Ko Rawinia Te Urikore Rimene toku ingoa
He uri nō Te Whakatohea, Ngāti Kahungungu ki Wairarapa, Ngāti Raukawa me Rangitane ahau
Ko Omarumutu raua ko Te Ore Ore ngā marae
Ko Waiaua te awa ko Wairarapa te Moana
Ko Mataatua te waka
Ko Ngāti Rua te hapu
Ko Muriwai te tapairu
Nō Ōpōtiki ahau
E noho ana au ki Te Whanganui a Tara
Ko au te Kaiwhakahaere o Girl Native

Before Girl Native was a brand, it was a place.

A stretch of farmland in Omarumutu, on the eastern Bay of Plenty coast of Aotearoa New Zealand. A weathered homestead at Ruarakai. The scent of freshly cut grass after rain. Kettles singing in the kitchen and muddy gumboots at the door.

I grew up in Ōpōtiki and spent much of my childhood on our multi-generational rural land at Ruarakai, my tūrangawaewae, the place where I stand and where I belong.

Most weekends were spent outdoors with my nan, my koro (grandfather), siblings, cousins, aunties and uncles. There was always something to do. We planted native trees, cleared gorse and cared for the whenua, the land. We helped build the family house with our own hands, and learnt that belonging to a place also means being responsible for it.

The days were simple.
The work was shared.
The door was never closed.

My nan believed there was always room for one more at the table, and that everyone gets fed. Visitors were welcomed with a hot cup of tea, something homemade, and conversation that lingered long after the sun went down.

Without ever calling it a lesson, she taught me some of the most important things I know.

Look after the whenua, and the whenua will look after you.

Whānau, family, is everything. Even when they don’t have it all together, together they have it all.

Years later, while I was pregnant with my first son, Elijah, my midwife Lisa, who is also my whanaunga (a relative), introduced me more deeply to rongoā Māori, the traditional plant knowledge of my people.

She spoke of knowledge handed down through generations. Of plants gathered with intention. Of wellbeing that begins with connection: to the body, and to people, place and ancestry.

Something about that knowledge settled within me. It felt familiar, as if I had been practising it my whole life. Like remembering something I had always known.

I have always said rongoā has been a journey back to self, one that connects me to everything.

Then life changed, as it often does. I moved to the city. The pace quickened, the days filled, and the distance between where I lived and where I came from felt greater than ever.

In 2019 my daughter, Peyton, was born with very sensitive skin. Wanting something gentle for her, I returned to rongoā and made a kawakawa balm in my kitchen.

What began as a mother’s act of care became the beginning of Girl Native.

Today, every product in the collection carries a thread of that journey.

Harakeke, the flax I wove into baskets as a child.
Mamaku, inspired by regeneration and growth.
Mānuka, treasured for comfort and restoration.
Kawakawa, the plant that started it all.

Each formula is built around the botanicals of Aotearoa and the places and traditions that shaped me. The collection is numbered, creating a simple ritual that guides you from one step to the next. Not another routine to master, but an invitation to slow down.

To wash the day away.
To care for yourself.
To pause, even briefly.

At the heart of Girl Native is tiaki: to care for, to protect, to nurture. It is manaakitanga, the Māori art of hospitality and care, in a jar. It guides every decision we make, from the ingredients we choose to the communities we support.

Giving back is part of the ritual. Through Girl Native I run business workshops in low-income communities, and workshops that support rangatahi (young people), LGBTQIA+ communities, suicide awareness and prevention, people experiencing homelessness, children with a parent in prison, and the preservation of mātauranga Māori, Māori knowledge. Care should always extend beyond ourselves.

People often ask what luxury means to me. I don’t think it is found in excess. Luxury is the feeling of being looked after.

Morning sun on your face on a cold day, a cup of tea in your hand. Long, soft grass beneath your fingers on the land you come from. The smell of native trees after a downpour. The quiet minutes you give yourself before the world wakes.

Girl Native was created from those moments. A modern ritual, rooted in Aotearoa. A love letter to Ruarakai. And an invitation to carry a little piece of home wherever life takes you.

Ngā mihi mahana,
Rawinia Rimene
Founder, Girl Native