It’s Getting Harder to Tell Who’s Genuinely Māori-Owned
Here’s the honest truth: plenty of brands use kawakawa, te reo names and koru designs, but that doesn’t make them Māori-owned. When you want your money to back Māori whānau and communities, the label alone won’t tell you much. Some “native” brands are run by large companies with no Māori ownership at all.
This guide fixes that. Māori owned wellness brands are businesses owned by people with Māori whakapapa that make products or experiences for your health and wellbeing. That covers drinks, skincare, spa experiences and remedies grounded in rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori healing system. We checked every brand on this list against public records and news sources, and we’ll keep checking so the list stays accurate.
Want the short version? In September 2026, four Māori-owned wellness brands you can support with confidence are Atutahi (native drinks, Nelson), Aotea (therapeutic skincare, Great Barrier Island), Hāna Botanicals (natural skincare, Northland) and Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa (geothermal spa, Rotorua). Each one is owned by Māori, still trading, and built on real knowledge of native plants. Read on for what makes each one special, how “Māori-owned” is defined, and how to check any brand yourself.
Key Takeaways
- Māori-owned means Māori hold the ownership, usually at least 50%, not just that a brand uses native plants.
- Four verified brands (Sept 2026): Atutahi, Aotea, Hāna Botanicals and Wai Ariki.
- Check any brand by looking for named founders, clear harvest details and listings in Māori business directories.
- Your spending keeps rongoā knowledge and profit with the whānau and hapū it belongs to.
- Try Atutahi’s mixed pack for an easy everyday start.
What Counts as a Māori-Owned Wellness Brand?
A Māori-owned wellness brand is a health or wellbeing business where Māori hold the ownership, not just the ingredient list. It’s easy to mix this up with brands that are simply “Māori-inspired,” so it helps to know how New Zealand officially defines it.
The Official Definitions
Te Puni Kōkiri, the Ministry of Māori Development, counts a business as Māori-owned when at least 50% of it is owned by Māori. Its Te Matapaeroa reports on the Māori economy lowered the line from 51% to 50% in 2020. Since 2021 they have also tracked businesses with any Māori ownership.
Stats NZ adds a second test: the business is owned by people with Māori whakapapa, and it identifies itself as Māori. That second part matters. A Māori business usually runs by Māori values, such as manaakitanga (care for others) and kaitiakitanga (guardianship of the land).
Why “Māori-Inspired” Isn’t the Same Thing
Using a native plant doesn’t make a brand Māori-owned. Kawakawa, mānuka and kūmarahou grow all over Aotearoa, and anyone can buy them. What sets Māori-owned brands apart is who holds the knowledge and who benefits from the sales. When you buy from a Māori-owned brand, the profit and the decision-making stay with the whānau and hapū whose tūpuna first used these plants.
What Are Some Māori-Owned Wellness Brands in NZ Right Now?
Three Māori-owned wellness brands trading right now are Atutahi, Aotea and Wai Ariki. Atutahi is a Nelson whānau business that turns hand-harvested kawakawa, kūmarahou and horopito into low-sugar drinks. Aotea grows and extracts its own native plants on Great Barrier Island for therapeutic skincare. Wai Ariki in Rotorua is owned by the iwi Ngāti Whakaue. This list is current as of September 2026 and is updated regularly as the sector grows.
| Brand | What they make | Where | Ownership | Last verified |
| Atutahi | Native botanical drinks, chutneys, kawakawa soap | Nelson, Te Tauihu | Founded by Reni Wereta-Gargiulo, run with her whānau | Sept 2026 |
| Aotea | Therapeutic skincare (now Aotea Health) | Aotea Great Barrier Island | Founded by Tama Toki (Ngāti Rehua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi) | Sept 2026 |
| Hāna Botanicals | Native skincare, candles, home sprays | Awanui, Te Tai Tokerau | Māori wāhine-owned and operated | Sept 2026 |
| Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa | Geothermal bathing and spa rituals | Rotorua | Ngāti Whakaue, through Pukeroa Oruawhata Group | Sept 2026 |
The 2026 List: Verified Māori-Owned Wellness Brands
Every brand below is included because we could confirm its Māori ownership and that it’s still trading. We removed vague claims from the earlier version of this guide and replaced them with facts you can check.
1. Atutahi — Native Botanical Drinks from Nelson
Atutahi exists because its founder needed it herself. Reni Wereta-Gargiulo turned to kawakawa leaves, a rongoā her tūpuna had used for generations, when arthritic pain in her hands had her reaching for more and more painkillers. She tested kawakawa tonics with different flavours, shared them at her local market, and the feedback was so good that her partner Andrew and then the wider whānau joined in.
The name carries real weight, as we share in the story behind Atutahi. Atutahi is a star in the Matariki cluster, and it was also the name of Reni’s koro. Today the whānau harvests kawakawa, kūmarahou and horopito from whānau sites across Te Waipounamu, with a karakia at every harvest. You can see how we choose ingredients with integrity and meet the Māori botanicals behind Atutahi. You can read the full story on our About us page. The range includes the zesty Kawakawa Lemon & Lime, the fresh Kūmarahou Lemon & Lime and the peppery Horopito Blackcurrant & Boysenberry, alongside chutneys like Kawakawa & Mango and Horopito & Tomato, plus kawakawa soap.
2. Aotea — Therapeutic Skincare from Great Barrier Island
Aotea grows, extracts and bottles almost everything on its own island. Founder Tama Toki (Ngāti Rehua, Ngāti Wai, Ngāpuhi) grew up on Aotea Great Barrier, where his grandmother was a rongoā practitioner who treated the kids with plants from the bush. He started the brand in 2017, and it now trades online as Aotea Health.
Aotea stands out for backing tradition with science. Its kawakawa balm was classified as a Class 1 medical device in 2024, which moved it into pharmacies. Air New Zealand also chose Aotea for its long-haul amenity kits. The business reinvests in jobs on the island and funds scholarships for rangatahi Māori, because Great Barrier has no high school. If kawakawa for skin is new to you, our guide to why kawakawa soap is so popular in NZ explains the basics.
3. Hāna Botanicals — Native Skincare from Te Tai Tokerau
Hāna Botanicals is a Māori wāhine-owned skincare company based near Kaitaia in the Far North. Its goal is to grow as much of its native extract as possible, including mānuka, kawakawa and mamaku, in its own regenerating native forest. That approach helps bring the birds and bees back too.
The range is certified cruelty-free and toxin-free. In 2023, Hāna Botanicals partnered with Wai Ariki to create a native facial and spa range, which shows how Māori-owned businesses often lift each other up.
4. Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa — Geothermal Wellness in Rotorua
Wai Ariki is Aotearoa’s only spa and bathing facility owned by mana whenua. It was developed by Pukeroa Oruawhata Group of the local iwi Ngāti Whakaue and opened in June 2023 on the shores of Lake Rotorua. The name means “chiefly waters.”
Every part of the experience draws on Ngāti Whakaue stories and practices, from the hot and cold pools to the mud and steam. For full transparency, the spa is owned by the iwi and managed day to day by Belgravia Leisure, an Australasian spa operator. We think you should know that, because honest detail is what makes a list like this useful.
How We Checked This List
We only list a brand when we can confirm three things: Māori ownership, that it’s still trading, and that it has a genuine link to wellness. For each brand we looked at its own website and live online store, plus independent reporting from outlets such as Te Ao Māori News, RNZ and the NZ Herald. We removed claims we couldn’t back up. We re-check every brand each quarter and update the date at the top of this page.
Why Supporting Māori-Owned Wellness Brands Matters
Your purchase does more than fill your fridge or bathroom shelf. It changes who benefits from Aotearoa’s native plants. We cover the full case in Drink Local, Think Global: Why Supporting Māori-Made Brands Matters, but here are the three benefits that matter most.
Money Stays in Māori Communities
When you buy Māori-owned, the profit goes back to whānau, hapū and local jobs. You can see this in action with Aotea’s island jobs and scholarships, and with Wai Ariki’s focus on employment for Ngāti Whakaue.
Rongoā Knowledge Stays in the Right Hands
Rongoā Māori is taonga, a treasure, and it deserves care. Māori-owned brands harvest with tikanga and karakia and treat the knowledge with respect. To learn more, read our guide to how rongoā Māori is shaping natural wellness drinks.
Kaitiakitanga Protects the Land
Guardianship of the land sits at the heart of these businesses. Hāna regenerates native forest, Aotea runs a circular production process, and Atutahi harvests only what the plants can spare, from forest to bottle, while supporting local growers. See what we value for how we approach it.
How to Check a Brand Before You Buy
You don’t need to take any brand’s word for it, including ours. A few simple checks will tell you whether a brand is genuinely Māori-owned.
Look for a Named Founder and Their Whakapapa
Genuine Māori-owned brands usually name their founders and share their iwi or hapū links openly. If a brand talks a lot about “ancient Māori wisdom” but never says who owns it, be a little cautious.
Ask Where the Plants Come From
Real kaitiaki will tell you where and how they harvest. Look for specific places, like “whānau sites in Te Waipounamu,” rather than vague phrases like “sourced from New Zealand.” Our guide to how botanical ingredients go from leaf to label shows what good transparency looks like.
Search a Māori Business Directory
Directories such as Whāriki list Māori businesses by region and category. They’re a handy starting point, especially when you’re shopping locally in Nelson Tasman or anywhere else in Aotearoa.
Bringing Māori-Owned Wellness Into Your Everyday
Supporting Māori-owned brands works best when it becomes a habit, not a one-off. That’s why we make drinks you can reach for any day of the week instead of a sugary soft drink. Here are five reasons to switch from soda to Māori wellness drinks. Here’s a simple way to fit them in, or take our look at which Atutahi drink fits your lifestyle.
| Moment in your day | Try this | Why it fits |
| After lunch | Kawakawa Lemon & Lime | Kawakawa has long been used in rongoā for the puku (tummy) |
| Cold, damp days | Kūmarahou Lemon & Lime | Kūmarahou is traditionally used for the chest and breathing |
| Evening treat | Horopito Blackcurrant & Boysenberry | Berry sweetness with a gentle peppery kick |
| Can’t decide? | Mixed 15-pack | All three flavours to find your favourite |
A quick note: these drinks are made to support everyday wellbeing. They aren’t medicine. For the background on each plant, read about kawakawa’s traditional uses and kūmarahou for respiratory support and horopito as a native anti-inflammatory, or visit our Your health page.
Live in Nelson Tasman? You’re close to where it all started. Check our stockists for a shop near you, read where to buy Atutahi across New Zealand, or order Māori wellness drinks online and support the whānau directly.
Ready to Taste Aotearoa? Start with Atutahi
The easiest way to back a Māori-owned wellness brand today is to try one. Browse our full range of native drinks and chutneys. If you’re buying for someone else, our gift packs such as Gift Tahi, Gift Rua and Gift Whā pair drinks with chutneys. For more ideas, see our guide to sustainable gifting from Māori-made brands. Our guide to corporate wellness gift packs covers bulk orders for work.
Got a question, or want to stock Atutahi in your café or shop? Get in touch with our team. We love a good kōrero. You can also join our community through the newsletter sign-up at the bottom of this page for new flavours and stories from the whenua.
Your Choices Carry Mana
Every time you choose a Māori-owned wellness brand, you help keep Aotearoa’s healing knowledge in the hands of the people who carried it for centuries. It’s a small choice with a big ripple. It backs whānau businesses, protects native forests and brings genuine rongoā into modern life.
You don’t have to change everything at once. Swap one soft drink for a native botanical drink, try kawakawa soap or a kawakawa balm, or book a soak in Rotorua. Come back to this guide whenever you need it, because we’ll keep it verified, dated and growing. Mā te wā until the next update.
Frequently Asked Questions
A brand is usually counted as Māori-owned when at least 50% of it is owned by people with Māori whakapapa. That’s the threshold Te Puni Kōkiri uses in its Māori economy reports. Stats NZ also expects the business to identify itself as Māori. Many Māori-owned brands also run on Māori values like manaakitanga and kaitiakitanga, not just ownership numbers, and they share those values openly.
As of September 2026, verified Māori-owned wellness brands include Atutahi (native botanical drinks from Nelson), Aotea (therapeutic skincare from Great Barrier Island), Hāna Botanicals (native skincare from Northland) and Wai Ariki Hot Springs and Spa in Rotorua, owned by Ngāti Whakaue. We re-check this list every three months and add new brands as soon as we’ve confirmed their ownership.
Start by looking for a named founder who shares their iwi or hapū links. Then check whether the brand explains exactly where and how it harvests its plants. Search Māori business directories such as Whāriki, and look for independent news coverage. If a brand leans heavily on Māori imagery but never says who owns it, ask them directly before you buy. A genuine brand will be happy to tell you.
Yes. Atutahi was founded by Reni Wereta-Gargiulo and is run with her whānau. The name comes from her koro, and it’s also a star in the Matariki cluster. The whānau harvest kawakawa, kūmarahou and horopito from whānau sites across Te Waipounamu, following tikanga and saying a karakia at every harvest. You can read the full story of Reni, her koro and her whānau on the About us page.
Buying Māori-owned keeps profit and decision-making with the whānau and hapū whose tūpuna first used these native plants. It keeps money in local communities, funds projects like scholarships, and protects rongoā knowledge from being used without respect. Many of these brands also practise kaitiakitanga, looking after the land and forests their ingredients come from, so the plants are there for future generations.
Rongoā Māori is the traditional Māori healing system. It includes plant remedies (rongoā rākau), massage (mirimiri) and spiritual care. It sees health as a balance of body, mind, spirit and connection to the land. Many Māori-owned wellness brands draw on the plant side of rongoā, using native leaves like kawakawa and kūmarahou in drinks, balms and skincare, while treating the knowledge with care.
Yes. Atutahi has its roots in Nelson and harvests native plants from whānau sites across Te Waipounamu. You can find Atutahi drinks through local stockists across the region or order online for delivery. If you know another Māori-owned wellness brand in Nelson Tasman, tell us through the submission form on this page so we can check the details carefully and add it to the list.
Atutahi’s drinks are made with native botanicals and are much lower in sugar than most soft drinks, so many whānau choose them as a better everyday option. Some flavours are sugar-free and made with kids in mind. Always read the label first, especially if your child has allergies or is sensitive to certain plants. If you’re unsure about a health condition, check with your doctor or pharmacist before sharing new drinks.
Absolutely. Māori-owned products make meaningful gifts because each one carries a story of whānau, whenua and tradition. Atutahi offers Māori-inspired gift hampers that pair native drinks with handmade chutneys, which work well for birthdays, thank-yous and corporate gifting. Other brands on this list, like Aotea and Hāna Botanicals, sell skincare gift sets that make lovely presents for someone special.
Fill in the brand submission form on this page with your brand name, website, founder details and what you make. We’ll check ownership, confirm you’re trading and look at your link to wellness, using the same process we used for every brand here. Approved brands are added at our next quarterly update, and the “last verified” date at the top of this page changes with it too.