About Manaaki

Meet Carmel

Founder of Atua Healing® | ACC Rongoā Māori Healer I Matakite I Holistic Facialist | Aromatherapist

Ko Ngāpuhi, Te Uri o Hau, Ngāti Whātua Ō Kaipara ahau. Born in Tāmaki Makaurau in 1962, I am a fourth-generation Matakite and Rongoā Māori healer.

My healing lineage flows through my Koro, Bill Gillibrand, who taught me about Rongoā; he loved the Ngahere and celestial navigation, and my grandmother, Ngamoko Kakarana Rapana, who passed on Rongoā Rakau to our whānau. These teachings shaped my path profoundly, alongside guidance from esteemed mentors like Dr Rangimarie Rose Pere and Paora Paul Andrews.

With over 35 years of experience, I’ve offered healing and education across Aotearoa, the USA, and Europe. I specialise in Rongoā Māori, Mirimiri, Te Hā (breathwork), Mahu Whenua, and Wairua-based modalities. As a Matakite, I offer spiritual insight and created Atua Healing®, a trauma-release modality that works at a cellular level without re-traumatising the client.

Originally trained as a Beauty Therapist, I’ve taught and practised holistic therapies, aromatherapy, reflexology, and natural wellness.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me cooking kai, spending time with loved ones, or grounding in nature — my sanctuary and teacher.

Carmel is available for bookings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Meet Joshua

Virtual Assistant

Ko Ngā Phui, Te Uri O Hau ahau.

Our virtual assistant supports your wellbeing journey and is warm, knowledgeable, and always ready to help. Raised in a whānau immersed in the traditions of Rongoā Māori, he has a deep respect for Indigenous healing and holistic care. His guidance is grounded in the values of manaaki (support) and wairua (spirit).

Whether you’re booking a session, exploring our services, or have a question, he’s here to make your experience smooth and uplifting.

Outside of mahi, he volunteers his time cooking wholesome vegan meals for a local charity. He loves to unwind by dancing Bachata and Latin, bringing aroha and rhythm to everything he does.

Joshua is available Monday to Friday.

Meet Adele

ACC Accounts

Adele takes care of all things ACC— sending invoices, and keeping the admin side of our healing services running smoothly. While she doesn’t work directly with clients, her behind-the-scenes support is essential in ensuring everything stays organised and on track. With over 20 years of friendship and shared kaupapa with Carmel, Adele brings loyalty, trust, and a deep understanding of the work we do.

Outside of mahi, Adele enjoys the good things in life—fine food, a lovely wine, and time spent relaxing with her husband and whānau.

Adele is available Monday to Friday.

Our Brands

Carmel has chosen two skincare brands to deliver results for all your skin concerns.

SCIENCE MEETS NATURE WITH THREE-STEP HYALURONIC LAYERING

Using the latest medical achievements, a revolutionary system has been developed in Australia—Intraceuticals™ Infusion. It combines hyperbaric oxygen with a special serum rich in hyaluronic acid and regenerating ingredients. Mixed with oxygen, it naturally and instantly lifts the skin surface, smoothens fine lines, and fills wrinkles.

The Intraceuticals method combines medical sciences (local hyperbaric oxygen) and the effects of research conducted by Australian universities, crowned by the development of specific serums.

The Intraceuticals treatment uses the phenomenon of infusion to introduce active substances into the skin using pure oxygen and hyperbaric pressure. The introduced products are rich in low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, vitamin complexes, and powerful antioxidants.

One of the secrets behind the efficacy of the Intraceuticals method is the use of two forms of hyaluronic acid: the low-molecular-weight form, which penetrates deeper skin layers together with attached active ingredients, and the high-molecular-weight form, which is supposed to bind moisture from the surroundings and maintain the humidity collected thanks to the low-molecular-weight acid in the skin. Hyaluronic acid ensures a youthful skin appearance: firmness, elasticity, and smoothness by connecting collagen and elastin fibers and influencing the fibroblasts.

The active ingredients attached to the particles of hyaluronic acid are efficient forms of vitamins A, E, and C, the EGCG antioxidant from green Japanese tea, aloe, squalene, beta-glucan, provitamin B5, serum albumin, the vegetal oils of jojoba, macadamia, sweet almonds, and wheat sprouts, and dextran sulfate.

Very popular among world-class stars, it is applied by, among others, Madonna, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Naomi Campbell, Kate Perry, Fergie, and Justin Timberlake. The cast of The Ozarks, the latest season on Netflix, has been experiencing the Intraceuticals Oxygen Facials, which Carmel calls a Liquid Facelift!

100% BIO CERTIFIED ORGANIC SKINCARE

In 2018, PHYT’S celebrated its 45th anniversary. Today, the brand is considered one of France's greatest achievements in 100% natural and organic cosmetics. The choice to go green goes back to the very origin of the brand when, in 1972, Jean-Paul Llopart, a naturopath and biologist, and Rosanne Verlé, a beautician, created Phyt’s (Phytal), born from a dream and vision of developing a skincare range made entirely with natural ingredients and without the use of any preservatives. It was an extremely innovative approach at the time.

From the onset, the brand wanted to focus on and support forward-thinking Beauty Institutes. The founders coined the notion of “Nature-Esthetique®” (holistic aesthetic), a concept now well-known and regarded in Europe.

Phyt’s creators were market innovators and early adopters of emerging technologies that moved their vision from dream to reality in product development and packaging. The need to innovate in packaging came from protecting the formulations from bacterial contaminants and the external environment. Phyt’s introduced single-use packaging in the form of disposable glass ampoules. In 1974, a patent was even filed for the conditioning in ampoules of pasty or semi-thick skin care products (masks). In the 1990s, Phyt’s Laboratories turned to multilayered Polyfoil for all its tubes, a perfectly waterproof material that protects all creams from external contaminants.