Nothing but natural!
The solution to all of your skins needs
Kawakawa
What are its properties and how does it have these properties?
Kawakawa is a highly healing and resorative plant, it has very strong anti-inflammatory properties. Some of its other beneficial properties are its ability to soothe eczema, rosacea, psoriasis, dry skin, oily skin, blemishes, boils, bites, stings, grazes, rashes, sunburn, nappy rashes, sore muscles, chafing, bruises, stretch marks, heals and reduces redness, irritation, itching, pain, skin infections, blemishes, acne, restores hydration in the skin, strengthens it, provides intense nourishment, calms and restores balance in the skin upon application, it is great for anti-aging etc.! Studies conducted by students at the University of Auckland that Kawakawa is made up of many medicinal compounds such as pellitorine, where more than 60 compounds of it was found, has numbing effects on the body which can explain its uses for pain-relief and reducing inflammation. Myristicin is also found in Kawakawa, which is a chemical that removes toxic inflammatory chemicals from the skin cells which also helps it treat eczema, bites and swelling. Another useful chemical is diayangbin, an immunosuppressant which is great for treating autoimmune skin diseases. It contains many other chemicals/compounds that help kawakawa be so beneficial!
Mānuka
What are its properties and how does it have these properties?
Like kawakawa, Mānuka oil is highly restorative and healing. Unlike Mānuka honey which is taken from the pollen of the plant, Mānuka oil is taken from the stem and leaves of the plant. It has very strong antiseptic and moistursing properties, meaning its great to treat acne, dry skin, itchy skin, insect bites and stings, chafing, sunburn, grazes, infections, burns, heals scars, reduces wrinkles/age lines, eczema, other painful skin disorders. Mānuka oil has many helpful chemicals in it such as flavesone, leptospermone, isoleptospermone, grandiflorone and many others!
Our Values
Our Why.
Hi I'm Kiahna-Jainne, a Year 12 student from Stratford High School and I make healing balms out of natural ingredients such as Kawakawa and Mānuka oil. Growing up and even now I suffered from acne, skin infections/problems, rashes, skin dryness, soreness from sports injuries, sore muscles etc., some of these problems would affect dimensions of my hauora. Usually I would always have to buy multiple different products to soothe/cure each of these problems which was costly and at times inconvenient. I wanted to create a product that could improve/maintain hauora of others by fixing skin problems by itself without the costly price tags. I began to create natural healing balms made of two main ingredients - Mānuka and Kawakawa. These two ingredients are important in Te Ao Māori. Mānuka is known to Māori as taonga and has been used by our Māori ancestors for multiple reasons for years. Kawakawa is also thought to be highly healing by our Māori ancestors and has also been used by our Māori ancestors for years, with there being many traditional stories of Kawakawa. With the use of these important ingredients from Te Ao Māori, the hauora of others will be improved.
Why Team H.O.P.E?
Team H.O.P.E is a local charity based in Stratford. H.O.P.E stands for Helping Our People Endure. I chose to give 20% of my net profit after tax to this charity as I believe their charity aligns with what I am to do: improve the hauora of others through access to a cheap solution. They aim to provide opportunities to people in Stratford who have been affected by adversitys that include but are not limited to illness, tragedy, abuse or disabillities. They provide them with financial assistance to help relieve distress or disadvantages caused by the adversity.
Why Māiatanga?
In Te Reo Māori the kupu (word) Māia means to be brave, confident, courageous, and bold, while tanga is essentially the act of doing it/being brave, confident etc. I chose Māiatanga as my company name as I feel it fits well with what I am aiming to do with my healing balm and my company values: improve the hauora of others specifically taha hinengaro and taha tinana, and most importantly make them feel confident in their own body/skin. Through the use of my balm I believe people will be Māia.
Pūtake
To improve the hauora of Kiwi's all around Aotearoa by providing them easy and cheap access to our natural healing balms <3.