Part of this research is the development of a Rongoā ‘Biosphere’ - meaning a representation of all the elements that make up Rongoā and how they holistically relate, to illustrate the full range of Rongoā benefits.
For more information on our other Rongoā research projects visit Whakauae Research Services.
Te Ao Rauropi is a 3-year, Health Research Council-funded project with the overarching aim of understanding the contribution Rongoā Māori makes to the health and wellbeing of the people of Aotearoa and to the environment more broadly.
The study is premised on the knowledge that a significant gap exists between our understanding of Rongoā Māori and its potential to rebalance spirit, land, people. There has not been a single study to date that has attempted to understand the extent to which Rongoā benefits, and contributes to, the wellbeing of the people and the environments that we inhabit. Nor has there been a study which seeks to understand the diverse ways in which Rongoa supports and maintains that wellbeing. There have been many studies focused on specific aspects of Rongoā however, in this work we were trying to understand both the depth and the breadth of the practice of Rongoā and identify how, and in what manner, Rongoā delivers benefit within our communities.
The overarching aim of the research was to articulate the wider theory and practice of Rongoā, identifying the wellbeing benefits that occurred because of practising this philosophy. Within this overarching aim, the study had several objectives including:
Between 2022 and 2023 we undertook data collection in four distinct phases to understand the true extent of Rongoā Māori. We conducted key informant and focus group interviews; we held a wānanga with Rongoā experts; we convened the first national online Rongoā symposium attracting over 1000 individual registrations; and we collected the thoughts and reflections from a group of rangatahi as they participated in the symposium. In the course of our interviews, we captured the views of 55 individual participants located in Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Hauraki, Bay of Plenty, Manawatū/Whanganui, and Te Waipounamu/South Island.
The key output from this project is the Te Ao Rauropi model, the culmination of all the view experiences and insights gained from our research participants and collected together in diagrammatic form. The model can be found here. A technical report reporting our results is also forthcoming.
Our goal has been to ensure our research improves the understanding of Rongoā; that Rongoā is not simply a series of healing modalities, but that Rongoā needs to be considered as a way of being that includes all that Māori culture values, treasures and holds dear concerning the mind, body, spirit, family and land. We hope that our research findings will encourage both the Crown and Māori to take positive action to protect and preserve Rongoā and support it to flourish so that this critical taonga can continues to contribute to the holistic health and wellbeing of all the people and the land in Aotearoa.
The logo which we are using for this Symposium was designed for Whakauae by Ngahina Gardiner (Ngā Wairiki, Ngāti Apa, Te Ātihaunui-ā-Pāpārangi) for the Te Ao Rauropi project; a three-year Health Research Council-funded study exploring the depth and breadth of Rongoā Māori. Ngahina, a local Whanganui man, is himself a Rongoā healer, talented tā moko artist and carver. In his kōrero around the whakapapa of his logo design, Ngahina explains that the purple koru represents the interconnection of all things - ngā tāngata, te tai ao, rongoā rākau, mirimiri ngā mea katoa.
The koru also connects us to wairua; purple is the colour of the kumara, a highly regarded food source, and used to whakanoa things tapu. The small green pikopiko depict wairua and wellbeing; they have a relationship with each other and do not follow a defined direction but have many pathways. The pikopiko also represent new growth and possibilities. The tekoteko in red represent male and female elements in harmony with each other. At the bottom of the design are maunga and awa; grounding us in our environment and to Papatūānuku, she who sustains us.
