How to become a rongoā practitioner
Official title: Rongoā practitioner
Also called: Traditional Māori healer, Healer
Rongoā practitioners help people with their feelings, body, ways of working, how they are with other people and the world around them by using traditional Māori healing practices and knowledge.
Main tasks
- Use traditional Māori healing practices with clients
- Develop a range of herbal medicines and treatments
- Discuss and assess people's symptoms, concerns and abilities
- Identify and encourage self-awareness
- Work towards spiritual, mental, emotional and physical health
- Create plans to meet client's health needs
- Apply Māori principles and cultural safety values
- Support conservation of te ao Māori values
How to become one
You need experience to become a rongoā practitioner and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in rongoā or similar work; experience in te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori; experience in practicing tikanga Māori safely. Other requirements: a Diploma in Māori Holistic Wellbeing (Heke Rongoā) or similar; a relevant tertiary qualification in human society (Māori customs tikanga), language (te reo Māori) or other health area; an Authority to Practice as an ACC registered rongoā practitioner; to pass a police check.
Ways in
- Certificates and diplomas: Advanced certificates and diplomas in naturopathy and homeopathy. TEC links this job to study in complementary therapies. Qualifications: NZ Dip in Acute Prescribing with Homeopathy, NZ Dip in Homeopathy. Usually 1 year.; Entry certificates in te reo māori. TEC links this job to study in language and literature. Qualifications: Te Pokaitahi Reo (Rumaki, Reo Rua), NZ Cert in Te Reo (Rumaki, Reo Rua), Te Pokaitahi Reo (Reo Rua) NZ Cert in Te Reo (Bilingual). Usually 6 months. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $46,000 a year one year after study and $53,000 five years after; 51% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).; Intermediate certificates in māori customs tikanga. TEC links this job to study in human society. Qualifications: Te Pōtaitahi Tikanga (Waka, Rongoā, Te Ara Nunumi, Mātauranga Māori, Māori Development, Rangahau), Te Pou Hono ki Mahi Marae. Usually 4 months to 1 year. Graduates of these qualifications earn a median $47,000 a year one year after study and $56,000 five years after; 46% are employed one year after (TEC, from Stats NZ IDI data).
Pay
- Most common pay: $63,250 to $82,000 a year (median $69,500), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $57,000 a year · Upper: $106,000 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a rongoā practitioner?
You need experience to become a rongoā practitioner and a qualification may be useful. You usually need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: experience in rongoā or similar work; experience in te ao Māori and mātauranga Māori; experience in practicing tikanga Māori safely. Other requirements: a Diploma in Māori Holistic Wellbeing (Heke Rongoā) or similar; a relevant tertiary qualification in human society (Māori customs tikanga), language (te reo Māori) or other health area; an Authority to Practice as an ACC registered rongoā practitioner; to pass a police check.
How much does a rongoā practitioner earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $69,500 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $63,250 to $82,000 a year.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026