DATE
August 2020 - June 2021
SERVICES
Content + Comms Strategy
01
The Background
Rongoā Māori is an indigenous healing practice that has been used by the Māori people of New Zealand for centuries. It includes non-Western methods such as miri miri (bodywork) and whakawhanaungatanga (holistic practice that involves conversation. The New Zealand government promised the establishment of this service, accessible to anyone in the country and fully socialized.
02
The Approach
We worked in an agile team, collaborating with rongoā practitioners and Māori community leaders to examine what a service funded by ACC would look like. I helmed the content and comms aspect of the project, often going between corporate and Māori leaders, practitioners, and media.
03
The Implementation
After months of negotiation, we established a set of conditions and promises to rongoā practitioners and Māori leaders. We worked with the legal team at ACC, and established the service – the first instance of a Western nation incorporating indigenous practices into government-funded health services. March 2024 will be the first ever Rongoā Māori Conference, where practitioners can come together.