Ko Hikurangi toku Maunga
Ko Makatote toku Awa
Ko Horouta toku Waka
Ko Moana-nui-a-kiwa toku Moana
Ko Hiruharama toku Marae
Ko Kapohanga toku Wharenui
Ko Nga Tama Toa toku Wharekai
Ko Mikaere toku Wharekarakia
Ko Huria toku Urupa
Ko Te Tiriti O Waitangi Paki toku Papa
Ko Judith Cunningham toku Mama
Ko Cascade Reihana toku matamua
Ko Paewaka Kupenga toku tama
Ko Terrence Cunningham toku tama
Ko Orowai Parae toku potiki.
Ko Jacquelyn Paki ahau.

My Midwifery journey has opened up a whole new Worldview that I have learnt to appreciate what is happening outside of myown world. I have juggled being a mother to 4 beautiful tamariki, completing my full time degree in 2020 I set up my LMC practice Te Whare Tangata, during the pandemic from afar as I had to also take full time care and homeschool my bi-lingual tamariki on my own during the pandemic.

Within my Midwifery degree and short career I have worked with various different Midwivesand Whānau who have broadened my horizons of understanding. I have become an Independent Māori Midwife who services the wants and needs for the Community of Waitemata, Auckland and Counties with a holistic approach to Wellbeing. I use a tikanga Māori approach that utilises Māori, Pacific and Indigenous frameworks alike to create care that is whānau based. I work with our most vulnerable, wāhine and tamariki at one of the most vulnerable times for wāhine. There is a need for more Midwives, in particular Māori with the rise in Māori birth rates, so we need to be fairly represented in all areas and levels of Health, Midwifery included.

Last year my Midwifery sister’s and I set up Hapūtanga Wananga from our clinic Te Whare Tangata. Our kaupapa was set on tikanga Whenua ki te Whenua, upholding the Mana and importance of the whenua, nga Atua Rei and their roles in our traditional birthing practices, the use of musical instruments, sounds, tools and practices used pre colonisation to today.

It is important to revitalise these practices as options for whānau to be able to connect and create birthing stories, purakau and their own tikanga in and around Hapūtanga. We were privileged to have tuakana in our space to help ensure our kaupapa is upholding the Mana of those utilising this service that has a lack of funding and support which needs to be addressed in the new Māori Health reforum.

I want to continue my academic education by doing my Master of Midwifery, specifically Māori Health. With the rise of Midwifery in social media as the retention rate of Midwives declines and birth rates rise, it is creating an unbalanced workforce that has immense pressure on those currently working and those preparing to come out and help our fellow sisters. There has been much negative media for Oranga Tamariki, mandates, equitable funding which has brought eyes upon their current systems in place. There are many gaps, the most important I feel is decolonising ourselves as individuals to work ethically to provide a culturally sustainable practice that allows trust to be built overtime in order to achieve positive healthy outcomes for wāhine, pepi and their whānau. This starts with myself working in partnership with stakeholders and New Zealand College of Midwives to forecast a plan toreach the wants, needs and goals of the college collectives.

Whilst I’m in the process of doing my Master’s at AUT focusing on Vulnerable Families and how we can use a holistic approach to create positive healthy outcomes for all those involved to be able to make fully informed decisions. We all know that it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to raise a Midwife. Linking these kaupapa I hope to help decolonise whānau I work with as well as my Midwifery sisters and health professionals I will be working with on this journey. I look forward to what may lay ahead for my furthered educational journey. For those of us in the workforce and those yet to graduate it is of utmost importance to ensure our voices are heard now and in the future.

Tena Koutou Katoa.
Ko Tongariro te Maunga
Ko Taupo te Moana
Ko Parewahwaha te Marae
Ko Ngati Tuwharetoa Ngati Raukawa nga Iwi
Ko Mahia Winder ahau

I have been a Registered Midwife for 23 years, and in that time have worked across the scope. My current role is working at AUT as Maori Midwifery Liaison Midwife. Prior to this role I spent nearly 14 years at ADHB, originally in the role of an Acting Charge Midwife. I was then appointed to the position of Maori Midwifery Advisor.

My name is Mel Nicholson and I have been a midwife working in the Auckland region for the past 9 years. I have held a variety of different maternity roles; core staff, midwife coordinator, team leader of a regional CADS Pregnancy and Parenting service, and currently am a self-employed midwife working on the North Shore with a moderate, diverse caseload. My midwifery philosophy is embedded in equitable, culturally safe maternity care for all New Zealanders. I am excited and motivated about advancing midwifery within the wider health sector and I am currently undertaking a master’s in public health. I have experience representing midwifery at DHB, Northern Region and Ministry of Health level and seek to challenge the systems and processes that disadvantage women’s health and contribute to midwifery being consistently underfunded and undervalued. I am passionate about improving the midwifery stakeholder role in the wider health sector and with the current Health NZ reforms, believe now is the time for strong leadership to advance our profession.  Representing all midwives; self employed, hospital employed and those in specialised midwifery roles is key to ensuring a sustainable, rewarding model of maternity care is developed under Health NZ. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to represent all midwives in Tāmaki Makaurau as co-chairs. We are both strong advocates for māmā and midwives, and we believe that in partnership, we can represent our region in a productive and dynamic manner. Jax and I have worked closely over the past four years, and bring diverse worldviews and a shared partnership vision for our midwifery whanau.

Hello, my name is Claire and I have always been fascinated with how a new human being is made.  My passion for midwifery however began with the birth of my first son as I remember thinking “Is this what a midwife does? How amazing!”.  With my family now complete with four little ones, I am excited to finally begin following this passion.

For the last 20 years, I have been working in financial services, most recently as a Chartered Accountant in a management role. I am therefore happy to use some of this experience to help as committee treasurer and am looking forward to meeting and working alongside many of you in the future.