What do you hope to achieve this year?

Ashlea | Te Tai Poutini

Ashlea reflects on the importance of self-care, being proud of her Māori identity, and modelling this to her tamariki so they can also feel proud and achieve their goals.

“I have an interest in mau rākau and mau patu. I have interests in Māori practices of gardening, te reo Māori, waiata Māori, kapa haka.

I hope to make more time for myself because a lot of it is devoted to my children. And often I’ll forget that if I don’t look after myself before I look after them, it can be a lot harder. I want to make more time for things that I’m interested in so that I’m good, ready to go and can then look after my tamariki.

It’s about being proud of who I am and where I come from. If my children see that, then they can also be proud of themselves and where they come from. So that they know who they are, where they come from, what it means to be Māori and that they’re proud to be Māori. When my needs are fulfilled, and I’ve filled up my cup, then I can go on to help them to achieve what they need or what they want.”