Handmade stories of connection
Golden syrup or jam?
Mana wahine
Connections as old as the sea
Connections as old as the sea
Our people are the wayfarers of the ocean, we live by the lore of the sea, we are fed by it and fear it.
Just way out of line
Just way out of line
At a recent community breakfast, people were chatting as they queued, and it seemed like a good idea at the time to talk to the man next to us in the line.
Navigating school journey never easy
Navigating school journey never easy
My mātaamua, my girl finished school this week forever and what a journey it has been! She steps in to her next journey with trepidation and nerves, but I am pretty sure she will be OK. However, let me tell you, it hasn’t been easy.
Disaster woven in our histories
Disaster woven in our histories
It takes a village to raise a child and to rally in the face of a civil defence emergency.
A name destined to unite
A name destined to unite
Nga Wai Hono i te Po, the Māori Queen ... what struck me first, was what a beautiful name! Megan Ellison writes.
A new generation makes its own way
A new generation makes its own way
I unapologetically share stories about being a māmā because I take the parenting gig fairly seriously.
Mana Wāhine: Ko wai tōu ingoa?
Ko wai tōu ingoa?
I’m sharing this piece with someone I know well.
Connected by water and stars
Connected by water and stars
Matariki has been the focus for Aotearoa and Te Waipounamu over the past few weeks.
Restoring stars to the heavens
Restoring stars to the heavens
Matariki allows us to reflect on whānau and experiences at a time when we welcome the new year.
The look of love
The look of love
As I try to raise and guide three teenagers, I have come to realise that I fall back on what I know and how I was raised.
What’s in an ingoa?
What’s in an ingoa?
In my first column for Mana Wāhine last year, I shared that a recent discovery was that my grandmother had spent her first years living on ancestral land, immersed in her Māori world.
A name that holds the memory
A name that holds the memory
My son is named Tūkitaharaki after his great grandfather.
Prioritising what we really need
Prioritising what we really need
When I go home it’s like stepping back in time.
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Rekindling an ancient flame
SUBSCRIBER
Rekindling an ancient flame
Over the summer holidays, I climbed a mountain.
Lessons at the kura
Lessons at the kura
Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, the country’s youngest member of parliament in 171 years, proudly declared at a pre-election debate in 2023, that the kōhanga reo generation is here.
The politics of naming
The politics of naming
Names are a big deal in my whānau, hapū and iwi — although the name Megan was an unexciting last resort when I surprised my parents, who thought I was boy and had a name sorted for him.
Time to get real
Time to get real
Kauraka e mataku, there’s no need to be scared.
A life-saving whakapapa
A life-saving whakapapa
My whakapapa saved my life.
Facing the inevitable letting go
Facing the inevitable letting go
My husband’s passing has left the biggest hole in the lives of our whānau.