Ko Takitimu tōku waka
Ngāti Kahungunu rawa, ko Ngāi Tahu tōku iwi
Ko Mihiroa tōku Marae
Ko Beverly Te Huia ahau
Beverly Te Huia’s Māori whakapapa, both men and women, have always been involved in delivering babies. She has three children and fifteen years midwife experience. Beverley has postgraduate diplomas in Midwifery and Health Science and is currently completing her thesis titled ‘Māori Reality- Addressing Disparities in Content’. She runs Ngā Maia Māori Midwives Aotearoa which acknowledges whānau desire to have birthing knowledge that upholds the significance of creation and the mana of all involved in the process of birth. The vision is to provide Kaupapa Māori resources for whānau to access to weave the concepts:
- that speak to the whānau into their birthing stories
- to provide a space for Māori midwives to generate and debate our ways of knowing and walking beside whānau
Beverly explains “When Māori refer to health the view of health is holistic and centred on whānau and wellbeing rather than the health of oneself as an individual.” She has worked for a Māori provider since 1996 and is aware of the struggles and the strengths that contribute to better health outcomes for Māori.
Beverly has implemented an integrated model of care (Kotahitanga Whānau Model), which enables GP services and Māori Providers to work meaningfully with Māori Whānau. She has been Acting CEO for Kahungunu Health Services, the Chair for Ngā Maia Māori Midwives Aotearoa, integration manager for Kahungunu Health Services and Totara Health and member of Workforce Development National Committee for maternity services. Beverly also developed Bio-Oil Lanomint for breastfeeding women.
In 2014 and 2016 Beverly worked in Mongolia as part of a team of five New Zealand midwives. She provided Mongolian midwives with the tools to teach childbirth education. The team developed a manual and devised interactive learning sessions for groups in Ulaan Bataar and two cities in the rural mining areas of the Gobi Desert.
Beverly is a trustee for Hinetemoa marae and Tapairu and Waipuka land blocks, a licensed pilot and beekeeper and outdoor education instructor. She is a keen sportswoman completing ultramarathons in both the Sahara and Gobi deserts and the New York marathon. Beverly represented New Zealand with her two sisters in beach handball in Turkey. She coaches school netball and cricket.
Beverly’s leadership follows in the footsteps of her tūpuna.
Te Akonga Mohi – Beverly’s father’s grandfather-. Māori land rights leader.
Puke Puke Tangiora Mohi - Beverly’s father’s grandmother- matriarch.
Tiopira Apatari Kaukau- Beverly’s mother’s great grandfather - Māori land rights leader.
Nicolas Scia Scia- Beverly’s mother’s great grandfather - explorer navigator
Sir Timoti Karetu – Beverly’s mother’s first cousin - reo Māori revitalisation
Profile by:
Jean Te Huia, Ngāti Kahungunu, Chief Executive Officer for Ngā Maia o Aotearoa Māori Midwives