New national tikanga standards for rongoā released

A new set of standards to ensure the delivery of safe, quality rongoā services has been released today, replacing the original rongoā standards developed in 1999.

The standards, which are available through the Ministry of Health website (www.health.govt.nz), provide clear requirements for rongoā service providers along with guidance on achieving and maintaining this level of professionalism.

“This is a great achievement for rongoā in New Zealand. The standards support a consistent quality of care across providers and ensure patients receive the best possible care, as well as helping preserve our traditional knowledge and tikanga,” says Associate Minister of Health Tariana Turia.

The standards, known as Tikanga ā-Rongoā, outline the rights and mana of tūroro (patients); highlight management systems to assist rongoā providers and support a traditional integrated rongoā Māori service that promotes a holistic approach to health and safety.

“The standards also incorporate a framework to verify and validate the integrity of rongoā services and providers. It’s a great step for the rongoā sector. It will encourage people to engage a rongoā provider with confidence about the service they’ll receive,” says Mrs Turia.

All Rongoā providers funded by the Ministry of Health are required to adhere to the standards, although any rongoā provider across the sector can adopt the standards voluntarily. The standards were developed through an extensive and lengthy national consultation process involving participants from the Rongoā sector.

The Ministry engaged Standards NZ to help develop the standards, working alongside a range of key stakeholders that included the various rohe and Te Kāhui Rongoā Trust, the national governance body responsible for protecting, nurturing, and promoting Rongoā Māori and Rongoā me ōna Tikanga in Aotearoa.

“The standards are the result of a broad range of opinions, experiences and perspectives that were shared during the consultation process. We are extremely grateful for the generous dialogue and robust discussion. It has greatly enriched the development of the standards and which can now be used to enrich the experience of the community as a result,” says Mrs Turia.

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