Gordon Little-Tito – Ngāti Whātua, Ngāpuhi
Natures Therapeutics Limited™ is a Māori owned manufacturer of health and personal products based in Whangārei, New Zealand.
They manufacture for wholesale and retail, a range of natural remedial products that contain plant extracts traditionally used by Māori – Kawakawa, Kūmarahou, Mānuka and Kānuka. Additionally, they have a range of New Zealand Hemp Seed Oil products (cold pressed from Cannabis Sativa seed). These natural ingredients help relieve respiratory, muscular, joint and skin conditions.
This range of products is continually growing. The key driver is giving people access to these ancient and traditional botanical actives in a form that suits their modern lifestyle. All products are manufactured in their Whangārei facility ensuring they maintain full control over quality.
Gordon says, “Much of the mātauranga that underpins what we do and how we do it has been passed down from our tūpuna. I can personally remember my mum and nannies collecting their rongoā rākau and returning home to prepare wai rākau. Karakia was a huge part of their kaupapa.”
“Sustainability is paramount. The ngahere is for our whānau and others to access our taonga, not for companies. At Natures Therapeutics we don’t harvest from the ngahere. All of our plant leaves are harvested, as per tikanga, from dedicated grow areas outside of the ngahere. This is not negotiable for us.”
Their extracts are processed in a laboratory environment. This way they can guarantee standard strengths. For example: if someone purchased an elixir today and then another in a few months, the strength of the formula are exactly the same.
Producing their product comes with a cost and if the company is to be sustainable, then the product must be sold. It was important for the company to get sign off from respected kairongoā when making the decision to operate commercially.
Permission was sought and approved with the following advice – “Many of our people don’t live by the ngahere or close to these traditional plants. Many others don’t know what these traditional plants look like and many more wouldn’t know what to do with them to create rongoā rākau. Then you have a majority that don’t have the time or desire to harvest and create. All of these people, if they are wanting, are more than happy to pay for finished product. They are the people you are providing for. You are not stopping those who wish to undertake this personally from doing so, and you don’t harvest from the ngahere. What you are doing, in my opinion, is perfectly fine. Kia kaha, haere tonu.”
For more information and to check out their range of products, check out their website, Facebook & Instagram.
