Meet Kaniwa
Certified Life Coach & Māori Midwife
Kia ora Māmā!
Ko wai au | Who am I ?
Taku kaumatua ki te taha o taku papa, Ko Hikurangi te maunga,
ko Waiapu, me Matā, me Makatote oku awa, ko Nukutaememeha
taku waka, ko te whānau o Rautaupare, Te Aitanga a Materoa,
Te whānau o Rakairoa oku hapū, ko Ngāti Porou te Iwi.
Taku koroua ki te taha o taku papa, Ko Pirongia te maunga,
ko Waipa te awa, Ko Tainui te waka, ko Ngāti Hikairoa,
me Ngāti Apakura te Iwi.
Taku kuia ki te taha o taku mama, me te Waipounamu noho ana,
nō England, nō Hong Kong hoki taku whānau.
Taku koroua ki te taha o taku papa, nō England, nō Guernsey,
nō Scotland, nō Ireland hoki taku whānau.
I tipu ake au ki Tāmaki Mākaurau, e noho ana au ki Turanga nui a kiwa. Ko Oto Tamarama taku hoa rangatira, nō Rakahanga, nō Rarotonga,
nō Tahiti hoki taku whānau.
Kia ora, I'm Kaniwa! I knew from the age of sixteen that I wanted to become a Midwife. I needed life experience and a good ol' straighten up to align with my life's purpose.
Beginning my Midwifery education with AUT University, I welcomed my first daughter and then my son whilst completing my degree. Hands-on, real life experience truly equipped me with first hand experience! It was so tough physically, mentally and spiritually to graduate, but I knew that I wanted that Tohu | Qualification so badly, to be able to provide my growing whānau |family with the best life that I could offer them.
Like many couples, my tane and I have had our up's and down's. We were both 22 when our daughter was born and then by the time we were 23, we had two children. We were both unemployed and lacked a unified vision or direction.
During some of those down times, I was a solo mama on the benefit, struggling with $100 left for food and petrol after my bills had been paid. Within a few month of those really low moments, I would graduate and start working as a Midwife, supporting other wāhine in the wider community to birth their pepi. I have supported my sisters, cousins, whānaunga and friends to be empowered to birth confidently AND without fear.
Being a midwife, I learnt that many other wāhine experienced similar challenges in life like me, and I was their professional, supporting them to find ways to be strong, cope with the low's of life and overcome the challenges.
After the birth of our third child, I began to
practice privately as a community Midwife.
Being a private community midwife is super
tough on my whānau. My husband and I got
married a few years later and are reaching a
stage in our relationship and marriage
where we are enjoying growing 'wiser'
together. Complimenting each other's
strengths and weaknesses and still
choosing LOVE, especially during low times.
We relocated to Turanga nui a Kiwa after the birth of our fourth pepi, achieving our dreams and raising our tamariki.
Learning kaupapa Māori paradigms has equipped me to share positive stress-relief and coping strategies that WORK and offer them to other Māmā like yourself. You don't need to be Māori to join in, but you definately need to hear and feel that unrest deep within your puku, open your heart and mind, and allow yourself to release and flow. That feeling stirring deep within, is your inner Goddess ready to be awoken and live fully within your Mana.
As a 'western' trained Midwifery practitioner, evidence is increasingly stacking up desperately trying to connect MIND - BODY - SOUL within the health domain. It's actually already connected! Hahaha, silly people!! BUT, our modern society has shaped us to operate in a way, disconnected from our village, tribe and environment.
Wāhine are the guardians of the future. My focus is to ensure that you value yourself first and awaken the Goddess within. Trauma is passed down from the generations before us well as Talents. Sometimes we are here to clear the trauma - by healing it within ourself and stopping it from recurring within the lives of our tamariki and mokopuna.
This is called the science of Epigenetics and it is very real! Many of us will have trauma from wars, famines, colonization, migration, abuse and stress.
As wahine, we have the ability to access the past, be present and impact upon the future. Healing any trauma that may have been passed down to you is paramount before we can work on strengthening your ascending and descending whakapapa | bloodline. Research has proven that how you raise your tamariki | children will influence how your children will raise your grandchildren.
Through grounding work and connecting to Papatūānuku, Marama, Atua and Io, I will teach and give you the resources that amplify Positive Coping/Stress Relief Strategies that will help you through the high's and low's of life.
If this has resonated with you, join me for an amazing trip of rediscovery, connection and soul food!
Kaniwa xo
Training at the New Zealand Institute of Business I obtained a Diploma in Life Coaching.
It provided me with the substance to work more within the realm of Hinengaro to support the Tinana and Wairua, to maintain a holistic balance that ultimately strengthens whakapapa.
One of my passions is to ensure wāhine are well equipped for hapūtanga and journey safely between the physical and spiritual realms when bringing through the pēpi to Te Ao Marama.
I believe in strengthening the Wairua of a wāhine upon Papatūānuku is crucial in being able to mindfully navigate every day life as a Mama.
Reconnecting with all spaces of yourself practicing self-love and linking in cultural and modern day practices to reap the benefits of traditional well-being for mama's of today.
The time to let go of the past is now, the time to heal trauma is now,
the time to demand equity is now.
It's time to value yourself, now!
Because tomorrow, we step into the future.
Current memberships
He Hono Wahine
