About Us
T Ō M Ā T O U K A U P A P A
Our Story
Ngā Māia Māori Midwives ō Aotearoa was formed in 1993 by Māori midwives, midwifery tutors, and their students, to address the inconsistencies in maternity services for Māori in New Zealand.
Registered as a charitable trust in 1994, Ngā Māia became recognised in maternity circles as the ‘voice’ for Māori. By 2008 its role was endorsed by the Midwifery Council of New Zealand (MCNZ), the New Zealand College of Midwives (NZCOM), and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG).
Ngā Māia is committed to Māori birthing practices that promote the health and well-being of whānau. To whakamana and nurture kahu pōkai / kaiwhakawhānau in providing holistic, sustainable, quality care steeped in tikanga Māori.
Our values are Mana Motuhake, Whanaungatanga, Manaakitanga, and He Taonga Tuku Iho.
T Ō M Ā T O U P O A R I M A T U A
Our Board Members
View our Ngā Māia Trust Board Members below:
Jasmine Gray
D E P U T Y C H A I R
LMC
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
My dream for our many mokopuna is to move beyond reclamation and into celebrating our unique identity as tangata whenua.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MĀIA:
I hope that my experiences in midwifery education will eventually support the development of our first Māori midwifery school. "By Māori, for Māori" is the approach that we know works.
Rua Pokai Regional Roopu
Lisa Kelly
C H A I R P E R S O N
LMC - Practising
Hapū Wānanga Facilitator
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
Taonga tuku iho reclamation and revitalisation of our tūturu birth traditions. Protecting homebirth is my passion as a kahu pōkai.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MĀIA:
To create safe midwifery spaces for Māori midwives to uphold and protect Te Tiriti in maternity and pave the way for indigenous Kahu Pōkai-tanga.
Waiāriki Regional Roopu
Jacqueline Martin
T R U S T E E
Kaiako Midwifery
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
My passion is to change the midwifery profession at its inception, the Bachelor degree of Midwifery. Nā reirā, Aroha ki te tangata, ahakoa, nō hea, ko wai!
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MĀIA:
My aspirations for Ngā Māia are to support its strategic direction in terms of Rangahau and Education, specifically to operationalise a Māori midwifery school in both, Te Ika a Māui and Te Waipounamu.
Te Wai Pounamu Regional Roopu
Waimarie Onekawa
T R E A S U R E R
Midwife - Practising
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
In my time as an LMC midwife, I worked with whānau living in high deprivation areas, assisting them to achieve their maternity goals. In this role I learned how advocating for myself enhances my ability to advocate for those around me.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MĀIA:
I want to support and encourage future thinking and aspirational goal setting so that we as Māori are self-determining and self-governing of all our taonga.
Rua Pokai Regional Roopu
Amanda Douglas
T R U S T E E
Midwife
Tararua Ngā Pae Maunga Regional Roopu
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
I have been a Kahu Pōkai coming up 20yrs. I am a māmā of four and have three mokopuna. I channel our Atua Hinekauorohia often, and am always looking at how I can continue to grow, to help grow our future generations.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MAIA:
To continue to strengthen the well being of whānau Māori by supporting our future generations coming through, my aspirations would be to collate our own statistics. I believe we do better than the National data and we need to collect this to enable future kōrerō in our spaces, regionally and nationally.
Katarina Komene
T R U S T E E
Diabetes Midwife Specialist
Te Kahu Wāhine Regional Roopu
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
I have been a Kahu Pokai for almost 13 years and during that time have had a very varied career. I am passionate about advocating for culturally safe, accessible and mana enhancing care for our whānau throughout their haputanga journey.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MAIA:
NMT means we have a voice and representation at a governance level and therefore opportunity to have our whakaaro heard and taken into account. I am keen to represent our rohe of Te Taitokerau, and especially to see through some of the kaupapa I have been involved in.
TeAnna Hema
T R U S T E E
Senior Advisor Commisioning - Hauora Māori Services/Te Whatu Ora
Te Wai Pounamu Regional Roopu
PASSIONATE ABOUT:
Fiercely passionate about wahinetanga I host space across Te Waipounamu and provide wānanga on menstrual cycles, reproductive womb health and hapūtanga from a Te Ao Māori perspective.
ASPIRATIONS FOR NGĀ MAIA:
My aspirations are centred on ensuring that Ngā Māia remains a beacon for the preservation, advocacy, and advancement of Māori Midwifery and Early Years through innovative, yet traditional approaches. Embedding “by Māori for Māori” solutions to pregnancy and birth for the wellbeing and Mana Motuhake of our whānau.
Our Partners
View our partner organisations below: