A New Chapter Begins – HANA

A New Chapter Begins – HANA

1 August 2026

Today marks a very special milestone for me, both personally and professionally.

As of today, HANA Counselling and Education Limited will begin trading under the new trading name:

HANA

HANA is more than a name.

It is a reflection of love, hope, community, and the belief that healing grows through human connection.

This is not a change to our legal company name.

Rather, it marks an important turning point in my life and the beginning of a new chapter for HANA as a brand.

Today, I would like to share the story behind that decision.

My Name: "Ai"

My name is Ai, which means "love" in Japanese.

When my parents chose my name, they hoped that I would be loved by others, learn to love others, and grow into someone who would truly understand the meaning of love.

There was a time, however, when I felt that my name was almost like a burden.

I often wondered,

"Why was I given such a heavy name?"

"What is love?"

I have been asking myself that question since I was about five years old.

Why do people hurt one another?

Why do we love some people and dislike others?

What is friendship?

What is family?

Who am I, really?

From a very young age, I felt that discovering the meaning of "love" was the life purpose I had been given, and perhaps even the reason I exist.

My parents and relatives were people who truly embodied love.

They did not teach me its meaning through words alone.

Instead, they taught me through the way they lived.

To me, love means:

Caring deeply about another person.

Wanting to truly understand them.

And having the courage to face difficult realities without allowing our own biases to cloud what we see.

The world can be incredibly complicated and, at times, painfully difficult.

Yet it is also filled with moments of overwhelming beauty.

There are moments when someone's kindness feels like gentle rain falling on dry, cracked earth.

I have witnessed those moments many times throughout my life.

Looking back now, I realise that my name has continued to shape me.

It reminds me to keep learning, to keep growing, and to keep becoming a better human being.

Today, I continue to reflect on the meaning of love every day—not only as a person, but also as a mother, a business owner, a researcher, a therapist, and a community leader.

I have not yet made the kind of contribution to society that my parents and relatives have.

There is still much for me to learn.

But every day, I learn from the people who trust me and choose to work alongside me in serving our communities.

HANA – The Most Precious Person in My World

I have always loved my own name, Ai.

For a time, I even thought about giving the same name to my daughter.

But I wondered if it might be too heavy a name for a child to carry.

The moment she was born, a memory suddenly came back to me.

I remembered a tiny flower I had once seen in the Swiss mountains.

It was small, white, and delicate.

Yet at the same time, it was remarkably strong, beautiful, and quietly resilient.

The moment I held my daughter in my arms, I thought,

"She is a flower."

Somehow, it felt connected to my own name.

After all, very few people feel unhappy when they receive flowers.

Flowers bring comfort, joy, and hope.

For my daughter, I wished for a life very different from my own.

I did not want her to experience the many hardships that I had faced.

Instead, I hoped she would live like a small mountain flower.

Surrounded by many other flowers.

If life became difficult, she would never have to stand alone.

She could simply rest among the others, quietly hidden until she was ready to bloom again.

She would not have to live a life constantly exposed to hardship, as I often felt I had.

I wished for her to wake up every morning with excitement.

To enjoy going to school.

To look up at the sky and see its beauty.

To laugh wholeheartedly at simple and wonderful things.

To fall asleep each night wrapped in warm sheets, with a peaceful heart filled with gratitude and the quiet happiness that comes from an ordinary day.

More than anything, I wished for her to live a simple and peaceful life.

And like a beautiful flower blooming in the mountains, I hoped she would be loved by many people.

With that wish in my heart, I named my daughter Hana, which means "flower" in Japanese.

On 31 May 2021, her birthday, I submitted the application to establish my company.

On 24 June 2021, the company was officially registered.

Many people have asked me why I chose to include Hana in the company's name.

By now, you probably know the answer.

This name carries my life's journey.

It carries the hopes I have for my daughter.

And it carries my hopes for the future.

The Journey of HANA – Five Years of Growth

On 24 June 2021, I received confirmation that my New Zealand Business Number (NZBN) had been officially registered.

When I started this company, it was just me.

One counsellor.

One business owner.

One small dream.

A dream of supporting people living with trauma.

That single dream became the foundation of HANA.

Over the past five years, I have continued learning and growing as a trauma therapist.

Alongside my clinical work, I pursued postgraduate study, trained in EMDR, and continued integrating the knowledge and wisdom I had gained through Zen philosophy, Morita Therapy, Naikan Therapy, Dance Movement Therapy, and many other approaches.

Every client I met, every experience I lived through, and every lesson I learned became part of my own professional and personal journey.

Then, in 2026, everything began to come together.

My postgraduate research.

My daily clinical practice.

My own lived experiences.

They gradually merged into what became the Mud Lotus Trauma Integration Model.

To me, this model is much more than a psychological theory.

It represents the lives of the people I have had the privilege of walking alongside.

It reflects the wisdom generously shared by my teachers and supervisors.

It has been shaped through conversations with colleagues and friends.

And it carries the lessons I have learned through my own life.

It is, in many ways, the integration of meaning that has emerged throughout my own journey.

In March 2026, I published the model for the first time.

Soon afterwards, I began asking myself a new question.

"How can this research move beyond therapy rooms and become something that belongs to the whole community?"

That question led to the creation of the Mud Lotus Community Programme.

Then came another unforgettable milestone.

On 1 August 2026, the first Mud Lotus 12-Week Programme begins with the support of Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa.

For me, this is not simply the beginning of another programme.

It is the moment when research steps into the community.

When clinical practice reaches beyond the therapy room.

When an idea, shaped through years of learning and lived experience, is finally shared with the wider world.

Over the past few years, HANA has also grown beyond being a counselling practice.

Today, we work alongside Auckland Council, Local Boards, government agencies, NGOs, community organisations, and many dedicated people who share the vision of building healthier, more connected communities.

Most importantly, HANA is no longer a journey that I walk alone.

Today, HANA is supported by facilitators.

Professional colleagues.

Volunteers.

Community partners.

And the many clients who have placed their trust in us.

Because of every person I have met along the way, HANA has become what it is today.

I did not build this alone.

I have been supported, encouraged, challenged, and inspired by so many people.

For that, I will always be deeply grateful.

Why We Are Now Simply HANA

After five years, I realised something.

HANA is no longer only a counselling practice.

Counselling will always remain at the heart of what we do.

It is where this journey began, and it will always be an important part of who we are.

But today, HANA has grown into something much bigger.

We are involved in education.

Research.

Community wellbeing.

Creative movement.

Trauma-informed programmes.

Projects for children, young people, and families.

Partnerships with local communities, government agencies, NGOs, and many organisations that share a common vision for wellbeing.

The word "Counselling" no longer reflects everything that HANA has become.

Nor does it fully represent where we hope to go in the future.

That is why, from 1 August 2026, we will simply be known as

HANA

Our legal company name remains unchanged.

We are still HANA Counselling and Education Limited.

Only our trading name has changed.

It is a small change in appearance.

But for me, it represents a significant new chapter.

Most importantly, it represents a commitment to continue growing—not for ourselves, but for the people and communities we have the privilege to serve.

Looking Towards the Future

I am still learning.

Still growing.

Still making mistakes.

As a person.

As a mother.

As a business owner.

As a researcher.

As a therapist.

As a community leader.

HANA is also still growing.

It is not a finished organisation.

It is a living journey.

One that continues to evolve with every conversation, every partnership, every programme, and every person we meet.

Looking back, I know that none of this would have been possible on my own.

To every client who trusted me.

To every colleague who walked beside me.

To every teacher, supervisor, mentor, researcher, community partner, funding organisation, volunteer, friend, and family member—

Thank you.

You have all helped shape HANA into what it is today.

I hope HANA will continue to connect people.

To strengthen communities.

To create spaces where healing, belonging, and hope can grow together.

Thank you for being part of this journey.

The best is yet to come.

With gratitude,

Ai Kihara
Founder & Director
HANA

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