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Rongoā Māori
The potential role in New Zealand medicine.
In 2024, Our Health Journeys partnered with Saint Kentigern College in Auckland and challenged a number of students to conduct research into an aspect of the medical history of Aotearoa New Zealand. The students, ranging from Years 8-13, produced their research in written, oral, or video format and the top projects were chosen for publication to Our Health Journeys. A new project was published weekly following the completion of the project, until late October 2024.
The Potential Role of Rongoā Māori in New Zealand Medicine
New Zealand is considered to be a nation with a high quality of healthcare However, the New Zealand healthcare system has seen disproportionately worse treatment outcomes for its Māori population. In a study of 390 Māori participants, 56.4% had at least one chronic disease and 71% of participants aged 18-34 years experienced anxiety, depression, or mental distress. This is largely attributed to Māori disengaging with the New Zealand healthcare system and outpatient care. Traditionally, Māori had a healthcare system known as Rongoā Māori (Rongoā) which was a system tailored to Te Ao Māori (Māori culture and practices).
This specialized system was disrupted following the arrival of Pākehā. The difference in language, culture, practices, and beliefs paired with discriminatory legislature resulted in a poor integration of Māori into a European-centric healthcare system. This led to inappropriate care and follow-up checks for Māori patients which consequently resulted in disengagement of Māori with the New Zealand healthcare system. The inequity in Māori health cost the NZ Government and Māori whānau $863.3 million dollars in 2022. Therefore, it is in the interest of New Zealand as a nation to adopt a healthcare system that does not disproportionately jeopardise the health of its Māori population.
The traditional Māori healthcare system of rongoā placed an emphasis on developing a spiritual connection between the patient and Papatūānuku (nature). This is traditionally characteried by a practitioner (tohunga) sing plant remedies (rongoā rākāu), massages (mirimiri), and prayers (karakia) during treatment. Rongoā also heavily focuses on the principles of Te Whare Tapa Whā where the physical health (taha tinana), mental health (taha hinengaro), spiritual health (taha wairua), and familial/ social well-being (taha whānau) are all viewed as equally important factors that affect a patient’s overall well-being. Contrastingly to rongoā, conventional medicine places a heavier emphasis on disease diagnosis and episodic care (Wang, 2020). However, rongoā is a system that is more in line with Māori beliefs and can potentially lead to more engagement from Māori with NZ health care.
In an interview with eight Māori participants conducted by Marques et al. (2022), the majority of the patients elucidated that they believed the environment played a big part in recovery.
“Rongoā is like a journey… it involves opening up to the mauri [life force] around you and allow that to come through you…. if your surrounding taiao [environment] is polluted, the healing is not going to work.”
(participant 5, female)
“It is when our hinengaro [mind], tinana [body] and wairua [spirit] are separated that disharmony and illness appear in our lives. That can take many forms, from unhappiness to physical malfunction.”
(participant 3, female)
It is evident that rongoā and the principles of Te Whare Tapa Whā are very integral part of the Māori view of patient care. Thus, for Māori, patient care is not simply just disease diagnosis and treatment, but the equal prioritisation of the patient’s living environment and mental state.
Therefore, incorporating the holistic principles of rongoā into conventional medicine could result in a deeper connection and trust from Māori with NZ health care. In a current-day context, a rongoā-integrated healthcare approach would equally evaluate the patient’s mental health, spiritual connections/personal beliefs, and family relationships during treatment. This new system that incorporates the principles of Te Whare Tapa Whā and the Māori view/belief of health care could potentially generate more buy in and improve Māori treatment outcomes.
The benefits also extend beyond the Māori, as holistic patient care would allow doctors to have a more extensive view/idea of a patient’s health background – leading to better health outcomes. Thus, the integration of rongoā and its philosophies into conventional health care should be considered and evaluated by the NZ Government which could be a promising first step in providing medical equity for Māori and better treatment outcomes for the wider population.
