Today, HOSW has grown considerably since its inception in 1992 and embraces an inclusive holistic indigenous approach towards sustaining our uniqueness as a contributing global indigenous community.This 'Blog' has been set up for whānau from Aotearoa to receive updates and have the ability to comment on the planning progress for the next HOSW Gathering.

29 August 2007

HOSW Poster - Print & Distribute


This is the first ‘Healing Our Spirit Worldwide – The Sixth Gathering’ Poster announcement.


Click onto this site and print off the HOSW Poster to circulate through your networks, add to your newsletters or insert into your publications.


27 August 2007

The HOSW Covenant


Celebrating that our Creator has given Indigenous Peoples, who belong to the land and the sea, a unique and rich collection of gifts including mother earth, the sky and water, our families and nations, our culture and wisdom and our own lives;Recognising that these gifts rest at the heart of our past, our present and our future;Believing that the Spirit is the energy that empowers us to share, replenish, protect and respect these gifts according to the Creator’s design;Remembering the devastation and confusion that colonisation brought, including alcohol and disease;Grieving for the land taken and the loss of communal life;We the Indigenous Peoples of the world having come together as part of the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide movement declare with one voice and heart our resolve to strengthen the Spirit of our Nations and Peoples, to clear from our hearts and minds the clouds of confusion and doubt.We hold as true and as our guide the teaching of our grandmothers and grandfathers that;We hold a sacred role to protect, maintain and respect the Creator’s gifts so that our children and generations of children after them may live a healthy and rich life;Our responsibility is to address, enhance and restore our sacred role; as custodians of these gifts we need to make wise decisions because we are accountable to the Creator and to generations to come;The health and wellbeing of our people and nations is built on our ability to maintain compassionate, functioning relationships within ourselves, with the earth, each other, our families and communities;Knowledge and wisdom are our partners and we must enrich them both and use them well if our children are to build a meaningful future.We commit ourselves to work in unity and with resolve to strengthen and heal the spirit of our Peoples.

Kia ora, Aloha, Welcome!


I am pleased to announce the creation of this website and invite you to participate in making this a successful medium as we work towards a successful Aotearoa attendance at the Healing Our Spirit Worldwide – The Sixth Gathering to be held in Hawai’i, 3 – 10 September 2010. This gathering in Honolulu, hosted by Papa Ola Lokahi, will continue the tradition of the HOSW movement, to strengthen and heal indigenous families and communities worldwide.

My role as a council member is to keep our Aotearoa Whanui informed of planning progress and advocate for Aotearoa's view point as the Sixth Gathering is planned.

hoswNZ2010 Project Team

Within the near future I will be inviting a few people on to the 'hoswNZ2010' project team to assist with our planning. This will provide a clear pathway for practitioners, planning and Funder's, users of services and liked mind people and organisations to commit money, people resources and passion to stand united at the opening of the Sixth Gathering in Hawai’i – 3rd September 2010.
This picture was taken at the 2005 Cutting Edge in Dunedin and it’s all smiles from the AoD Taumata, Pihopa Kingi, Nellie Rata, Houpeke & Mere Piripi as they share this special moment with IIC for HOSW chairman Rod Jeffries.

International Indigenous Council visits a possible 2010 opening ceremony venue


At the invitation of Papa Ola Lokahi, the International Indigenous Council members, Rod Jeffries (Mohawk, Ontario Canada; 3rd from the left), Dave Baldridge (Navajo, Albuquerque, USA 1st on the left) and myself (2nd from the right); pictured outside the palace main entrance are joined by the executive staff from the Iolani Royal Palace; to look at this site as a possible venue to welcome the expected 5000 delegates to the Healing our Spirit Worldwide – The Sixth Gathering. We had no concerns about the capabilities of this venue managing large crowds; such spacious grounds in the middle of Honolulu. This is one of six possible sites that the host nation is looking at.

What do you think of the logo?


The Whānau o Papa Ola Lokahi has produced this image as their logo for the 2010 Gathering. This will sit alongside the HOSW logo reinforcing the HOSW whakapapa.