Pounamu Skelton’s story is one of vision, resilience, and legacy. He uri o Taranaki Maunga, Te Atiawa, Taranaki Tuturu, and Ngāti Ruanui, Pounamu lives on her papakāinga in Onaero, a place her whānau have named Te Rau Orongo “the multiple ways to heal ourselves.”
For more than 24 years, she carried a dream: to live organically and sustainably, close to her tūrangawaewae. Today, that dream has taken shape on five acres of fertile whenua, where every decision is guided by connection to whakapapa and the generations yet to come.
(A glossary of Māori terms available at bottom of post)
A Multifaceted Business with Purpose ✨
Pounamu’s business journey is as abundant as her māra. She wears many hats:
- Running online and in-person programmes on māra kai and rongoā.
- Consulting with organisations on kai sovereignty and composting projects.
- Speaking on national panels and conference stages.
- Hosting land-based professional development workshops for organisations at her papakāinga.
- And most recently, preparing to launch her own apothecary boutique, bringing natural herbal products to life.
What ties it all together is her unwavering commitment to Hua Parakore, the ancestral philosophy of growing food, medicine, and people in ways that honour the land and the future.
Hua Parakore at the Heart 🌿
Step into her papakāinga and you’ll find orchards, kumara and potato beds, a rongoā ngahere with 1,500 trees and even flower beds tended by her sister. Her 82-year-old father still builds and maintains structures on the whenua, while her daughters contribute when they return home from study.
This is a family affair, grounded in Hua Parakore. Every seed planted is a reminder that business can be regenerative and relational not extractive.
Business with Abundance 🌸
Pounamu calls herself an “indulgent queen” embracing abundance in life and business.
Her approach rejects the scarcity mindset that often shapes entrepreneurship. Instead, she creates with joy, with a focus on regeneration and long-term impact.
Each decision, whether planting an orchard or launching a product, comes with legacy in mind. As she says, every tree is planted for her mokopuna yet to come.
From Garden to Apothecary 💫
The newest chapter in her journey is the apothecary boutique.
Born from a lifelong love of flowers and medicinal plants, and inspired by time spent in South Africa, Pounamu has created herbal teas, vinegars, balms, and culinary products, all grown and made on her whenua.
Her first release is a gardener’s set. A hand scrub and body butter crafted for those who spend their days in the soil. Tested over months, each product is designed to be practical, purposeful, and deeply connected to the land.
This range will officially launch during Sustainable Backyards in November, when she opens her papakāinga to the public for the first time.
Legacy in Motion 🌺
For Pounamu, entrepreneurship isn’t about hustling for the next opportunity. It’s about anchoring herself to whenua, whānau, and whakapapa. Her daughters are already part of the vision, ready to carry it forward in their own time.
Every day on the papakāinga is a blessing, she says. A chance to align business with culture, family, and legacy.
🌐 Website: www.pounamuskelton.com
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pounamu_skelton/
👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pounamus
Glossary of Terms
- Papakāinga – communal homestead, shared land
- Whānau – family
- Tūrangawaewae – place to stand, ancestral home
- Whenua – land
- Whakapapa – genealogy, lineage
- Māra kai – food garden
- Rongoā – traditional healing practices
- Rongoā ngahere – healing forest, planted for medicinal use
- Mokopuna – grandchildren, future generations
- Hua Parakore – ancestral philosophy of growing food, medicine, and people organically
