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Download AudioThe producer of rongoā Māori packs is grateful for the support he’s getting from Māori roopu.
The Manukau Urban Māori Authority has added David Kukutai Jones’ packs to its foodbank, including his Tii product, which was developed for people with respiratory issues.
The librarian turned healer says the partnership has been a big boost to the network of rongoā practitioners and whanau, and it shows growing support for traditional remedies.
“The volume of the orders they were looking for was – it’s amazing to know there are Māori authorities out there that trust rongoā and know to reach out to provide it for their clients and our whanau too,” Mr Kukutai Jones says.
Meanwhile, the Accident Compensation Commission is to provide access to rongoā Māori services to over 4,000 kaimahi as a well-being support service alongside its existing Employee Assistance Programme.
The Rongoā Māori Support Your Wellbeing service enables kaimahi who are experiencing difficult times at work or home to access short-term support from a network of ACC -registered practitioners.
Practitioner Donna Kerridge believes it’s the first government organisation to take that step and it paves the way for other organisations to do the same.”
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