A massage therapist has been asked to review her practice and apologise to a 16-year-old patient who she did not properly inform about a Maori spiritual treatment she was referring her for.
Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Theo Baker says the therapist should have been meticulous in the way she informed the girl.
The girl, who is not Maori, went to the massage therapist for help with migraines, period pains and sport injuries.
A report says the therapist told the girl she had problems with her aura and contacted an iwi healer.
The healer diagnosed the girl as having six spiritual entities in her and recommend that she come immediately to a nearby river to be cleansed.
The girl gave her consent and waded in the river, but reported feeling felt rushed and pressured. She has been having nightmares since the incident.
The therapist is not registered with any professional body and has not been named in the report.
