Māori Rongoā: Traditional Healing in Aotearoa New Zealand

Who this belongs to

Rongoā Māori is the traditional healing of Māori, the Indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand. It belongs to whānau (families), hapū (sub-tribes) and iwi (tribes). This page is information only. We are not Māori healers, we hold no lineage in rongoā, and no Māori organization has endorsed this page. We use public sources, including Health New Zealand and a Waitangi Tribunal release, and we do not describe prayers, harvesting protocols or plant preparations. Where Māori practitioners decide knowledge is not for sharing, that decision stands. See Indigenous knowledge: what is public and what is restricted.

What rongoā is

Health New Zealand describes rongoā māori as traditional Māori healing that includes herbal remedies, physical therapies and spiritual healing. [1] It names two main forms: rongoā rākau (plant remedies) and te oo mai reia (spiritual healing). [1] Te oo mai reia is described as using prayer, cleansing work and bodywork such as mirimiri (massage) and kōmiri (deep massage). [1] The same page says the name and variations of this healing can change from iwi to iwi, while the principles remain the same. [1]

Rongoā is a framework with its own explanations, including a spiritual side and relationships with the forest. These are Māori ways of understanding health, and we present them as such, not as biomedical mechanisms. A 2008 New Zealand clinical journal article says that in early Māori history illness was viewed as a symptom of disharmony with nature. [2]

History: suppression and revival

The Tohunga Suppression Act 1907 was written, according to that article, out of concern about "rogue" tohunga (a word for traditional healing practitioners) and a wish for a conventional medical system. [2] The article says the Act was rarely enforced, but its main effect was to push rongoā underground, and the identities of tohunga were kept secret. [2] The Act was repealed in 1962. [2] The Waitangi Tribunal, in its 2011 Wai 262 report, listed Crown suppression through laws such as the Tohunga Suppression Act among the historical causes of present-day issues, and recommended improved support for rongoā Māori. [3] It also said the Treaty leaves Māori with tino rangatiratanga (full authority) over their taonga (treasures). [3]

How practitioners are recognized

Traditionally, rongoā was taught within whānau and hapū, orally and by watching alongside a tohunga. [1] Health New Zealand notes that growing interest has led to workshops and more formal qualifications. [1] The 2008 article says tohunga have no single training program or institution and are recognized as experts by their communities. [2] It also reports that the Ministry of Health standards for traditional healing expect tohunga to refer patients to other services where appropriate, especially for emergency or acute needs. [2] We could not read the current standards or funding documents this session, so we do not describe them further.

We do not list or recommend practitioners. To learn how to ask about training and standing, see how to check a traditional practitioner.

What research shows

Proper evidence not found. We looked for clinical trials of rongoā rākau or te oo mai reia in the sources we could read and found descriptions, not trial results. The Health New Zealand page says there is no evidence of any significant interactions between western medicine and rongoā rākau, which is a statement about missing evidence, not proof that there are none. [1] Evidence label: traditional use only, with no controlled studies found. We do not rate any rongoā remedy as effective for any condition.

Using rongoā respectfully

Many people who are not Māori are interested in rongoā. Ask who is teaching or providing it, whether Māori communities are involved, and whether you are being sold something that a community treats as sacred or restricted. See cultural appropriation and traditional healing products and cultural safety and humility in health care.