honey can help support immunity, soothe the throat and respiratory system, reduce inflammation, and promote wound and skin healing. Through wānanga and interactive sessions, tamariki and kaiako learn how kai he rongoā – food is medicine and how small daily choices, like adding honey to breakfast, can support long-term wellbeing.

This kaupapa not only improves health outcomes but reconnects tamariki to mātauranga Māori, empowering the next generation to care for their bodies, their whānau, and their whenua.

Uncle Buster Mio adding Whenua Honey's  Rewarewa Honey to the custard filling for Pineapple Meringue at Torere Marae for Te Kura O Torere Kura Noho Marae (Marae Stay) where Tamariki learn about traditional knowledge and practice from local knowledge experts.