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.  It is an unfurling project that has been gratefully supported by my whānau and the Mana Whenua ki Tahu Midwives. I have also recently brought in another uri o Tahu, artist Kath Lousich, to create our logo and artwork for the website. 

This project has been such a pleasure to work on with such a wise and passionate team.  I truly hope I have, alongside the team, created an answer to a statement I frequently heard from māmā and Māori midwives during my research on this kaupapa, and that was, “I wanted to use traditional Māori practices but  I didn’t know how  or where to find any information on them?” 

We are still learning as a team, I am still learning as an individual about this kaupapa.  This website is about sharing, learning more, clarifying, practising, nurturing and honouring. I am not a kaiwhakawhānau/tapuhi, I work alongside an awesome Māori midwifery collective who have guided me, supported and encouraged me to keep going. So, this is a collective body of work that will keep growing fruits to help whānau and Māori midwives to rejuvenate Ngāi Tahu customary birthing knowledge and practices for those who seek them.

I would like to mihi to Te Hiringa Hauora for funding this website and the wānanga on oriori for our Māori midwives and wānanga taonga pūoro for our whānau. Your foresight and pūtea have made this mahi possible - ngā mihi.