Te Whare Tapa Whā and pain: a whole-health lens
New Zealand has had a comprehensive whole-person model of health for over forty years. It was developed here, it is enshrined in health policy, and it is invoked regularly in government documents. It is also almost entirely absent from how persistent pain is assessed, treated, and compensated in this country. That absence is not accidental. And understanding what is missing when it disappears tells us something important about what genuine pain care would look like.
