Professor on control over rongoā Māori in proposed bill
An influential legal scholar is warning the Government not to repeat past mistakes by legislating to control rongoā Māori.
University of Auckland emeritus law professor Dr Jane Kelsey says the new Therapeutic Products Bill, which would have rongoā regulated by a government bureaucrat at the Ministry of Health, echoes the 1907 Tohunga Suppression Act — the act that outlawed the practice for half a century until 1962.
“The bill itself says it’s aiming to ensure people who use therapeutic products, which are medicines and natural health remedies, have access to safe and quality care. But it’s very much framed around a Western science model of ‘what are the ingredients?’ and ‘does the person have the right tertiary qualifications’?”
Link to article: ‘Riding roughshod over rangatiratanga’: Professor on control over rongoā Māori in proposed bill - NZ Herald
