Maori Women's Welfare League

05/10/2026

A week on and still humming 🎶

We’re a week on from our Te Papa exhibition opening. There’s archival footage screening in our whakaaturanga, and it speaks of waiata as an important part of who we are - expression, tautoko, ngahau. Years down the track, things have changed, but we’re lucky to have some beautiful taonga and waiata that remain the same. Te Papa weekend was a treasure!

Each rohe was encouraged to host its own regional taonga exhibition. This week, we look at National Conference, and Tāmaki Makaurau are holding their own art exhibition during Conference week, “Whakamaua te Aho Matua.”

The dates coincide with our 75th Anniversary National Conference, 7–11 October 2026, at Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau. The name of the exhibition follows our Comference theme: “Whakamaua te Aho Matua.”

Exhibition Coordinator Denise Te Tuhi Ewe shares that tono were put to the Tāmaki Makaurau peka to submit taonga.

“We have been loaned some beautiful taonga comprising history, contemporary activities, pukapuka, raranga. Real show pieces that reflect the many and varied taonga our peka maintain in the name of the MWWL.” - Denise Te Tuhi Ewe

Tāmaki Makaurau will also highlight Aotearoa Māori Netball Oranga Healthy Lifestyles (AMNOHL) and Māori Women’s Development Inc (MWDI), with Jaqueline Tate as head curator, assisted by Maria Taka.

Let’s curate something beautiful this week at Conference, together.

Mema mā, whānau mā, kia ora, kia mau, kia ngāwari 💜

05/10/2026

Calling all MWWL members!

We’re excited to be delivering a fully funded MWDI Te Ara Pakihi & He Papa Pūtea Pakihi workshop just for MWWL members at the Māori Women’s Welfare League 75th Anniversary National Conference. If you’re starting a pakihi, growing an existing one, or simply want a bit more clarity around your next steps, come along for practical support, useful tools, funding and finance guidance, and the chance to connect with other wāhine Māori.

The workshop will be facilitated by the incredible Leisa Nathan, Chartered Accountant and MWDI Te Aka business mentor, who’ll share practical advice to help you move your ideas and goals forward.

Friday 9 October, 10.30am to 12.30pm held in the Four Winds Theatre. Due Drop Arena, Tāmaki Makaurau
Register via the QR code in the carousel or at https://7b6d0z.share-ap1.hsforms.com/24xSgyfphQCq1TUzyA_hKJA

03/10/2026

Ko te tuawhā ……. Hints galore from Tāmaki Makaurau.

✅ Follow their page Tāmaki Makaurau MWWL - National Conference 2026
📋 Get the checklist sorted
🎉 See you all at Conference

CONFERENCE HINT #4

Know Your Venue.

As we get closer to conference, here’s a guide to help you get familiar with Due Drop Events Centre before you arrive.

Our entire conference will take place at the one venue. From the Powhiri, to Nga Pu Korero o Apopo, Conference, Rangatahi Forum, Banquet Evening, Kai, Stalls - the works!

Have a look at the map, get your bearings and save it to your phone so you can easily refer back to it during conference.

💜 7–11 October 2026

02/10/2026

⏳ 5 Days To Go! ⏳

Five days until our 75th Annual Conference begins on 7 October in Tāmaki Makaurau!

Yesterday we shared FAQs. Today, we honour a living example of what our members build when they listen to the needs of our whānau.

Aotearoa Māori Netball Oranga Healthy Lifestyles (AMNOHL) grew directly from our League’s Rapuora health research. Our members listened to wāhine across the motu and acted on what they heard.

Under Dame June Mariu, netball became the vehicle for oranga. Today, AMNOHL is guided by National Coordinator Nanaia Mahuta, with a vision that says it all: Tū Ora, Tū Kaha, Tū Mana, Tū Māori.

And this year, AMNOHL will be part of our conference presentations, proof that our mahi doesn’t stay in the meeting room. It makes it out of the minutes and in to our hapori and on to the court!

📸 Photo 1: Dame June Mariu with rangatahi, believed to be at a Te Waipounamu event.

📸 Photo 2: MWDI, 2016 - all trustees pictured are former MWWL National Presidents. Many have now passed on. Dame June is pictured here also.

Moe mai rā koutou ngā mareikura. Tātou te kanohi ora ki a tātou. Kia ora ra te Mana o te wahine.

Back: Kataraina O’Brien, Dame Areta Koopu, Prue Kapua, Druis Barrett.
Front: Dame Aroha Reriti-Crofts, Kitty Bennett, Dame June Mariu.

Five days to go.

Nau mai e hika mā, nau mai te 7 o Oketopa.
💜 75 years of Mauri Ora!

02/10/2026

October is looking busy at MWDI!

This month we’ll be out and about across the motu, connecting with wāhine Māori through a range of events, programmes and kaupapa.

We’ll be delivering an exclusive workshop at the MWWL National Conference, alongside Hineboss, Kohinga Koha and Te Toi Ahurea.

And there’s more to come! Keep your eyes peeled for an exciting new kaupapa we’ll be sharing soon 👀

Swipe through to see what’s coming up this October, and visit mwdi.co.nz for more.

01/10/2026

Kia hiwa ra! Hint 3.........

CONFERENCE HELPFUL HINT #3

A quick look at the map before you arrive will save you a bit of time on the day.

♿ Mobility and Kuia, Kaumātua drop-off is available at the Sir Noel Robinson Conference Centre.

🚗 Free parking is available in the shared carparks near the Fisher & Paykel end of the venue. So no need to pay at the pay stations or the QR code on the carpark signage.

🅿️ North Car Park is set aside for stall holders, kaimahi, Host Rohe and overflow parking.

🚪 There are two main entrances into the venue: Fisher & Paykel Foyer and Sir Noel Robinson Conference Centre.

Hei reira, wāhine mā
💜 7–11 Oketopa 2026

30/09/2026

✨ Tērā te Mana o te Wahine. ✨

Our 75th-anniversary celebrations aren’t just about looking back, they are about witnessing how a legacy can continue to build.

This year at our hui a tau, we are honoured to welcome Moana Maniapoto as a guest speaker. Moana is an award-winning singer-songwriter, journalist, film/documentary maker, and associate producer of Te Ao with Moana.

Across three decades, she has built an extraordinary career using her voice, creativity, and influence to uphold te reo Māori, celebrate Māori identity, challenge dominant narratives and injustice, and advocate for wāhine Māori and Indigenous women. Her work ensures Māori stories, knowledge, rights, and voices are valued and heard.

Moana first broke ground in the 1990s with Moana and the Moahunters and has continued - with her current band Moana and the Tribe - to create politically conscious music that carries Māori stories and perspectives to audiences throughout Aotearoa and around the world. Her many honours include becoming an Arts Foundation Laureate, receiving the Toi Iho Māori Made Mark, and being inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame. She was also the first non-American to win the Grand Jury Prize of the International Songwriting Competition for her song Moko. E poho ana a Ngai Māori.

Her presence on our stage supports the theory of change - that wāhine Māori are integral to thriving communities. Our mema before us did it then, and wāhine like Moana continue that mahi today.

We can’t wait to hear from Moana at our 2026 hui this year in Tāmaki Makaurau.

🎉 Due Drop Event Centre
⚡️ Manukau, Auckland
💜 We celebrate 75 years of Mana Wahine, leadership, and legacy!

Hei Te Whitu! 📅

29/09/2026

⏳ 7 Days To Go! ⏳

E hika mā, only 7 days until we gather in Tāmaki Makaurau for our 75th Anniversary Conference!

You may hear that some branches claim to be older than 75 years, and that could be right. We were constituted in 1951, and by the time we were officially constituted, we already had over 200 branches. Ka nui te pai alright!

Our members hold our hītori and our kōrero, and that is important. While yes, this is our constituted 75th anniversary, we also recognise the importance of the kōrero held by our mema, the stories, the whakapapa, and the mahi that came before us.

Because our members are the foundation of our whole League movement. Our own constitution says it, right there at the start of Section V: League Membership, arā,

"Members are the foundation of the whole league movement."

That is the heartbeat of who we are. Seven days until we come together to honour that legacy, and look ahead to the next 75.

Nau mai e hika mā, nau mai te 7 o Oketopa.
❤️ 75 years of building

28/09/2026

Kia mataara tātau mā!

Tamaki Makaurau are putting it on for us next week! 👀🤗 and here are a few important reminders for oir up and coming hui a tau!

Kia mau! Kia mataara ✨

E ngā wāhine o Te Ropu Wahine Maori Toko I Te Ora p**a noa i ngā motu o Aotearoa, Te Waipounamu, whiti atu ki Te Whenua Moemoeā, nau mai, haere mai ki tō tātou Hui-a-Tau 2026.

Tāmaki Makaurau Rohe warmly welcomes all Māori Women’s Welfare League members to this year’s National Conference, being held here in Tāmaki Makaurau at Due Drop Events Centre, 7–11 October 2026.

As we get closer to conference, we want to share some helpful hints and handy information to help you prepare for your journey and pack your bags for conference.

Heoi anō, nau mai, haere mai ki Tāmaki Makaurau! 💚

27/09/2026

✨ Tērā te Mana o te Wahine. ✨

Our 75th-anniversary celebrations aren’t just about looking back, they are about witnessing the legacy in motion.

This year at our Hui-ā-Tau, we are honoured to welcome Em-Haley Kūkūtai Walker (also known as the award-winning songwriter, Theia) as a guest speaker on Pōhiri Day, 7 October.

Em-Haley is an auteur, scholar, and artivist of the Ngaati Tiipaa and Ngaati Kaiua peoples from Waikato Taniwha Rau. Where our founding mema laid the foundation, Em-Haley is building a distinguished career that breaks ground on a global scale.

She is currently completing her Masters of Indigenous Studies at the University of Auckland, a 2026 recipient of the prestigious Blues Award for Arts and Culture, and a Fellow of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Indigenous Peoples. In April, she represented her tūpuna and iwi, delivering interventions before the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to much acclaim.

Different tools. Same kaupapa. Same unwavering commitment to our people.

Her presence on our stage is living proof that the mahi of our wahine before and our tūpuna doesn’t end with them. It adapts, it evolves, and it thrives in the hands of those who follow. And we can’t wait to hear from Em-Haley at our 2026 Hui-ā-Tau this year in Tāmaki Makaurau 7-11 October!

🎉 Are you registered?
⚡️ Kōrero to your peka and Area Reps
💜 Hei Te Oketopa! 📅