Five years ago, Sherie Ihaia Reweti​​ was in an abusive and volatile relationship, not just with the father of her kids but with herself.

Now she has a happy whānau with a new husband and their eight children, is starting a rongoā (traditional Māori medicine) business, leading spiritual wānanga and about to buy her first home on Māori-owned land.

To make so many momentous changes in her life, Reweti credits her partner and the support of Whangārei-based group Māmā Moving Mountains.

“We’re a collective of amazing wāhine who just do whatever we need to do to uplift one another,” Rewiti explained.

READ MORE:
* Food rescue feeds the hungry and cuts greenhouse gas emissions
* Suicide leading cause of death during pregnancy for wāhine Māori
* Leadership of wāhine Māori shows a way forward for Aotearoa

“For me, it’s been a massive lot of opportunity and growth. The biggest thing is it has helped me to believe in myself and be true to myself.”

A project of 155 Whare Āwhina, Māmā Moving Mountains started in 2019 and now has new funding to help more mothers in Tai Tokerau.

Founder and “godmother” Carol Peters said the genius for the project goes back to a 2016 hui of Child Poverty Action Whangārei, which discussed ways to reduce local child poverty.

It decided the best way to lift children out of poverty was to empower the dreams of their mothers, she said.

“The dreams [of māmā] included developing a business, having their own home, getting out of debt, getting their kids off state care, getting into higher education – those sorts of aspirations,” she said.

Māmā Moving Mountains is all about getting in behind those dreams, Peters explained.

“We have been impressed by where it’s gone – the circles of māmā support one another and if they’re in trouble they help one another. That model is a fabulous model for community development.”

Facilitator ShirleyAnne Brown said māmā leadership is a big part of the project, so participants decide what areas they want to focus on.

Building resilience was also important, demonstrated by the mutual support given to the mothers over the Covid-19 lockdowns, she said.

It follows the Māori health model Te Whare Tapa Whā, which aims to balance the four sides of health: Taha tinana (physical health), taha wairua (spiritual health), taha whānau (family health) and taha hinengaro (mental health).

As a taha wairua leader, Reweti is using her skills as a social worker to organise a retreat-style wānanga for wāhine Māori, to guide them through a journey of self-discovery, self-confidence, and connection with nature and their culture.

The aim is to eventually roll out the wānanga to paying groups.

Reweti said being able to focus on her passion was an important part of her aspirations.

Another dream was having her own home, and she is looking forward to moving into a papakāinga, a housing development on communal Māori-owned land, in Ngāwhā later this year.

Her achievements are replicated among Māmā Moving Mountains members – others have developed small businesses, paid off debt, investigated rent-to-buy housing schemes or completed higher education.

At the moment, members are all Māori but that is not a requirement for anyone interested in joining, Reweti said.

Participants don’t even have to have given birth to be considered a māmā – the group includes anyone who nutures their whānau, such as one member who looks after her elderly parents, she said.

Māmā Moving Mountains has now received $100,000 to continue its work and to expand to other parts of Tai Tokerau.

The community grant is from the former Te Hiringa Hauora | Health Promotion Agency, which is now part of Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand.