Māmā Neke Maunga, a collective of young māmā in Te Tai Tokerau have joined forces to lift their whānau and their communities out of economic and spiritual poverty.
With the support of E Tū Whānau kaimahi Shirleyanne Brown, the wāhine toa who make up Māmā Neke Maunga are challenging old ways of thinking about the choices they have, and the futures they can forge. Their name – Māmā Neke Maunga (mothers moving mountains) says it all – a commitment to tackling life’s hurdles with courage, grit and fresh ideas.
These determined wāhine have been thinking outside the box and drawing on their own strengths and successes to identify stepping stones towards a future that inspires and excites them.
Shirleyanne says that their focus on supporting one another and thinking about how they can work towards the futures they dream of – whether that is addressing whānau needs, working towards home ownership or getting a fulfilling job – is producing amazing results for the māmā.
“Together the māmā support each other in areas that matter to them and their whānau.”
Harnessing their collective strength and power
The experiences and dreams of each wahine are different, but it is the shared uplift they get from the māmā movement that gives them the courage and support to pursue their goals.
Sherie Ihaia Reweti (Ngā Puhi o Mokopuna) is one of three Māmā Neke Maunga kaitiaki guiding and supporting this kaupapa across the Far North. Her own story of change is both powerful and inspiring.
“I was in a toxic and volatile relationship, and I wasn’t good to myself,” she explains. With a great deal of determination and purpose, she’s moved on to her current life where she lives in a healthy, supportive and loving relationship with her husband and their blended family of eight children.
Sherie was instrumental in the establishment of the wāhine movement. As a young mum, she and her friends identified a lack of opportunities for them to connect and have fun, and so they started ‘Disco in the Park’, which attracted large numbers of wāhine and their pēpē. From there they realised they were creating a movement that they wanted to nurture and grow, says Sherie.
“We set up coffee dates and other events where our māmā could chat, get together, connect and support each other. We have a netball competition made up of teams of whānau members, and we organise boxing classes and all sorts of other physical activities.
“It became a place of refuge for wāhine and their whānau. We have become a true collective of wāhine. We don’t sit in judgement of anyone who comes along; we make everyone welcome,” says Sherie.
Over time different ideas have emerged. “Some wāhine are keen to look at home ownership, while others want to learn to take better care of themselves so they can take good care of their kids. We were all looking for ways to increase our hauora spaces.”
Drawing on local skills and experience to support their dreams
The wāhine have become good at looking at the skills and experience they want and also the resources and people in their communities who can support them to achieve their goals. Sherie’s story is truly inspirational and encourages other māmā to step into their greatness and explore what is possible.
