About our journey
Mō mātou
Throughout Kelly’s doctoral mahi she received awhi from a kaumātua rōpu that she formed to guide her through her research. Sadly, over four years four of the six kaumātua passed. The two remaining members from this time were two tāua (grandmothers) who have stuck by her side as Kelly began to action the recommendations of her thesis. The Māori Midwives ki Tahu have also had the privilege of having these fine tāua support them too. We felt it was important to introduce and highlight the tuarā (backbone) to our Hākui mahi: Elizabeth Cunningham and Rānui Ngarimu.
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Elizabeth Cunningham
Where do you start on a piece about a tāua who does more in her day than you do! Elizabeth Cunningham, Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mutunga, is one of those wahine who make you feel exhausted about what she achieves in a day, let alone a week.
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Rānui Ngarimu
Ranui is an active tāua, so active it’s difficult to even book in a cuppa with her. It must be her Ngāti Mutunga blood that naturally infuses her with energy and passion for kaupapa Māori. In particular, mahi raranga.
Kelly Tikao
Ko Kelly Waiana Tikao tōku ikoa
No kā iwi o Waitaha, Kāti Māmoe, Kāi Tahu ahau
Mauri tū, mauri ora!
When I completed my doctorate on customary birthing practices I knew how important it was to practically implement some of my thesis recommendations. Towards the end of 2020 I started to plan out how this would and if I could make this happen. Thanks to a generous grant from the Health Promotion Agency, I alongside my extremely talented cousin Ariana Tikao, and sound engineer/website master Bob Bickerton, created a website to aid the rejuvenation of Ngāi Tahu Customary Birthing Knowledge and Practices…
Ariana Tikao
Ko Kāi Tahu te iwi
Ko Kāti Irakehu te hapū
Ko Te Pātaka a Rākaihautū te rohe
Ko Ariana Tikao ahau
Hākui is such a heart-warming kaupapa to be working on with my beautiful whanauka Kelly and dear friend Bob, alongside other whanauka, and the Kāi Tahu midwifery community. In 1998 I was hapū with my daughter Matahana in Tāmaki-makaurau, and was lucky to have Derna Trifilo as my midwife, who brought a strong knowledge of te ao Māori into her practice…
Bob Bickerton
I feel deeply privileged to have been involved in this important kaupapa.
I heard about the oriori project through my friendships with the Tikao whānau and offered to support the mahi by offering my services as an audio engineer.
This led to a series of recordings in presenter’s homes as well as recording Ariana, Holly and Solomon in my studio in Whakatū.
I’m a reluctant web-designer, but was anxious to support the kaupapa and make it a reality.
I’m constantly reminded that my journey with taonga puoro has opened so many doors, for which I am grateful.
Kua waimarie ahau, kei te whakamihi ahau.
Kalese Phillips
Ko Tapuae-o-Uenuku tōku maunga
Ko Aware tōku awa
Ko Ōtautahi tōku kainga
Ko Phillips tōku whānau
Ko Kalese tōku ingoa
I am a māmā of four children and have only recently begun my journey of learning about my whakapapa and adding this into my whānau. I am loving learning about this aspect of me and incorporating it into my everyday life and work. I am also a trained breastfeeding peer support counsellor with Te Puawaitanga and a midwifery student at Ata.
I am loving the opportunity to get involved with the Māori community in Te Waipounamu through the directory liaison role for this amazing resource.
Kath Lousich
Kath Lousich is a practising visual artist of Kai Tahu and Te Atiawa descent. She has been practising visual art since the age of 14 and had her first collaborative exhibition at 18. She has collaborated in Te Whare Tangata the female essence exhibition Tauranga, and featured on 4 of Kai Tahu’s Te Panui Runaka covers with her body of work titled ‘Migration’ making the September 2018 edition. As a creative Kath explores a variety of concepts from her culture where she challenges the written and art history about Maori culture to modern publicity the male gaze and the female objectification. Kath received a special commendation award from the Tauranga Art Gallery for her 2018 body of work ‘Invitant Le Regard’ and a letter of acknowledgement from Tauranga MP Tamiti Coffey for her joint exhibition Te Hā o Waitaiki for the Waitangi Day celebrations 2019.
Gallery
