Kahupeka was an ancient Māori healer and pioneer of herbal medicine, as depicted in this painting by Cliff Whiting, reproduced with permission from the NZ Geographic Board.
Kahupeka Ancient Māori healer
Ancient Māori healer and pioneer of herbal medicine
Oral history and tradition remembers Kahupeka as a Tainui woman who explored widely in the central North Island and experimented with herbal medicines in the 1400s.
The Royal Society of New Zealand lists her as among 150 women
who made important contributions to expanding knowledge in Aotearoa/New Zealand.
According to the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, Kahupeka, sometimes referred to as Kahu, Kahupekapeka or Kahukeke, journeyed inland from Kawhia on the west coast while grieving for her husband, who had recently died.
