Physical therapies in 19th century Aotearoa/New Zealand: Part 3 – Rotorua spa and discussion

Abstract

This is the final paper reporting on a historiographic study of physical therapies in 19th century Aotearoa/New Zealand. Here we focus on the development of the Rotorua Spa in the final decades of the 19th century and follow the methodological framework of the first two papers by exploring the physical therapies and practitioners that were associated with the spa. The paper examines how the spa also represents the embodiment of changing attitudes towards Mäori, the role of central government, and the value of centrally organised healthcare. The second half of the paper provides a discussion of the main questions raised by the study, and considers the role that luxury and surplus may have played in the development of physical therapies in 19th century Aotearoa/New Zealand.