Kia Kaha Māmā Consultancy
Kia Kaha Māmā Consultancy is an indigenous-led maternal and infant wellbeing service dedicated to improving hauora outcomes for wāhine, pēpi, and whānau through a kaupapa Māori approach. With over 17 years of experience in maternal and infant health, Kia Kaha Māmā has built a strong and well-established network across Aotearoa, fostering collaboration with iwi, community organizations, health providers and government agencies.
Expertise & Services
We integrate clinical expertise, indigenous knowledge systems, and collaborative partnerships to design and deliver sustainable, culturally responsive health solutions. Our key areas of expertise include;
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Kaupapa Māori Maternal and Infant Wellbeing Programs – Designing and delivering holistic, whānau-centered maternity and infant health initiatives that integrate clinical best practices with indigenous healing traditions.
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Collaborative Service Development – Partnering with key health organizations, iwi, and community providers to develop and implement responsive, equity-driven maternal and infant health models.
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Health Workforce Development & Training – Providing professional development for midwives, nurses, and allied health professionals to enhance culturally safe and responsive care for whānau.
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Indigenous-led Research & Evaluation – Leading kaupapa Māori research, data analysis, and program evaluations to strengthen evidence-based maternal and infant health strategies.
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Policy & Strategic Advisory – Advising on system transformation, funding models, and policy frameworks to support the integration of Māori-led maternal and infant health services.
Established Networks & Partnerships
Kia Kaha Māmā maintains long-standing partnerships with key maternal and infant health providers, kaupapa Māori organizations, Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora, Iwi health services, and academic institutions. These relationships ensure a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to service delivery and enable the integration of clinical, non-clinical and indigenous practitioners to meet contractual and service delivery requirements.
Key Achievements:
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Successfully co-designed and implemented kaupapa Māori maternal and infant wellbeing services with regional and national impact.
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Established and led two pilot programs in partnership with kaupapa Māori and mainstream evaluators.
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Secured and managed funding for indigenous-led health initiatives, ensuring long-term sustainability.
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Developed and maintained a nationwide maternal and infant health network, enabling effective cross-sector collaboration.
Kia Kaha Māmā is committed to reducing health inequities by ensuring Māori-led solutions remain at the forefront of maternal and infant wellbeing. Grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi, our approach empowers whānau, strengthens intergenerational health, and supports system transformation toward equitable, sustainable maternal and infant health services.
Kaupapa Māori Maternal & Infant wellbeing services.
Having led two pioneering pilot programs, I bring agility and innovation to every phase of development—building, adapting, and elevating the service to meet evolving needs. My approach combines collaboration with kaupapa Māori and mainstream evaluators, ensuring robust, culturally grounded metrics. Through extensive regional and national networks, I stay at the forefront of maternal and infant health insights, contributing expertise that advances the field.
With a focus on self-sustainability, I’ve worked to secure funding that guarantees long-term, legacy impact. Kia Kaha Māmā Consultancy embodies a commitment to not only maternal and infant wellbeing but to enduring health equity and resilience for our future generations.
The Maara kai Sovereignty project
Maara Kai Sovereignty Project was born from resilience and collaboration in response to extreme weather events and the infrastructural challenges they bring to our remote rural communities.
Partnering with our marae and whānau, we successfully secured funding from the Ministry of Primary Industries to establish a maara kai that includes a newly planted orchard and tunnel house, ensuring a steady supply of fresh kai throughout the year.
This project isn’t just about food security—it’s about empowerment. We are building skills, cultivating sustainable practices, and creating future resilience for our community.
Plans are underway to run maara kai courses at the marae, where whānau can gain formal qualifications, acquire lifelong skills in food cultivation, and help nourish the community, regardless of road accessibility.
The Maara Kai Sovereignty Project embodies our commitment to self-sufficiency, cultural integrity, connection and the wellbeing of our people.
Te Aukume a Hine te Iwaiwa | Māori maternal and infant wellbeing MDT rōpū
Te Aukume a Hine te Iwaiwa is a national multidisciplinary māmā and pēpi Māori health transformative initiative designed to empower Māori-led research(ers) and foster deep collaboration between Māori health professionals and whānau.
Born out of discussions at the recent Māori models of pregnancy care workshop at the ON TRACK Network Trial Development Workshop in February 2022, this group seeks to build a robust evidence base that reflects the unique needs of Māori.
Its mission is clear: to inform the development of maternal, infant, and whānau health services that actively reduce health inequities and promote hauora, ensuring a strong start for every pēpi.
At the heart of this group is a commitment to nurturing the next generation of Māori researchers through tuakana-teina relationships. This rōpū received funding from the Health Research Council to enable the coordination of online hui and face-to-face wānanga, fostering whānaungatanga among researchers and advancing research that is meaningful, culturally relevant, and aligned with Māori values and aspirations.
This rōpu is set to be a catalyst for change in Māori health research, creating pathways for progress that are both grounded in our heritage and forward-looking in their impact.
08th June 2025, we were honoured to receive a significant contribution to Māori women's health award by the Royal Australian New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaencologists at their Elevation Ceremony in Dunedin. On behalf of this rōpū, Dr Wendy Burgess, Stephanie Shankar and myself accepted the award.
Tapu whilst Hapū | Sacred pregnancy
Tapu whilst Hapū is a bilingual whakataukī gifted to the Tairāwhiti FASD Action Group in 2019, embodying the sacredness of pregnancy and raising awareness about the profound impacts of alcohol consumption on unborn pēpi.
This whakataukī, carrying its own unique mauri, calls on the entire community to care for hapū māmā (pregnant individuals) with respect, reverence, and holistic support.
Through a kaupapa Māori lens, it honors not only the growing child but also the future generations, the environment we cherish, and the aspirations that each new life inspires.
Tapu whilst Hapū resonates across various wellbeing platforms, encouraging holistic health and awareness within areas like domestic violence prevention, healthy relationships, spiritual and physical wellness, and substance-free pregnancies.
This whakataukī serves as a powerful guide, reminding rangatahi (young people) and communities alike of our shared responsibility to nurture each new generation.
For those interested in collaborating with Tapu whilst Hapū, please reach out to discuss how we can together enhance the health and vitality of our communities.
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Te Wakahuia o Hine
Te Wakahuia o Hine is an organisation principally concerned with the wellbeing of Tangata Whenua - midwives and student midwives, whānau accessing midwifery and maternity services, and the integrity and quality of those services that achieve the intent of Te Tiriti to serve all citizens equally.
The charitable objects of Te Wakahuia o Hine are to ensure a Tiriti o Waitangi focus on the areas of Midwifery and Maternity Strategies, Investments, Policies, Education and Research; and thus, activities that advance holistic health and wellbeing of Tangata Whenua and thereby benefit the community by:
i. Championing an equal Tangata Whenua voice in the design and implementation of focus areas.
ii. Monitoring the direction of focus areas to achieve equal and equitable outcomes for Tangata Whenua.
iii. Advocating for health system excellence in focus areas that prioritise Tangata Whenua and Whānau Ora.
iv. Conducting research that transforms focus areas to be Tiriti-led.
The objects are intended for the relief of poverty, the advancement of education, the advance of religion e ai ki ngā tangata katoa, or other purposes beneficial to the community that fall within the definition of ‘charitable purposes’ as defined in the Charities Act 2005. Notwithstanding anything herein contained the objects of Te Wakahuia o Hine shall be limited and restricted at all times so that they shall be within the definition of ‘charitable purposes’ as defined in the Charities Act 2005 as amended from time to time, or in any Act passed in substitution.