Amelia Clark has joined Active Southland’s Healthy Families Invercargill team as Rautaki Māori, bringing a wealth of experience, connection and understanding of kaupapa Māori. Amelia is an active member of the Murihiku Māori hapori and a member of Ngā Hau e Whā marae.  

Before her current role, Ameila most recently worked for the Māori Women’s Welfare league’s Arahi branch, delivering kaupapa prioritised by membership, centred on reconnection with te ao Māori. Amelia says it’s exciting that she can continue this mahi at Healthy Families on a larger scale, as there’s a huge need in the community for these reconnections, and it’s a great opportunity to see positive change. 

An outline of some of the important mahi that Amelia is creating and continuing at Healthy Families Invercargill:

• Murihiku Reo Strategy

In essence, developing a Murihiku Reo Strategy is not only a response to identified challenges but also a proactive step towards realising the aspirations of the Māori community, fostering cultural pride and identity, and ensuring the enduring vitality of Māori language and culture within the Murihiku region.

• Hine Atua:

An extra curricula programme for young Māori kōhine with the aim of establishing living relationships with Atua Māori and using that knowledge to self-regulate. Through the building of these relationships kōhine will use the Atua Matua framework to engage with the taiao with a focus on plant identification and how to use natural resources to make everyday products.

• Te Kapa Haka o Ngā Hau e Whā

After a long-term absence in Murihiku, a muster was held, backboned by the Healthy Families Invercargill Rautaki Māori, to have senior kapa haka reintroduced in the province. The goal was to fill the gap in the kapa haka space, establish whanonga pono, allow hapori to dream and aspire, and improve hauora and wellbeing, while cultivating the value of whakapono – belief in yourself, your own stories and capabilities.

• Waioratanga:

A group of Māori women in Murihiku have embarked on a journey to prioritise their well-being as mothers and as Māori women, drawing inspiration from their connection to Papatūānuku and the concept of Waioratanga, ultimately revitalising cultural practices and reclaiming ancestral wisdom through activities centered around Atua Matua and the Māori world view.

Amelia’s background also includes working with Para Kore, a te ao Māori based, zero waste education programme. This evolved from her education at Te Wharekura O Arowhenua. There she learned to apply atua to everyday life - taking from intergenerational stories, and combining with tikanga Māori, to influence behaviour change to protect the natural environment and strengthen connection to Papatūānuku and Ranginui, something Amelia believes there’s room to integrate in her Healthy Families role. 

Also, Amelia has gained professional growth and expertise through an education consultancy service her mother founded and delivered throughout the East Coast of the North Island. This experience provided her with a sound understanding of New Zealand's education system, all while managing the demands of being a stay-at-home mum. 

Born in Murihiku, with family roots in Ruatoria, Amelia's whakapapa is a blend of Irish descent from her grandfather and Ngāti Porou from her grandmother. Her grandparents' unique history as lighthouse keepers across Aotearoa eventually led them to settle in Murihiku. 

Amelia is passionate about elevating kaupapa Māori and advancing the revitalisation of te reo Māori in Murihiku. “Being an active member of the Māori community and hearing the aspirations of our hapori, I’m in a position to support whānau to achieve these aspirations. It’s naturally something I do. That it’s my job is even better.” 

Article added: Thursday 20 June 2024