Tikanga (Cultural Practice and Protocols), Wairuatanga (Spirituality) and Whanonga Pono (Values)—Core Elements in an Indigenous Team Ethic of Trauma-Informed Care

Abstract

Two recently published articles on Black Rain have detailed this approach to addressing intergenerational trauma practiced by Māori therapist and counsellor Fay Pouesi. Black Rain utilises visual tools to enable whānau (clients) to recognise the violence they are caught up in, contextualising this more-than-individual reality to penetrate through multiple layers of trauma and attend to holistic healing. Growing interest in this approach has led to the establishment of a team of practitioners working together with Fay as Matanga Oranga: Kaupapa Māori Trauma-Informed Care Centre in West Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand. In this article, we review what has been written about Black Rain so far before gathering the team to kōrero (converse) about the key elements we are discovering are crucial for the success of our mahi (work): tikanga (cultural practice and protocols), wairuatanga (spirituality), and grounding the work in whanonga pono (values).