Kia Kaha Māmā Consultancy

​Having led two pioneering pilot programs, I bring agility and innovation to every phase of development—building, adapting, and elevating the service to meet evolving needs. My approach combines collaboration with kaupapa Māori and mainstream evaluators, ensuring robust, culturally grounded metrics. Through extensive regional and national networks, I stay at the forefront of maternal and infant health insights, contributing expertise that advances the field.

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With a focus on self-sustainability, I’ve worked to secure funding that guarantees long-term, legacy impact. Kia Kaha Māmā Consultancy embodies a commitment to not only maternal and infant wellbeing but to enduring health equity and resilience for our future generations.

Maara Kai Sovereignty Project was born from resilience and collaboration in response to extreme weather events and the infrastructural challenges they bring to our remote rural communities.

Partnering with our marae and whānau, we successfully secured funding from the Ministry of Primary Industries to establish a maara kai that includes a newly planted orchard and tunnel house, ensuring a steady supply of fresh kai throughout the year.

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This project isn’t just about food security—it’s about empowerment. We are building skills, cultivating sustainable practices, and creating future resilience for our community.

Plans are underway to run maara kai courses at the marae, where whānau can gain formal qualifications, acquire lifelong skills in food cultivation, and help nourish the community, regardless of road accessibility.

The Maara Kai Sovereignty Project embodies our commitment to self-sufficiency, cultural integrity, connection and the wellbeing of our people.

Te Aukume a Hine te Iwaiwa is a national multidisciplinary māmā  and pēpi Māori health transformative initiative designed to empower Māori-led research(ers) and foster deep collaboration between Māori health professionals and whānau.

Born out of discussions at the recent Māori models of pregnancy care workshop at the ON TRACK Network Trial Development Workshop in February 2022, this group seeks to build a robust evidence base that reflects the unique needs of Māori.

Its mission is clear: to inform the development of maternal, infant, and whānau health services that actively reduce health inequities and promote hauora, ensuring a strong start for every pēpi.

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At the heart of this group is a commitment to nurturing the next generation of Māori researchers through tuakana-teina relationships. This rōpū received funding from the Health Research Council to enable the coordination of online hui and face-to-face wānanga, fostering whānaungatanga among researchers and advancing research that is meaningful, culturally relevant, and aligned with Māori values and aspirations.

This rōpu is set to be a catalyst for change in Māori health research, creating pathways for progress that are both grounded in our heritage and forward-looking in their impact.

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Tapu whilst Hapū is a bilingual whakataukī gifted to the Tairāwhiti FASD Action Group in 2019, embodying the sacredness of pregnancy and raising awareness about the profound impacts of alcohol consumption on unborn pēpi.

This whakataukī, carrying its own unique mauri, calls on the entire community to care for hapū māmā (pregnant individuals) with respect, reverence, and holistic support.

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Through a kaupapa Māori lens, it honors not only the growing child but also the future generations, the environment we cherish, and the aspirations that each new life inspires.

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Tapu whilst Hapū resonates across various wellbeing platforms, encouraging holistic health and awareness within areas like domestic violence prevention, healthy relationships, spiritual and physical wellness, and substance-free pregnancies.

This whakataukī serves as a powerful guide, reminding rangatahi (young people) and communities alike of our shared responsibility to nurture each new generation.

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For those interested in collaborating with Tapu whilst Hapū, please reach out to discuss how we can together enhance the health and vitality of our communities.

Future Direction: Perspectives on Māori Midwifery and Maternity 2022:

Titiro ki muri, haere atu ki mua – Our past and our future are intertwined.

Dr Hope Tupara, Megan Tahere & Kāniwa Kupenga-Tamarama

Te Wakahuia o Hine is an organisation principally concerned with the wellbeing of Tangata Whenua - midwives and student midwives, whānau accessing midwifery and maternity services, and the integrity and quality of those services that achieve the intent of Te Tiriti to serve all citizens equally.

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The charitable objects of Te Wakahuia o Hine are to ensure a Tiriti o Waitangi focus on the areas of Midwifery and Maternity Strategies, Investments, Policies, Education and Research; and thus, activities that advance holistic health and wellbeing of Tangata Whenua and thereby benefit the community by:

i. Championing an equal Tangata Whenua voice in the design and implementation of focus areas.

ii. Monitoring the direction of focus areas to achieve equal and equitable outcomes for Tangata Whenua.

iii. Advocating for health system excellence in focus areas that prioritise Tangata Whenua and Whānau Ora.

iv. Conducting research that transforms focus areas to be Tiriti-led.

The objects are intended for the relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advance of religion e ai ki ngā tangata katoa, or other purposes beneficial to the community that fall within the definition of ‘charitable purposes’ as defined in the Charities Act 2005. Notwithstanding anything herein contained the objects of Te Wakahuia o Hine shall be limited and restricted at all times so that they shall be within the definition of ‘charitable purposes’ as defined in the Charities Act 2005 as amended from time to time, or in any Act passed in substitution.