Over the past year, a small collective of local organisations have been working together to provide Wahakura Wānanga for Tararua families. Wahakura are a bed for babies, woven with harakeke (flax). National results have shown that the use of Wahakura has contributed to the reduction of SUDI (Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy) by providing a safe sleeping space for babies, particularly when co-sleeping.
Expectant parents and their whānau are welcomed on to the marae and spend the day with an experienced weaver (kairāranga) to help them complete their wahakura in one day. After a few weeks of drying, the wahakura are returned to the whānau, complete with a mattress, linen and knitting.
Although Covid-19 and the lockdown period provided challenges, The Trust Tararua, the Whānau Weavers group, Te Kōhanga Whakawhaiti Marae in Pahiatua and Pahiatua Help N Hand Supergrans worked hard to ensure that whānau in our district were able to access wahakura and at alert level 1, be able to weave their own.
Weavers continued to weave wahakura during lockdown and these were delivered to whānau. However, getting back to meeting in groups post-lockdown and maintaining the original intent of the wahakura project have meant we are getting together more often now with smaller groups of families who want to weave a wahakura for their pēpi.
