Adapting Traditional Healing Values and Beliefs into Therapeutic Cultural Environments for Health and Well-Being

Although research has long established that interaction with the natural environment is associated with better overall health and well-being outcomes, the Western model mainly focuses on treating symptoms. In Aotearoa/New Zealand, the Indigenous Maori have long demonstrated significantly more negative health outcomes than non-Maori. Little research has examined the causes compared to Western populations or the role of the natural environment in health outcomes for Maori. An exploration of rongoa Maori (traditional healing system) was conducted to ascertain the importance of landscape in the process of healing. Eight rongoa healers or practitioners took part in semi-structured narrative interviews from June to November 2020. Transcribed interviews were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis and Kaupapa Maori techniques. The findings show how rongoa is underpinned by a complex set of cultural values and beliefs, drawing from the connection to wairua (spirit), tinana (body), tikanga and whakaora (customs and healing), rakau (plants), whenua (landscape) and whanau (family). Incorporating such constructs into the landscape can foster our understanding of health and well-being and its implications for conceptualising therapeutic environments and a culturally appropriate model of care for Maori and non-Maori communities.