Diagnosis in traditional Maori healing: a contemporary urban clinic

There has been renewed interest in traditional Maori healing in New Zealand in recent years, and increasing demand for these services. However there is limited information available about the contemporary practice of traditional healing, and its role in the health system remains poorly defined. This project aimed to describe one aspect of a group of traditional Maori healers' practice, namely diagnosis, and to compare this with Western medical practice. A qualitative study was undertaken, consisting of interviews and participant observation involving four healers at an urban Auckland clinic. The overall diagnostic approach used by these healers was similar to that used in Western medicine, with some important practical differences. One distinctive feature was the emphasis on the spiritual dimension, consistent with their beliefs about health and causation of illness. Also noteworthy was the way in which diagnosis functioned as an integral part of the healing process, not as a discrete entity solely intended to guide treatment. These features highlight the potential complementarity of the two approaches, providing an argument for their co-existence in the New Zealand health system.