Nga Poari Kaitiaki/The Trustees

NGA MAIA O AOTEAROA ME TE WAIPOUNAMU BOARD OF TRUSTEES

CHAIRPERSON

Aroha Reriti-Crofts (Ngāi Tahu)
Taua Aroha was elected National President of the Māori Women’s Welfare League in 1990 and was awarded a CBE for her services to Māori and the community in 1993. Aroha remains an ardent spokeswoman for and member of Te Rōpū Wāhine Māori Toko I te Ora o Ōtautahi today and always makes sure that the voice of Maori is heard whenever she is present. She is a mother of three, grandmother of eight mokopuna and great grandmother. She is one of Nga Whaea o te Motu, Nga Perehitini for Hei Manaaki Te Mana Wahine Maori (MWDI) and kaumatua for Te Puawaitanga ki Otautahi Trust who provide a number of Kaupapa Maori services to Maori whanau among many other roles.

Christine Hawea (Ngati Manawa, Ngati Whare, Ngati Kahungungu, Ngati Apa )

Tena ra koutou katoa

I am married with my husband hailing from Ngati Awa and Ngati Porou, we have a daughter called Alisha Maraea who attends Kura Kaupapa, and I affliliate to Ngati Manawa and Ngati Whare on my mother's side and to Ngati Kahungungu and Ngati Apa on my fathers side. I trained as a Registered Nurse and worked as a Public Health Nurse, Practise Nurse and Tutor at Waiariki Polytechnic prior to leaving to study as a Midwife at Wyntech in 1996.

I returned to Rotorua to form a Midwifery Practise with a number of other Maori and Pacific Midwives called Te Roopu Whakawhanau and I started my career as a Lead maternity Carer until 2007. We later reinvented ourselves under the banner of Lakes Midwives, we had an antenatal contract delivering antenatal classes, and we had a special contract delivering Midwifery Services to Woman at Tokoroa. In 2008 I spent time working in Australia as a Midwife in Northern Queensland and I returned to work briefly in Whakatane as a Core Midwife. I now reside in Auckland and am working part time as an LMC and I am starting my Masters at AUT.

I have been involved in Iwi Projects as a member of Te Runanga o Ngati Manawa and I was a member of the Murupara Maori Woman's Welfare League for many years and transferred to Waiariki MWWLeague.

Christine Hawea

Horomona Horo (Nga Puhi, Taranaki, Ngati Porou)
Horomona is a young man of his mid twenties rooted in his culture but with a global vision. He is a practitioner of taonga puoro, a teacher in a Immersion Maori School/Kura Kaupapa Maori and a youth co-ordinator. Along with his wahine toa Regan Balzer he is a proud matua. Horomona hopes to inspire other mana tane to be actively involved in the birthing and raising of their pepe using he taonga tuku iho na nga tipuna.

Suzi Clarke (Ngai Tahu, Ngati Hamoa)
Tena Koutou, Tena Koutou, Tena Koutou Katoa
Ko Aoraki te Mauka
Ko Takitimu te waka I hari mai I te tipuna
Ko Waipara te Awa
Ko Kai Tahu me Ngati Hamoa ka Iwi
Ko Te Whenua Potiki O Tautahi te Papatuuwhenua
Engari, kei te noho hoki au ki Otautahi inaianei
No Te Waipounamu ahau
Ko Huhana taku ikoa

Suzi is a proud mama to three children and grandmother to three mokopuna. As her tamariki span in age from the mid-thirties to primary school she has experienced the different choices in maternity in different eras of her life and that of midwifery. She is passionate about Maori Health and in particular that of Mama and Pepe and is currently the General Manager of Te Puawaitanga ki Otautahi Trust who are a Kaupapa Maori organization who provide a range of hau-ora Maori services in the community.

Crete Cherrington (Nga Puhi)
Ko Hikurangi te Maunga
Taumarere te Awa
Ngati Hine te Hapu
Ngapuhi te Iwi
Ko Kiriti Keretene toku ingoa

Crete is a mother of six children aged from twenty-four years, twenty-two years, a sixteen year old to a set of triplets who are fourteen years old. She is also a grandmother and an independent midwife case loading within the Tai Tokerau rohe and has been a midwife for approximately fifteen years.

I have a passion for traditional birthing practices, and have found that due to the generosity of whanau I have been blessed with many gifts of learning and continue to have many challenges along the way. This passion is a lifelong process.
no reira

tena koutou, tena koutou, katoa