A group of sisters, aunties and māmā shared their whakaaro and moemoea to make Te Poho.

Abha Dod, Antonia Smith, Brontë Jefferies, Hollie Russell, Jashana Bristow, Manisha Morar, Meri Haami, Nadia Abu-Shanab, Sharnae Morrell-Hopa, Tarapuhi Vaeau, Tayla Rapira, Tina Walker-Ferguson, and Shubhangi Kaushik. Aunty Tina created all our mahi toi. Find her artist page here.

Ka nui te aroha ki a koutou!

Aunty Sharnae Morrell-Hopa

Kia ora,⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Ko Taupiri rāua ko Whakapunake ōku maunga⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Ko Taupiri rāua ko Whetumarama ōku marae

Tipu ake au ki Whakatū ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Ko Sharnae tōku ingoa⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I whakapapa to Waikato and Wairoa, was born in Rangitikei and raised in Whakatū. As a displaced Māori, home has been a struggle to find. I’ve traveled to 14 countries and lived in numerous cities but a sense of belonging has always been found in the connections I’ve made. Returning home, living in Whakatū, Te Poho has become the journey I’ve needed. Te Poho is the journey worth taking.

For me, Te Poho is a safe haven to grow a deeper understanding on how to deal with the complexities of the world.

Te Poho is a space to kōrero, where wisdoms are respected, confidence is gifted and manaakitanga has been the connector of mātauranga.

Although life has thrown me my fair share of lemons, the responsibilities of being a sister, aunty, friend and daughter has pushed me through. I deeply believe in maintaining genuine relationships where authenticity is respected and voices are heard.

I’ve often struggled in the western world, unable to fit in whenever I couldn’t meet the demands of society. Te Poho has welcomed me as I am, no matter what emotions are ruling me on the day. I’ve felt confident that I’m both normal and special at the same time. I don’t fit into a box but that’s ok, that’s more than ok because new connections have supported me to use the box as a brick to build a whole world, where my friends and I are all encouraged to meet our potentials.

I can’t wait for the other aunties and I to share this tautoko.

So nau mai, haere mai, we got you!

Hollie Russell

Kia ora e hoa mā! 💗 Ko Hollie Russell ahau, he uri o Ngāti Rakaipaaka me Ngāti Pākehā. I’m best described as a nature loving, hot chip eating, anti-capitalist aunty. I am a strong believer in cutting your own fringe when on an emotional rollercoaster, the key is watching a lot of YouTube videos on how to beforehand. My dream is that Te Poho can provide a space for young people to engage with the freedom, resources, and matauranga they need to fulfill their potential and reach a space of tau.

Nau mai, haere mai XX

Abha Dod

Namaste y’all! Ko Abha Dod ahau. My roots are in India, my birthplace is in Kenya, and Aotearoa is my home. I’m an auntie on a personal journey of moving from trauma to transformation and I’m super passionate about bringing the koa of life into community and wellbeing spaces. I love so many things that life has on offer – yoga, expressive arts, permaculture, and relationships are at the top. My dream for Te Poho is that we can come together to share our collective wisdom, lighten our loads and celebrate our wins. That we can create a new way of ‘doing’ mental health in this complex world. I reckon that together, we have everything we need to survive, thrive, and feel alive!!

Aunty Bronts

Tēnā tātou xx

Nō Pōrana ōku tupuna
I whānau mai ki roto o Taranaki au.
Ko Brontë Jefferies tōku ignoa.

Kia Ora, I’m from Taranaki via Poland, and the rest in between. I am a māmā, who’s been dreaming of Te Poho forever.

This space is important ‘cos the world can feel pretty rough out there, and if we’re reeeally honest with ourselves most of us are doing it tough in some way, whether we like to admit it or not. Like not knowing where you come from, grief, having loved ones with addiction, getting your head around becoming a mama or a papa or losing your hero… I reckon big feelings happen for us all and I dunno if we were really taught how to handle, how to handle properly, not just cover it up with distraction, drugs, violence, etc. I’m just learning, still. And Te Poho is really helpful. For a long time, I just pretended I was super hearty with no feelings, which now I think about it just made me feel lonely, angry and like no one cared.

Turns out more people feel like I did/do… but still, it can be so hard putting words to our feelings, sometimes its hard to know where to even start.

I reckon we’ve all got a story to tell, kōrero to hear and whānau to find, Te Poho is that. We’re building a whānau, and we’re learning and growing together. Here we can be straight up about how we are. We can chat, move, laugh, learn, make friends, share ideas, ask for support, it’s all the things, come check it out xx

Arohanui, bronts

Manisha Morar

Nō Inia ōku tūpuna.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I whānau mai au I Zimbabwe.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I tupu ake au I Fiti me I Aotearoa.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ko Manisha Morar tōku ingoa.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Namaste, I'm Manisha, and my pronouns are she/her. My ancestors are from Gujarat, but I live in Manukau. I moved around a lot as a kid, and often feel like I walk between worlds. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I find comfort in feeling understood and joy in creating stories that weave us together, feeding bees, and hosting dance parties (for one).⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I'm a daughter and big sister with big auntie energy, so whatever's going on, grab a cuppa and a cushion. We'll figure it out together. 😊⠀⠀

Hannah Neville

Ko Waitākere te maunga ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ko Marawhara te awa ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ko Ngāti Pākehā te iwi ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ko Te Kawerau ā Maki te mana whenua⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Nō Piha ahau ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Ko Hannah tōku ignoa⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Tēnā koutou! Hannah here, a recovering people pleaser, semi-professional mask wearing Aunty from the west coast! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
When the sun is shining you can find me In the garden, frothing over nature or adventuring to new places with my play shoes on. When it’s not I’ll be snugged in an oversize jumper writing, reading, crying and refreshing the weather app hoping to see that sun. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I don’t think I’m alone when I say, I love to run away, but I’ve (we’ve) been doing that for years and it feels real stale. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Being part of Te Poho has allowed me to feel like we have somewhere to run toward.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
A place where we can tautoko one another and give space to our experiences. I know I’ve been starving for a community like this, and I don’t think I’m alone on that either ❤