On 27-28 October 2022, PADA (Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa) held a Māori Maternal Mental Health two day hui in Rotorua at the Tangatarua Marae, attended by 120 care providers who play a significant role in the lives of pregnant women and people, and new parents. Elizabeth Harte was invited to be a speaker on one of the days, though was eventually unable to attend in person due to illness, she joined and ran her session via Zoom.
Her presentation was for 45mins, followed by an hour-long activity asking attendees to get into small groups and share whānau pūrākau (oral histories) with each other from their whānau and whakapapa. One person from each group then came forward to share either their story, or a summary of the kōrero from their group, and the kōrero was beautiful, inspiring and empowering.
Doing these whānau pūrākau activities show that we have our parenting guides and lessons within our own whānau, within our own whakapapa – we just need to go through the work to open up those memories and draw on the lessons of them, not just tell what happened in the story.
We are very supportive of everything PADA does and is about. Whaea Joanne Rama is a friend of Elizabeth’s and we are grateful for her ongoing guidance and support of our kaupapa.
To find out more about PADA, and about the event itself, visit their website.
