Tēnā kotou,

I am a māmā, sister, daughter, descendant

A few years ago I was gifted with the seed of life. Little did I know that this precious taonga (treasure) I was growing was going to propel me into my hearts work.

The innate trust I had through my pregnancy, and in myself to birth our pēpi was what helped us achieve the most beautiful birth in the comforts of our own whare.

A deep passion for everything birth emerged and I completed my doula training, The Labour of Love, in 2022.

This is where so much of my own healing happened, and I know I wouldn’t be the wāhine I am today had I not gone all in. It was much more than a doula training.

I dove deep into the depths of my being.

Understanding childhood trauma, intergenerational trauma, regulating my nervous system, learning how to be with myself, the art of listening, being witnessed in my full expression of grief and love and learning how to hold that space for others. I really learnt how to let go… of expectations, of everything.

Everything I had been taught.

Everything that no longer served me.

I now know it's more about remembering, because we already know.

Especially how to birth our babies.

After having a natural home birth, I had the awareness that this is not everyones experience. In fact, sadly not for most māmā.

So, I wanted to learn more about birth trauma, birth intervention, and how to prepare wāhine for birth and how to best avoid unnecessary intervention and trauma which lead me to do my Healing Birth Practitioner Training that same year.

As we know, with birth, comes responsibly.

I have been on a reclamation journey since the day our son was born, looking into the archives of our tupuna (ancestors) and their way of understanding life here on earth, a continuous journey. We have a responsibility to ensure that our son knows exactly where he comes from, that he experiences hearing and speaking his native tongue, and that he knows that his relationship with the whenua (land) he was born on is important and that he never forgets that.

I kept listening, following the threads being presented.. fast forward to 2023, I had my first Romiromi. It was then I knew that I was being called to step into the Traditional Māori Healing realm, practicing specifically in Romiromi. I quickly learnt it could help with fertility blockages, and Haputanga (traditional Māori pregnancy massage) weaves in perfectly with my birth support mahi.

I once got told I was a weaver, and now I understand why.

Arohanui and blessings on your haerenga (journey).

Mererina Dunn

Ngapuhi (Māori), Lebanese, Samoan, and European

Acknowledgements

Sophia Paskell - Labour of Love Doula mentorship

Carla Sargent (Healing Birth) - Healing Birth Practitioner Training

Wikitoria Oman - Traditional Māori Healing

I want to write special acknowledgements to the late Tohunga Hohepa De La Mere (otherwise known as Papa Joe) for sharing and passing down the teachings of centries old ‘waananga lore’ of Traditional Māori Healing, based on universal principles dating back 4000 years. It is a great honour to have been called into this lineage of knowledge and healing and to continue to share this mahi (work) alongside many others.

Lastly, I want to acknowledge my tupuna (ancestors) for always guiding and walking alongside me in this lifetime.

Website photos - The amazingly talented Carina from The Memory Boutique - memoryboutiquenz