Ngā Ao e Rua | The Two Worlds: Psychotherapy, Biculturalism, and Professional Development in Aotearoa New Zealand

Abstract

This article describes the history, philosophy, and development of Ngā Ao e Rua, an organisation of indigenous and non-indigenous therapists, psychotherapists, counsellors, and health care providers working in Aotearoa New Zealand. The article, co-authored and edited by members of Ngā Ao e Rua, traces its beginnings and its development over the past ten years. The article discusses the development of a bicultural process reflected in an organisational structure whereby members meet separately as Māori and as Pākehā and Tau Iwi (non-Māori), and then together, and the personal and political learning that has derived from this. The article complements one published in this journal two years ago about Waka Oranga, the rōpu or organisation of Māori psychotherapists and psychotherapy practitioners (Hall, Morice, and Wilson, 2012).