Latest news with #rongoāMāori
Scoop
05-07-2025
- Science
- Scoop
Mātauranga Māori Science Fair Applies Traditional Thinking To Modern-Day Problems
A Rotorua-based science fair engaging tamariki in mātauranga Māori is expanding its registrations to the entire country for the first time. Te Tūkohu Ngāwhā Mātauranga Māori Science and Design Fair is run by Te Arawa Lakes Trust and, this year, it will be held from 23-25 July at the Rotorua Energy Events Centre. Te Arawa Lakes Trust environment manager William Anaru (Te Arawa) said the fair began as an idea five years ago to engage more tamariki around Rotorua in science. "The science fair wasn't just aimed at your traditional western science model, we also incorporated mātauranga Māori, sustainable design, we've got an art component and, this year, we are looking at climate resilience." Since it began, the fair has grown significantly, with a huge variety of projects, from exhibits on rongoā Māori to a camera used to identify invasive catfish, he said. "Last year, the winner of the science fair, their team actually put in an exhibition that looked at whether or not Hinemoa could hear the flute of Tutanekai, when the sound was going across the lake, so the level of things that kids are testing these days is pretty remarkable." The team determined that, yes, Hinemoa could have heard Tutanekai's koauau] (flute) across the waters of Rotorua, although Anaru said, these days, there was a lot more background noise. "It's not just baking soda volcanoes - there's quite a lot of variety," he said. Anaru said Te Arawa Lakes Trust had always intended to expand the fair beyond Rotorua. This year, students as far afield as Fielding, Tokoroa, Auckland and Whangārei had entered. "We just want to continue to grow it and grow it and grow it, because some of the ideas that these kids have, they are pretty awesome to hear. "It's all about providing a platform for them to showcase their ideas and show it to an audience that is open to soaking up some of that stuff." Mātauranga Māori has assisted larger projects in the Rotorua, such as uwhi - a large harakeke mat that was used to suppress invasive weeds on the lake beds, he said. "There are definitely things that our ancestors - not just the ancestors of Māori, but from around the world - there's ideas that have been shared for thousands of years between different groups. "There's elements of all those ideas that input into modern science, as well as mātauranga, so I do think there are solutions for everything that we've got facing us." Anaru said people just had to be open and willing to adopt some of those ideas, and that was why they wanted to give children from around the North Island a platform to showcase their ideas. Whangamarino School principal Rehua Mihaka (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Rongomai) said they have been involved with the fair for the last two years. Last year, projects among the school students focussed on the water quality of Lake Rotoiti, which was right on the school's doorstep. "This was really good for our tuākana [older class] to actually monitor the mauri - or the life of our waters - how clean it was, how polluted it was and gauge what can we do as kaitiaki to fix te mauri o te wai." At this stage, Mihaka said having a hands-on experience might not mean a lot to the kids, but one day, they might look back, and realise the connection between water quality and health. "Ko te kōrero ka hoatu au ki ngā tamariki, ki te ora te wai ka ora te whenua, ka pērā hoki ki te ora te whenua ka ora te wai, ki te ora te wai me te whenua ka ora te tangata. "It's all about us giving back to our taiao [environment] and those are the sorts of teachings we want our tamariki to come away with." The fair definitely improves the tamariki's understanding of the western sciences, as well as mātauranga Māori, he said. When the kids see mātauranga Māori and western science being treated equally, they get very excited. "Ka tino harikoa ngā tamariki ki te kite i te tauritetanga o ngā mātauranga Māori ki tō ngā mātauranga pūtaiao.
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Integration Of Māori Healing And Mainstream Healthcare Delivers Social Impact
Te Arateatea Trust is successfully bridging traditional Māori healing practices with mainstream healthcare, offering an inclusive, holistic health service, particularly for expectant and new mothers. The organisation operates Te Ara Teatea, a Whare Hauora (health clinic) established in response to community needs, with an additional focus on training practitioners in rongoā Māori, the traditional Māori system of healing. Rongoā Māori is a holistic approach that interconnects physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing, along with rongoā rākau (herbal remedies), mirimiri and romiromi (physical therapies), and spiritual healing practices. Trust Founder Ruatau Perez [Ngāi Tuhoe, Ngāpuhi] says this integration offers a more complete approach to wellbeing, addressing the whole person rather than just physical symptoms. "It's quite empowering seeing how the two modalities are slowly coming together - the traditional and the mainstream way of health. When you support the spiritual health, the mental and the psychological health as well as the physical, and understand the interconnected relationship between people and the natural environment, it's really empowering." Based in Woolston, Ōtautahi, the organisation provides services ranging from injury rehabilitation to Corrections work, and support for fertility and pregnancy, including vulnerable young women who might not otherwise engage in ante- and post-natal care. A key component is their Oriori mentoring programme, which supports young mothers and their pēpi while training community members and staff in traditional practices. Danielle O'Halloran-Thyne, who received mentoring through the Oriori programme to specialise as a hapūtanga (pregnancy) practitioner in rongoā Māori, says the programme creates a safe learning environment for practitioners. "Our services aim to provide one of the alternatives that complements other forms of healthcare that can really uplift the mana of the wahine and allow them to feel that it is a time of empowerment for them, not just a hard time. The resurgence of rongoā Māori and the acknowledgement that yes it does assist, that's a game changer for access to rongoā Māori, so that people can feel it's normal. What Te Arateatea is holding for us as practitioners is a really safe space to learn and grow and be part of that resurgence." Juliette, who has been with the hapūtanga (pregnancy) programme for three years, says the clinic offers a warm, welcoming healing environment. "They helped me through the pregnancy side of things - the joys that come up through pregnancy but also the emotional side. It has helped a lot of us accept what happened because it is out of your control and sometimes it's hard to acknowledge those things. It has helped me to see the journey in a positive light. It's such a good, calm space. I recommend it to everyone." This integration of traditional practices with modern healthcare addresses various needs identified in the Waitangi Tribunal Hauora report, including isolation, lack of family support, and poverty. With funding from Rātā and other partners, these services are available at no cost to mothers who may not be able to access support during pregnancy and after birth, removing financial barriers. "The funding from Rātā has really been incredible in helping us to really get it out into the community so that people can access these services that they may not otherwise have been able to access," says Ruatau. "It's great to see the benefits of these two approaches working together to provide better care for our whānau." Te Arateatea Trust is supported through Rātā Foundation's Strategic Health Pou (funding priority), which aims to remove barriers to mental health support and enable access to diverse support options, including rongoā and innovative locally based solutions. Rātā Chief Executive Leighton Evans says the key focus of this funding area is to ensure people in need get the right support when they need it. "We want individuals, families and whānau to thrive so they can participate positively in the community. A key part of this is being able to access support and services in a way that is comfortable and familiar, and aligned with community, culture and identity. "Providing support to organisations such as Te Arateatea Trust enables them to focus on their effectiveness and extend the impact they have in communities of need. Their focus on training the next generation of healers, and preserving traditional healing knowledge, also aligns with our focus on helping organisations to grow their capacity for intergenerational benefit."
NZ Herald
23-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Ikaroa-Rāwhiti MP Cushla Tangaere-Manuel's 50km challenge for breast cancer awareness
'My mother died of breast cancer at a time where rongoā Māori and wairua were not widely accepted as viable treatments. My personal hīkoi is in the hope that any whānau affected by this have access to the best care and support from a holistic viewpoint,' 'I'm so pleased my team members, who have their own reasons, have jumped on board too.' She emphasised how important it was for women to get checked for breast cancer. 'Pātua te whakamā – don't be shy or ashamed to have your checks. I understand te tapu o te tinana, the sacredness of the body, and that this is sometimes a reason wāhine don't get checked. Take support with you and, if you are concerned, insist on the care you need." She said those were common themes raised at a breast cancer awareness breakfast she attended recently in Turanga, organised by the Kia Ukaipo branch of Māori Women's Welfare League. 'I was in awe of the honesty of the wāhine who shared their stories, and I believe in doing so they will save lives, giving others the courage to seek support and get tested, 'And to all the amazing medical professionals out there, please continue to ensure our hauora environments are welcoming, and take cultural perspectives into consideration.' Tangaere-Manuel even exceeded her walking goal of 50km. 'Being on leave from the House has meant I've been able to really dedicate myself to this kaupapa and have hit 101km in May.' She directed people to donate to Sweet Louise, a New Zealand charity that works to help women affected by incurable breast cancer, 'keeping more of our māmā, kuia, sisters, aunties, nieces, mokopuna and friends with us for as long as possible'. The Breast Cancer Foundation also holds pink walks and pink breakfasts around New Zealand to raise money. BreastScreen Aotearoa is New Zealand's breast cancer screening programme.
1News
30-04-2025
- Health
- 1News
Cancer survivor's decade-long path to wellness: ‘Rongoā Māori saved me'
Tanya Filia (Ngāpuhi, Ngāi Tahu) was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour more than 10 years ago. When she was told it was terminal she turned to rongoā Māori – traditional Māori healing – a decision that she says saved her life. She shared her story with Leigh-Marama McLachlan on Marae. For Tanya Filia, rongoā Māori has had a life changing impact on her and her whānau. In 2013, she was diagnosed with a brain tumour after she experienced the inability to recall some words and suffered from massive headaches. 'Long story short, ended up in Whangārei Hospital where I had a scan, and they found that I had a grade four glioblastoma brain tumour. My husband showed up and I told him, and we had a massive tangi. I thought about my kōtiro, thought about my pōtiki, Willow, and thought, 'what am I supposed to do with that?' It's devastating. Your whole world ends. It's devastating.' She underwent an intense treatment plan that included surgery to remove most of the mass, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy – a hard and fast approach she felt pressured to endure. 'No conversation at all about anything else. It was this way, highway, or no way. We're talking 42 treatments of radiation directly to my brain,' she said. Initially she went into remission but in 2015 she was told the cancer was back and it had spread. She was given two months to live. She refused to undergo further chemo and radiation therapy – 'the mask on to my face where they pin you down to give you radiation, I said 'I'm not doing that again'' – opting instead for rongoā Māori, natural therapies and intravenous Vitamin C. Rongoā Māori is a wide-ranging holistic approach, not limited to just medicines. Tanya's rongoā Māori treatment plan, which she continues to follow, includes karakia, mirimiri, tinctures and oils. When asked to describe what happens during a mirimiri session, Tanya explains how it begins with karakia to cleanse and prepare her 'for walking in that space'. 'I go to a place where I walk and speak and talk to my tupuna,' she said. 'So it's not just a massage, like many people assume, it is done in the space of ā-wairua. So it's good for my wairua, it's good for my hinengaro, and absolutely it is beautiful for my tinana.' Rongoā Māori is undergoing a resurgence. In 2023, the failed Therapeutics Products Bill drew criticism from practitioners and whānau for its impact on rongoā Māori. Since 2020, ACC has recognised the traditional Māori healing practice and offer rongoā as a recovery option. Thousands of people have claimed for rongoā services since. Speaking as part of a discussion panel following Tanya's story, Eldon Paea (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou), head of Māori health partnerships at ACC, said they work closely with the rongoā community and have an advisory panel to ensure controls, process, and monitoring are in place, and to help improve outcomes. 'What we've found is as we've worked with the community through their leadership, it's kept us safe and ensures the integrity of rongoā is maintained.' ACC has partnered with more than 160 rongoā practitioners where the registration process includes an endorsement from mana whenua, a police check and requirement for all practitioners to be subject to the Health and Disability Commissioner Act 1994. Paea said it was about ensuring that clients are treated fairly, are respected, and that there's a good quality care of service. When asked if rongoā Māori is valued in general, leading practitioner Donna Kerridge (Ngāti Tahinga, Ngāti Mahuta) said it is by those who use it but 'maybe not' by others who don't understand. 'I think it's hard to value something that you don't understand, and you don't know.' She said a lot more can be done to help improve collaboration 'between those of us who will work towards the same goal' of serving people to the best of their abilities. Tanya has been met with scepticism throughout her journey with people questioning rongoā Māori but is adamant that it is the patient's choice. 'It really comes down to the needs, wants and desires of the patient that's been diagnosed, and their whānau. Everything else should not matter. It should not matter.' When asked if she thinks she's encouraging people to opt out of western treatments in favour of Māori healing approaches, she strongly denies wanting to discourage anyone off radiotherapy or chemotherapy but only hopes to share her experience. 'I would never, ever say to people 'don't do that'. This is my journey. Your journey needs to be yours. I don't carry the responsibility of others. All I do is share my journey so people can get a different perspective.' Tanya wants to see terminally ill patients given more treatment options and be allocated funds so they can access whatever healing method they believe in. Going through the ordeal of a brain scan for official confirmation took courage on Tanya's part. 'I was like, I'm not doing it. I'm not doing that. You're not doing that to me again. What if I go and have a scan and they said it's all over, [that] it's so widespread there's nothing we can do about it, then what will that do to my hinengaro, to my wairua?' She becomes emotional recalling what her daughter said to persuade her to go through with it. 'My daughter said, 'Mum, you were brave in 2013, you were brave in 2015, and you can be brave again'.' Her bravery was rewarded with her doctor reporting back that there was no indication of cancer, no lesions, 'nothing'. '[Rongoā Māori is] a choice that we made and it's worked out for us. I've been blessed with quality of life, I've been blessed enough to get longevity also. Rongoā Māori saved me, there's no other way to think about that.' Watch this episode of Marae on TVNZ+ for more on this story. rongoā Māori – traditional Māori healing practice that takes a holistic approach to wellbeing rongoā – medicine, remedy, treatment tangi – cry kōtiro – girl pōtiki – youngest karakia – incantations, prayers mirimiri – massage incorporating physical, spiritual and mental aspects tupuna – ancestors ā-wairua – spiritual, of the spirit realm wairua – spirit hinengaro – mind tinana – body
