Jolie Davis (Ngāti Kuri, Te Rarawa) says it was a special experience being part of the inaugural Rongoā Māori Conference in Rotorua.

The two-day conference in May supported by ACC brought together more than 450 rongoā Māori practitioners and health providers within te ao rongoā (the rongoā community) to whakawhanaunga (build relationships) and grow understanding of traditional Māori healing and its place in Aotearoa’s health sector.

“It was really exciting to bring everyone in the rongoā community and health providers together which we have never done before,” says Davis, a member of the ACC expert advisory panel for rongoā Māori.

“It was a good opportunity to share, learn and see how we can work together to meet all the needs of our communities.

“We hope this conference will help grow the understanding and awareness of the benefits of rongoā Māori and traditional healing.”

Davis is a rongoā Māori practitioner from the Far North who is now based in Wellington and manages Manawa Ora. She says there has been a resurgence of traditional Māori healing.

2P8A - The two-day conference hosted by ACC brought together more than 450 rongoā Māori practitioners and health providers within te ao rongoā (the rongoā community). Photo supplied.

“Rongoā Māori seeks to restore balance and find the cause of disease and unwellness. Currently in Aotearoa, rongoā Māori is experiencing a massive revitalisation of our traditional practices.

“We’re really happy about that as more and more people want to know more about rongoā Māori and access rongoā Māori.”

Davis says her passion for rongoā Māori came from growing up in a community where it was part of her local environment.

“In my community in Ahipara, we had access to rongoā Māori not just for illness or injury, but as a part of maintaining our wellbeing.

“It wasn’t until I moved away from my tūrangawaewae [place of belonging] that I realised that it wasn’t normal to others.”

Since June 2020, ACC has been offering rongoā Māori as an option for people in their recovery and have now delivered rongoā in more than 10,000 claims.

There are now 200 practitioners registered with ACC from the Far North down to Stewart Island.  

There are 24 organisations/ practitioners in Northland registered with ACC to provide rongoā Māori services.

From June 2020 to March 2024, ACC has supported access to rongoā Māori services for 658 kiritaki in the Northland region.

Davis says the support of ACC has been a big part of the resurgence.

Jolie Davis says growing up in Northland, rongoā Māori was just part of her life. Photo supplied.

“People coming through our doors have probably quadrupled in the past three years. ACC has done a lot of work to normalise rongoā Māori in our communities.

“Over the past four years ACC has funded more than 77,000 rongoā Māori sessions and claims have doubled for people requesting access to rongoā Māori.

“So, there is significant demand out there in our communities and ACC has been instrumental in creating access for our communities and whānau.”

ACC and Rongoā Māori – Fact Box

• ACC research shows Māori are more likely to experience a serious injury than non-Māori. However, overall Māori are 35 per cent less likely to make an ACC claimACC data shows rongoā Māori claim volumes have doubled in the 12 months to March 2024, with 5,054 additional claims using rongoā.
• “Offering rongoā as a rehabilitation service is part of our continuing efforts to deliver equity for Māori,” says Eldon Paea, Head of Māori Health Partnerships for ACC.
• “It presents injured Māori, and all New Zealanders, with more choice in their recovery options, and is a positive step towards delivering equity for tangata whenua.ACC data shows that it is not just Māori who are accessing rongoā Māori services.
• 59 per cent of kiritaki (clients) accessing rongoā Māori are Māori while 41 per cent are non-Māori.