What is Whakatau Mai?
Whakatau Mai I The Wellbeing Sessions are a Changing Minds initiative, supported by the Ministry of Health.
Our wellbeing initiative has been developed as part of the New Zealand Government’s COVID-19 Response Package.
Our sessions strive to create a safe space for you to learn, share, discuss and connect with other people from all over Aotearoa, in real-time. Our aim is to create an accessible and inclusive space for all our guests. All our sessions are hosted on Zoom and are live - we don’t record our sessions but you’re welcome to watch a small selection of material pre-recorded with some of our Facilitators here to get an idea of the kind of things a session might include.
All sessions are hosted online on a private Zoom link, by capable facilitators from around the country. We are led by 'lived-experience'. This means that our facilitators have 'been there done that' – their own experiences of working through tough times means they understand what guests may be facing or feeling right now, as the implications of COVID-19 continue to impact us all.
Our Story:
The name Whakatau Mai was gifted to us as we worked with our Treaty Partners on our kaupapa. This taonga acknowledges the life challenges we can all experience at any time. It invokes the warm welcome offered to guests at every session - you and all your experiences are welcome here, no matter where you are on your wellbeing journey.
Whakatau Mai, not only recognises that people’s wairua – their spirits – may be unsettled, but more importantly the healing that can be found in simple conversations that provide our spirits a safe place to settle in times of need.
Te Whare Tapa Whā describes the principles Whakatau Mai are built upon. If you think of the four corner posts and foundation of a whare or room, the four pou remind us to build our kaupapa on these principles, and uphold these in everything that we do. These include;
Taha tinana (physical wellbeing)
Taha hinengaro (mental wellbeing)
Taha wairua (spiritual wellbeing)
Taha whānau (family and social wellbeing)
and our connection with the whenua (land) forms the foundation.
Whakatau Mai was a finalist in the 2021 Waitematā Health Excellence Awards, nominated for the Excellence in Primary and Community Care category.
Meet our Project Team!
Adele
Adele is the Kaipoipoi Whakatau Mai Partner, working alongside Macarena in co-ordinating and delivering Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions. She works behind the scenes juggling all the logistics and helps keep the ball rolling to ensure a smooth and effective delivery of the Programme, leading our technical and peer support staff.
She is passionate about travelling, having gone on solo expeditions across South America and South-East Asia, and enjoys going on nature escapades on the weekends. She also has passion for animals, sweet treats, diving and is currently learning Portuguese.
Megan
Megan joins Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions team as our Communications Co-ordinator.
Megan is an artist. For her, printmaking is a grounding experience; a chance to be present in a process but accepting that you’ll never know exactly what the final work will look like until you lift the paper off the press.
Art and music are a key part of maintaining her wellbeing.
Ally
Ally is the one lining up the ducks behind the scenes to make sure the technology works smoothly and securely for your session. As a master of logistics, she ensures the team is trained and organised by juggling all the systems and processes that make Whakatau Mai | The Wellbeing Sessions work. An Irish girl at heart, she believes a good stew is vital for wellbeing and gets her own superpower topped up with great music.
Jodie
Jodie embraces her lived-experience as taonga, and brings that to her strategic support role for the Whakatau Mai team, having previously supported the project’s marketing and communications activity.
Originally from Christchurch, Jodie is currently on a mātauranga Māori journey, reconnecting with her Ngāti Kuri (Ngāi Tahu) whakapapa and on her journey to better understanding te ao Māori. She also enjoys cooking comfort food for the whanau, and enjoys drinking copious amounts of strong Yorkshire tea.
Our Advisors
Miriam
Miriam joins Whakatau Mai as our Clinical Advisor. While she works in Auckland as a clinical psychologist and family therapist, she also has her own recovery story and is one of the co-founders of Aotearoa Therapists with Lived Experience Network (ATLEN).She is passionate about the importance of lived experience perspectives and peer-led services, and is pleased to note that in the journey Whakatau Mai is on, those who have personally experienced adversity are the ones in the driver’s seat. Miriam describes her role as being like a GPS app that the team regularly consult and check in with, to keep all involved travelling safely and effectively.
Fiona
After helping Changing Minds develop Whakatau Mai in 2020, Fiona has stepped back to be the project’s Peer Support Advisor. In this role she offers regular co-reflection groups for the team’s support crew, facilitators, and project staff, using an Intentional Peer Support framework. Fiona brings with her an extensive work history of predominantly lived-experience and peer-to-peer support roles in the mental health and addictions sector since 2004.
This initiative is proof for Fiona that transformational opportunities can arise from even the most challenging situations. At home in Ōtautahi, she balances busy-ness with meditation, dancing modern jive, and baking deliciously decadent gluten-free treats.
Our Community
Thank you to the following organisations for offering some of their ongoing sessions through Whakatau Mai, or for partnering with us to support this project.
