Workshop Breakout, Room 1, 11.05am – 12.05pm
Workshop Overview
In this engaging and interactive workshop, participants will explore the relationship between the gut microbiome, emotional wellbeing, and the living ecology of the puku. Drawing on kaupapa Māori, microbiome science, rongoā Māori, and Indigenous understandings of health, this session will demonstrate how our gut health influences mood, resilience, stress response, and overall hauora.
Using accessible science, practical examples, and Māori models of wellbeing, we will reframe the puku as a living ecosystem shaped by whakapapa, whenua, kai, relationships, and daily rhythms. Participants will leave with practical strategies to strengthen both gut and mental wellbeing in ways that are culturally grounded, evidence-informed, and achievable.
Key Messages
- The gut and brain are constantly communicating.
- The microbiome influences mood, anxiety, resilience, and mental wellbeing.
- The puku is a living ecosystem connected to whakapapa, whenua, wairua, and whānau.
- Stress, trauma, poor sleep, and disconnection can disrupt gut ecology.
- Restoring gut health can support emotional wellbeing, energy, and resilience.
- Indigenous knowledge and modern science are not competing systems; together they offer powerful pathways to healing.
About The GutLab Aotearoa
The GutLab Aotearoa is an Indigenous-led gut health clinic that blends kaupapa Māori, microbiome science, and rongoā-based practice to support whole-of-whānau wellbeing. We centre the puku as an ecosystem shaped by whakapapa, whenua, kai, and daily rhythms of oranga.
Our approach weaves together:
- Whakapapa-based healing
- Maramataka rhythms
- Rongoā Māori
- Microbiome science
- Nutrition and lifestyle ecology
Our philosophy is simple:
The puku is a living ecosystem. When we care for it with cultural integrity and scientific clarity, the whole body, mind, and wairua thrive.
Dr Sally Rye
Rongo ā Puku Practitioner
