Whanganui Prison at Kaitoke. Photo / NZME
Rongoā Māori services could be rolled out at prisons across the country, including the Whanganui site at Kaitoke.
On February 24, the Department of Corrections posted a “future procurement opportunity” notice on the Government Electronic Tenders Service (GETS) website, saying it planned to procure services to be delivered at 14 prison sites for up to five years.
Rongoā is traditional Māori medicine, including herbal remedies, physical therapies and spiritual healing.
A Corrections spokesperson said a large number of those incarcerated did not engage with healthcare services before they arrived in prison, with many having undiagnosed health issues or no access to health and mental health services.
“Supporting people’s physical and mental health while they are in prison is often a necessary initial step to ensure people are physically and mentally well enough to engage with offence-focused and addictions-centred rehabilitation programmes.”
Prisoners could access a range of healthcare services, such as health clinics, mental health and addictions practitioners, and doctors, Corrections said.
The department had looked at other services which could reduce “the likelihood of reoffending and keeping the public safe”.
“This service provides an all-of-person view of their health by addressing physical needs alongside their mental, emotional, spiritual and social needs.
“It complements and works alongside other healthcare interventions available to people in prison.
“Rongoā Māori is a service delivered across primary health care and within community contexts across New Zealand.”
According to the 2004 Corrections Act, the standard of healthcare available to prisoners must be reasonably equivalent to the standard of healthcare available to the public.
The number of Accident Compensation Corporation clients using rongoā Māori increased from one in 2020 to 9000 in 2024, with about 59% Māori and 41% non-Māori.
Te Oranganui chief executive Wheturangi Walsh-Tapiata said rongoā Māori had been part of her health service organisation’s kaupapa Māori alcohol and drug programme at Whanganui Prison for several years.
“We find it highly successful as an alternative that sits alongside other kaupapa Māori practices or clinical approaches we offer.
“In the community, we have rongoā practitioners alongside Te Waipuna, our medical clinic.
“Increasingly, people are looking at a duality of approaches when it comes to healing.”
The Corrections spokesperson said rongoā Māori services had been part of a programme in Christchurch Women’s Prison since late 2024 and they were successfully piloted at Tongariro Prison from January 2025.
“Feedback from insight surveys indicated that participants showed improved physical and mental wellbeing, and the ability to be future-focused and motivated.
“We are now implementing this service at the remaining Corrections-run facilities.”
They include Auckland Prison, Manawatū Prison, Rimutaka Prison and Spring Hill Corrections Facility.
The GETS notice said a request for proposal was expected to be posted on the website in May or June and Corrections intended to “run an open competitive tender to select providers”.
“Once the successful provider/s have gone through a robust procurement process, we expect to begin rolling out services in a staged approach,” the spokesperson said.
The estimated total cost of the service over five years would be up to $9 million, coming from existing budgets.
Walsh-Tapiata said Te Oranganui had noticed an increase in people who wanted training in rongoā.
Programmes were offered through Te Wānanga o Aotearoa (Whanganui) and Te Wānanga o Raukawa (Ōtaki), she said.
“It’s not just about ‘I have an interest, so I do it’; there is a planned, professional approach to how we are producing our practitioners here in Aotearoa.”
Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily Whanganui District Council.