30 | TW Group: Mamia development T T Virginia Wright A supportive place for mothers and babies Top team: from left,TW Property senior development manager, Issac Aitken, Dr Aria Graham and Dr James Graham. Mamia is now supported with 12 full- and part-time staff from a range of disciplines. “We opened the doors in 2021, and invited young mums and new mums, people who needed connection and support, to come and start using our kaupapa with their babies.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT On a piece of land over the road from the Waipatu Marae, not far out of Hastings, the sturdily built Mamia whare is testament to the power of community and partnership when it comes to making a dream come true. The Mamia whare provides a supportive space for tamariki, māmā and whānau to go and spend time in warmth and safety, and its roots lie in a Post-doctoral Fellowship completed by Dr Aria Graham, whose whakapapa goes back to the marae. As a registered nurse, Dr Aria had worked in her community in Tamariki Ora Well Child, where she saw enough hardship to want to help those that might not have ready access to support from their own whānau or community. Her PhD involved exploring the perspectives and wellbeing experiences of young Māori mothers surrounding the birth of their first child, and she was already thinking about a model to provide them with support. The Fellowship effectively piloted the model, which became Mamia, and which has had its own journey to get where it is now. “From 2020, I started setting up Mamia as a whare and a kaupapa in a shed on Waipatu Marae, working with my Mum, Waiariki Davis, and friends and family,” says Dr Aria. “We opened the doors in 2021, and invited young mums and new mums, people who needed connection and support, to come and start using our kaupapa with their babies. Fast forward to now, we’ve probably reached between 580 to 600 tamariki and māmā and their families who have utilised Mamia.” About two years ago, Dr Aria was approached by TW Group, an extensive group of companies specialising in commercial, industrial and residential construction and development. Combined, they offer an end-to-end service from concept and design through to the finished build and everything in between. They had heard about Mamia and wanted to support it into a purpose-built space, she explains. ‘‘Leah Macdonell, the strategic manager of relationships from TW, contacted us, and working with her we could see that their values really aligned with ours.” With that initial relationship established, TW Property Ltd’s senior development manager,Isaac Aitkens, spearheaded the project. “As soon as I heard about it, I wanted to be part of taking the concept through to a reality, including a robust design phase to ensure that the vision of the Mamia building was brought to life in the way they wanted,” says Isaac. After consultation to better understand that concept, including visiting the shed Mamia was working out of, and the land it was going to, and getting a sense of the broader long-term vision of the Waipatu Marae, Isaac then drew on the expertise of several of the consultancy teams that work closely with TW Property, such as architects DGSE. “We knew they needed warm spaces for play and rest, but we also knew they needed long-term resilience and flexibility, so we designed it on piles so it can easily be relocated in the future,” says Isaac. T T to page 32 “You can’t move a concrete slab,” he says. The design team worked closely with the Mamia team to ensure that colours and materials – from door handles to latches – were appropriate and robust and in line with their needs. The 185sqm build includes three bedrooms, three toilets, showers and a bath. A generous communal open-plan living space off the kitchen is designed to be comfortable for all the mums and kids that might gather there, plus staff. *R1100657120-100* Sp c Ad Only This ad will not app r in t Yellow Pages *PRF* Ad ID: Team: UDAC: Rep ID: Rep Name: Sls Office: Cust ID: CS Version: Created Date: Tracking TN: Artist: QC: CMR Number: CMR Client: 101 08/11/24 No Geraldine Campano Geraldine Campano R1100657120-101 Personiv HPS 198505 Roil-Glendenning, WGN 6953964173 Jones Rubbish Bins 06-843-9727 Austin St Onkwa HBNZ - HAWKE’S BAY YELLOW 01/2025 Rubbish Bin Hire JONES RUBBISH BINS 843-4888 / 843-9727 LOCAL FAMILY COMPANY NO CONTRACTS REQUIRED WITH MAXI • JUMBO • MINI Commercial or Household Casual or Permanent NAPIER-HASTINGS DISTRICTS jonestransport@xtra.co.nz | www.jonestransport.co.nz *R1100657118-100* Spec Ad Only This ad will not appear in the Yellow Pages *PRF* Ad ID: Team: UDAC: Rep ID: Rep Name: Sls Office: Cust ID: CS Version: Created Date: Tracking TN: Artist: QC: CMR Number: CMR Client: 101 08/11/24 No Geraldine Campano Geraldine Campano R1100657118-101 Personiv HPS 198505 Roil-Glendenning, WGN 6953964173 Jones Transport 06-843-9727 Austin St Onkwa HBNZ - HAWKE’S BAY YELLOW 01/2025 Transport Operators JONES TRANSPORT jonestransport@xtra.co.nz | www.jonestransport.co.nz 843-4888 / 843-9727 LOCAL FAMILY COMPANY FOR ALL YOUR TRANSPORT NEEDS Crane Trucks • Long Loads Wide Loads • Flat Deck Trucks Hiabs • General Cartage Proudly Supporting the Mamia Project JONES BINS
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