Hapū Wānanga — Taranaki’s only kaupapa Māori childbirth education programme

Course Agenda

Our free, 2-day wānanga prepares whānau for labour, birthing and parenting, delivering antenatal education grounded in tikanga and mātauranga Māori, including Māori birthing practices.

It is held at various locations around Taranaki.

Over the 2-days we’ll cover the following topics:

→ Traditional Māori Birthing

→ He Rongoā Whakawhānau (Natural therapies)

→ Birth Physiology

→ Immunisations

→ Tui Ora - Well Child Provider

→ Make your own Ipu Whenua (clay placenta vessel)

→ Whenua ki te Whenua

→ Safe Sleep

→ Tiaki Ūkaipō, Breastfeeding support

→ Mana Tane, support for pāpā

→ Dental Health

→ Healthy Homes, WISE Charitable trust

→ Pain Relief & Interventions

→ Baby Checks

→ Fourth Trimester

→ Make your own whītau muka

Please note:

Both days are 9am-4pm, please arrive at 8.45am on Saturday in time for powhiri.
A nourishing morning tea and lunch are provided. Reach out if you have any dietary requirements.
Wear clothes that are loose and comfy that you don’t mind getting dirty (clay can be messy!)
To make the muka ties, you need to use your bare legs to roll the fibres - so a skirt/dress or loose pants should be worn.
Wahakura embody the Māori concept of whakapapa as ‘he taonga tuku iho’ – a gift passed down from our ancestors. They are a symbol of Mātauranga Māori (Māori knowledge), and a practical and safe place for pēpē to sleep.
As such, we have made the decision to begin running Wahakura Wānanga throughout the year to encourage whānau to make their own. The process of using your hands to weave, working with harakeke towards creating a safe sleeping space for our taonga can be a deeply beneficial and healing experience for whānau preparing to welcome new life.
We will no longer be offering wahakura out to every whānau that attend Hapū Wānanga and would like to encourage whānau to attend a wahakura wānanga instead to make their own. However, if you do not have access to a safe sleep space for your pēpē then please let us know so we can provide you with one.
We highly encourage that your partner (or at least 1 support person) attend with you. We make sure to include and involve partners in Hapū wānanga as they are just as important in the pregnancy/birth and raising your pēpē. Some partners have felt nervous or shy about coming but we're so glad they did end up coming as they enjoyed it so much.
While we do allow children to attend, it is advised you arrange someone to care for your tamariki whether at home or at the wānanga. This is specifically so that you can concentrate on the learning and activities we deliver at wānanga. We don't want you to miss out because you are too focused on chasing a toddler around! if you have any queries about this, let us know.
We will be posting photos from the wānanga, please let us know if you would prefer not to have your photo taken.
Make sure you like our Facebook and Instagram pages if you haven't already.

Register your interest for Hapū Wānanga ki Taranaki

Preferred date full?

If your preferred wānanga date is not displayed above then it will be at capacity, if you would like to join the waitlist you can below. We will be in touch if a space becomes available.

Can’t make it to wānanga in person?

If you can’t make it to our wānanga in person, you can complete our self-directed class online.

The topics that we cover over our 2-day in-person wānanga have been added to Google Classroom — a super easy to use online programme that allows you to participate in our wānanga.

Learn More

FAQs

Aē! Yes! We encourage all whānau Māori and non-Māori to attend. Please note as spaces are limited we will always prioritise whānau Māori (pēpē Māori) to have the opportunity to attend. If we are unable to fit you into a wānanga then we can support you to do the course online instead. You can register here.
Aē! We love when whānau come to support a new māmā. You may want to bring your partner and Mum or a best friend or an older sibling. Absolutely fine - just let us know how many you will be bringing for catering purposes.
Yay! What a great opportunity for this to be your first marae experience. One of our facilitators will meet you at the carpark in the morning, she will explain the tikanga of the marae and bring you on for the powhiri process. We pride ourselves on creating a safe and welcoming space for everyone to feel comfortable over the two days at wānanga.
Kei a koe! Up to you! While Hapū Wānanga is a free course, if you would like to koha to the marae then you can. We pass on all cash koha to the marae.
Of course! Many whānau will choose to do this and you can bring whoever you would like to support you over the two days.
While we do allow children to attend, it is advised you arrange someone to care for your tamariki whether at home or at the wānanga. This is specifically so that you can concentrate on the learning and activities we deliver at wānanga. We don't want you to miss out because you are too focused on chasing a toddler around! If you have any queries about this, please let us know.
Awesome! We often have medical students or other health professionals attend as part of their own professional development. We ask that you read and sign our Kaitautoko/Health Observer agreement and contribute a koha kai for morning tea both days. Please email us at kiaora@haputaranaki.co.nz if you would like to come along as a health observer.
We recommended attending a wānanga between 28-32 weeks. This ensures you are comfortable enough to sit through a two day wānanga and also hopefully means you won't miss a wānanga if pēpē decides to arrive early!
Of course, if there is still space available we can move you to another date. Please email kiaora@haputaranaki.co.nz if you need to change your dates.
Hapū Wānanga Taranaki is funded partially by Te Whatu Ora and the Toi Foundation. We also rely on volunteers and the generosity of our community to help support our whānau with items like woollen baby clothing and blankets and donations. If you would like to volunteer your time to sew, knit or would like to donate good quality baby items then please get in touch via email kiaora@haputaranaki.co.nz. If you would like to donate a cash koha then our bank account details are: Hapu Wananga ki Taranaki Charitable Trust: 15-3946-0415323-00