title: Mā mahi, ka ora: by work, we prosper--traditional healers and workforce development.

authors: Ahuriri-Driscoll, Annabel

subjects: Adult

abstract: AIM: Rongoā Māori practitioners make a valuable contribution towards Māori health outcomes, albeit with limited resourcing or formal training. This paper reports on a survey of healers/healing practices-specifically healers' aspirations for professional development and training-and considers the implications for healing practice and future training undertakings. 
METHODS: Healers in seven districts around the country were surveyed about rongoā practice and service delivery during 2013. Consenting healers completed surveys either in person, via phone, or returned them via post, according to their preference and convenience. Resulting data were analysed and reported according to frequency of responses. 
RESULTS: Thirty-eight healers/rongoā clinics completed the survey--a 79% response rate. Respondents were primarily Māori (88%), female (69%), aged 50 years or older (60%), and worked as volunteers. Informal training modes focused on te reo, mātauranga and tikanga were the most common means of skill/ knowledge acquisition, and preferred modes for further training. 
CONCLUSIONS: The survey highlights the pressing need for expansion of the rongoā Māori workforce and training/service funding, to sustain rongoā practice. The findings add to what little is known about the training pathways and aspirations of practising healers, identified targets of the Māori Health Workforce Development Plan 2006.

text: Mā mahi, ka ora: by work, we prosper--traditional healers and workforce development. AIM: Rongoā Māori practitioners make a valuable contribution towards Māori health outcomes, albeit with limited resourcing or formal training. This paper reports on a survey of healers/healing practices-specifically healers' aspirations for professional development and training-and considers the implications for healing practice and future training undertakings. 
METHODS: Healers in seven districts around the country were surveyed about rongoā practice and service delivery during 2013. Consenting healers completed surveys either in person, via phone, or returned them via post, according to their preference and convenience. Resulting data were analysed and reported according to frequency of responses. 
RESULTS: Thirty-eight healers/rongoā clinics completed the survey--a 79% response rate. Respondents were primarily Māori (88%), female (69%), aged 50 years or older (60%), and worked as volunteers. Informal training modes focused on te reo, mātauranga and tikanga were the most common means of skill/ knowledge acquisition, and preferred modes for further training. 
CONCLUSIONS: The survey highlights the pressing need for expansion of the rongoā Māori workforce and training/service funding, to sustain rongoā practice. The findings add to what little is known about the training pathways and aspirations of practising healers, identified targets of the Māori Health Workforce Development Plan 2006.

year: 2015

title: Parallel development: A model for the delivery of culturally safe social services

authors: Nikora, Linda Waimarie

subjects: Social services

abstract: Like many other former colonies, Aotearoa/New Zealand has witnessed the assertion of the rights of the indigenous people, Maori, to be self-determining in an environment of Pakeha domination. (The term Pakeha is often used to describe white New Zealanders, most of whom are of British descent.) This has important implications for the development of social services where new models are being developed to better reflect Maori aspirations. One such model is parallel development.

text: Parallel development: A model for the delivery of culturally safe social services Like many other former colonies, Aotearoa/New Zealand has witnessed the assertion of the rights of the indigenous people, Maori, to be self-determining in an environment of Pakeha domination. (The term Pakeha is often used to describe white New Zealanders, most of whom are of British descent.) This has important implications for the development of social services where new models are being developed to better reflect Maori aspirations. One such model is parallel development.

year: 1995-06-01

title: Food rescue in New Zealand:  A sector in transformation

authors: Mulder, Megan

abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted New Zealand’s food rescue sector, exposing vulnerabilities and spurring opportunities. Through 18 qualitative interviews and secondary data, this report explores the post-pandemic changes in the sector. First, the food rescue ecosystem has been significantly reshaped through the emergence of new actors and an increase in actors creating new dynamics in the sector. Second, with the shifts in funding post-pandemic, organisations have been exploring new ways of generating revenue but are also struggling with infrastructural and resource issues. Third, to meet community needs, food rescue organisations have cultivated capacities to innovate new practices. Fourth, the sector is showing clear signs of professionalisation including the standardisation and normalisation of practices, the creation of frameworks and the emergence of clearer boundaries around the field. And fifth, our interviewees are raising questions about the purpose and raison d’être of the sector. 
Those changes highlight three main challenges for the sector. First, the sector is facing a number of paradoxical tensions: collaborating vs competing, efficiency vs relational focus, standardising vs improvising, food insecurity vs food waste and acting locally vs nationally. Although those tensions are not all entirely new, they have become increasingly salient post-COVID. Another challenge is the need for organisations to adapt to the constant changes and build resilience. And the third challenge requires thinking beyond the sector to address the systemic issues of food waste and food insecurity. Recognising and addressing those challenges is necessary for the food rescue to continue to develop and adapt but also to remain societally relevant.

text: Food rescue in New Zealand:  A sector in transformation The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted New Zealand’s food rescue sector, exposing vulnerabilities and spurring opportunities. Through 18 qualitative interviews and secondary data, this report explores the post-pandemic changes in the sector. First, the food rescue ecosystem has been significantly reshaped through the emergence of new actors and an increase in actors creating new dynamics in the sector. Second, with the shifts in funding post-pandemic, organisations have been exploring new ways of generating revenue but are also struggling with infrastructural and resource issues. Third, to meet community needs, food rescue organisations have cultivated capacities to innovate new practices. Fourth, the sector is showing clear signs of professionalisation including the standardisation and normalisation of practices, the creation of frameworks and the emergence of clearer boundaries around the field. And fifth, our interviewees are raising questions about the purpose and raison d’être of the sector. 
Those changes highlight three main challenges for the sector. First, the sector is facing a number of paradoxical tensions: collaborating vs competing, efficiency vs relational focus, standardising vs improvising, food insecurity vs food waste and acting locally vs nationally. Although those tensions are not all entirely new, they have become increasingly salient post-COVID. Another challenge is the need for organisations to adapt to the constant changes and build resilience. And the third challenge requires thinking beyond the sector to address the systemic issues of food waste and food insecurity. Recognising and addressing those challenges is necessary for the food rescue to continue to develop and adapt but also to remain societally relevant.

year: 2025