COUNSELING MAORI PEOPLE IN NEW-ZEALAND [AOTEAROA]

This paper is an edited version of a seminal address given to a national association of counselors in New Zealand by a senior Maori figure professionally involved in the helping field. It focuses on a particular indigenous ethnic minority in terms of appropriate counseling, but has relevance for other traditionally-based cultures. After some attention to the societal context, the address considers major directions of western thought and how these have been reflected in counseling. It then suggests that these are largely inappropriate for Maori people, elaborating contrasts. Three major dimensions of Maori culture relevant to counselling are presented and developed. Finally, attention is given to ways in which counseling in New Zealand might be better developed along bicultural lines. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.