Māori · Aotearoa New Zealand
Grandma Rita Tupe
Kuia of Ngāti Haka Patuheuheu, Tūhoe
Rita Tupe is a kuia — a female elder — from Waiohau of Ngāti Haka Patuheuheu, Tūhoe. She is a healer known for her work in rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori healing system, and mirimiri, supporting the healing of body, spirit, community, and land.
In the Māori worldview she carries, the wellbeing of people and the wellbeing of the whenua — the land — are inseparable. Her practice holds that healing one means tending the other.
The Elders’ Circle
One Moment, Every Lineage
Grandma Rita brings this understanding of healing as reciprocity — between body and spirit, people and land — into the Origin Elders’ circle for the global synchronized moment on October 17.
October 17, 2026 · Global Day of Unity & Regeneration
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