Dr Monica Koia MMGT, PGDipBus Admin, PhD

Timely access to rongoā Māori and cancer care services continue to be a problem for Māori health consumers, patients and their whānau. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in Aotearoa, traditional Māori way of healing was the only hauora practice Māori knew. Today, traditional Māori healing is described in various ways, from Rongoā Māori to the ritual used to heal which includes karakia (prayer), wai (water), access to the ngahere (and whenua. For Māori health consumers, patients and whānau accessing cancer care service; seldom they are made aware of or referred early to rongoā Māori practitioner at the beginning of their cancer care journey. Using tikanga Māori methodology and codesign with Māori health and iwi providers, our method will include interviews, and hui with rongoā Māori practitioner, Māori and Iwi providers, Māori health consumers, patients, their whānau, and health professionals in primary and secondary care in midcentral region to explore ways for timely access to rongoā Māori in cancer care services for Māori.