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🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand · Traditional

Mirimiri and Romiromi (Māori Bodywork)ミリミリとロミロミ（マオリ伝統手技）Mirimiri / Romiromi

Mirimiri and romiromi are manual practices discussed within rongoā Māori in Aotearoa New Zealand. Accounts may emphasise concepts such as mauri and wairua and relationships with community. They should not be reduced to fixed light-versus-deep categories; practitioners’ own explanations matter.

Traditional healing systemIn-depth article

Fact sheet

Origin
🇳🇿 Aotearoa New Zealand — Aotearoa New Zealand
Era
Since Māori settlement (13th century onward)（Traditional）
Classification
Traditional healing system
Core concepts
Mauri (life essence), wairua (spirit), tapu (sacredness), and the relationship with whānau (family)
Two practices
Mirimiri and romiromi: their meanings and scope are not defined by pressure alone.
Practitioners
People who carry rongoā knowledge. Learn from practitioners how prayer, plants and touch relate within their work.
Official status
After the Tohunga Suppression Act of 1907 (repealed 1962), the Ministry of Health published Standards for Traditional Māori Healing in 1999 and now contracts and supports rongoā services
Techniques
Pressure / Wood / Tool / Herbal / Stretch
Practitioner body parts
Palm / Elbow / Knee / Tool
Medium
None
Clothing
Semi-clothed
Setting
Mat
Typical duration
60–90 min
Also known as
Māori massage · Rongoā Māori bodywork · Romiromi

History: tohunga and the Suppression Act

Māori crossed from Polynesia to Aotearoa (New Zealand) around the 13th century and developed the healing wisdom they shared with Hawaiʻi and Tahiti to suit the land's own plants and climate. That system is rongoā Māori. Rongoā treats plant medicine (rongoā rākau), prayer (karakia), bodywork (mirimiri and romiromi) and the relationships among people, land and ancestors (whakapapa) as one. Its practitioners, the tohunga, were chosen within the tribe and inherited their knowledge through long training.

Nineteenth-century colonisation pushed the system to the margins, and in 1907 the New Zealand parliament passed the Tohunga Suppression Act, banning the public practice of traditional healers. Ostensibly for public health, it was in effect a suppression of Māori knowledge. Rongoā retreated into families and survived orally.

The Act was repealed in 1962, and within the Māori cultural renaissance from the 1970s rongoā was revalued alongside the language (te reo). Since the 1990s the Ministry of Health has formally contracted rongoā Māori providers, publishing Standards for Traditional Māori Healing in 1999 and Tikanga ā-Rongoā in 2014, positioning it as a legitimate system supporting Māori health.

Theory: mauri, wairua, tapu

Rongoā Māori is a context of traditional Māori care encompassing plant-based and spiritual practices as well as bodywork. Accounts of mirimiri and romiromi should respect that background and practitioners’ explanations.

One way to explore Māori understandings of health is Te Whare Tapa Whā, developed by Tā Mason Durie. It represents physical, mental, spiritual and family dimensions as four sides of a house. It is a health model, not an ancient technique manual shared by every practice.

Describing mirimiri as light and spiritual and romiromi as deep and physical does not capture the range of practice. Touch, language and the place of prayer should be understood through discussion with the provider.

Development: state support and cultural boundaries

Public health information in New Zealand presents rongoā Māori in a context of wellbeing that includes spirit and relationships as well as the body. Understanding mirimiri and romiromi likewise calls for Māori language and practitioners’ explanations.

When learning, ask who is teaching, their connections to communities and learning, and what knowledge they are able to share. Visible movements alone should not stand for the whole culture or be treated primarily as features to display in competition.

Mirimiri and romiromi today

Recipients can ask practitioners to explain the meaning and content of the care, and share preferences and areas where contact is not wanted. How prayer, conversation and touch are combined depends on the provider and recipient’s context.

Mirimiri is not defined here as invariably light, nor romiromi as invariably deep work with elbows, knees or tools. Duration and position are not fixed. Discuss head contact, beliefs and family involvement with respect for the person’s wishes and cultural context.

Strong pressure or tools require relevant training and an assessment of health circumstances. Discuss osteoporosis, acute inflammation, thrombosis, pregnancy or similar concerns with the clinicians involved in your care.

Signature moves

Descriptions introduce ways of touch, not instructions to reproduce them. Practice varies by lineage, practitioner and recipient.

  • Mirimiri

    A practice within rongoā; meanings and touch are understood through the practitioner’s explanation.

  • Romiromi

    Not defined by pressure alone, and distinguished from Hawaiian lomilomi.

  • Karakia (a related practice)

    A term associated with prayer, introduced as part of the context of care rather than as a manual technique.

One possible session

An example centred on conversation and consent—not a prescribed sequence, duration or self-treatment guide.

  1. Establish the relationship and preferences

    Hear the practitioner’s explanation and discuss wishes and boundaries.

  2. Receive care in the practice’s own context

    No fixed progression from mirimiri to romiromi or sequence of pressure levels is assumed.

  3. Share feedback and close

    Where prayer or another practice is included, ask about its meaning and express your wishes about participation.

Related competition categories

Competition scores assess a performance under that event’s rules—not the value of a technique or culture. Consult the official rules for eligibility and judging criteria.

Freestyle Eastern

Rules and judging criteria for this category →Practices related to this category →Explore official competition records →Meet the judges →View seminar information →

Related forms and lineages

Frequently asked questions

Q.Are Māori romiromi and Hawaiian lomi lomi the same?

They are not treated as the same practice. Māori romiromi and Hawaiian lomilomi have different linguistic, community and regional contexts even when Japanese spellings look similar. Each is introduced through its own practitioners’ explanations.

Q.Can anyone learn it?

Rongoā Māori is knowledge bound to Māori culture and genealogy, and tribal and community consent over who may teach and practise it matters. Even in overseas courses, confirm the lineage and cultural context.

Q.What is rākau?

Rākau is used for wood or trees and, depending on context, in descriptions of plants or wooden implements. It does not mean every romiromi practice uses the same stick; ask the provider what is involved.

Glossary

ロンゴアー・マオリRongoā Māori
The traditional Māori healing system.
マウリMauri
Life essence, life force.
タプTapu
Sacred, restricted; the head is tapu.
トフンガTohunga
Expert, specialist.
テ・ファレ・タパ・ファーTe Whare Tapa Whā
A model developed by Tā Mason Durie, understanding health through physical, mental, spiritual and family dimensions.

Sources & references

This article draws on the following primary sources, official bodies, scholarship and organisations.

  1. [1]Ministry of Health, New Zealand — Rongoā Māori services and standardsOfficial body
  2. [2]Tohunga Suppression Act 1907 (repealed 1962), New Zealand ParliamentPrimary source
  3. [3]Durie, Mason. Whaiora: Māori Health Development (te whare tapa whā). Oxford University Press.Academic
  4. [4]Te Kāhui Rongoā Trust — national body for rongoā Māori practitionersOrganisation
  5. [5]New Zealand Ministry of Health — Te Whare Tapa Whā(opens in a new tab)Official body
  6. [6]Health New Zealand — Rongoā Māori(opens in a new tab)Official body

About this article

Edited from published sources. Listing sources does not mean community or specialist review is complete, or that benefits are established. We welcome practitioners’ perspectives on names, descriptions, additions and corrections.

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