Dannevirke mum’s campaign to create safe spaces for whānau

Jamie Holm, with Nikki Price from Dannevirke Library (left) and son Harlan, came up with the idea of Whanau Nohonga Tararua, listing organisations that support family friendly community spaces throughout the Tararua District.

By Leanne Warr

When you have young children and you are visiting places in town, what happens if your child needs changing or feeding?

That’s the idea behind Jamie Holm’s campaign to get local organisations to help her create Whānau Nohōnga Tararua, family-friendly community spaces.

The mum of two, who works for Plunket and Barnardos, says she was at home when the idea came to her and her work gave her the option to see what the needs were for hapū and young whānau through the Tararua District.

“A lot of our young whānau have already decided that they’re not going to breastfeed before they have their babies,” she says.

But with the cost of living and the health benefits that come with breastfeeding, she hopes to encourage them to change their minds.

“It got me thinking, being a rural community we have so many whānau come from out of town or they live on farms.”

She says if you come into town and your child urgently needs changing “or a newborn baby is crying and screaming and needs feeding right now, it’s a rainy day and you don’t know anyone in town because you’re not from here, what are you going to do? Where are you going to go?”

Jamie says everything she does is for her children and she wants to create a safe, positive environment for them.

“Not just mine, but everyone. We’re a community.

“We should have open doors for each other.”

So with the help of a grant from Hine Kahukura, New Horizons for Women, Jamie had some stickers made up and some pamphlets and approached a few local organisations.

Her initial aim was to get at least 15 on board and at the time she spoke to the Bush Telegraph she had 13.

The spaces are not just for mums either, as it could be a nan who has the children, or a dad, or any person caring for a child.

They also don’t have to be a member.

“You don’t have to have walked in there before. You can just walk in off the street and use that place to care for your children.

“It’s just trying to create a culture within the Tararua [District] to be all-inclusive.”

Jamie hopes that once the stickers are up, it will take off.

“It’s just getting that knowledge out to people.”

Pamphlets will be given for every new baby born within the Tararua District or mums will be told about it via their midwife or antenatal education.

Each contains a QR code which links to a Facebook page and lists all the places and what’s available for people to use in the time that they’re open, such as a changing station, or hot water to heat a bottle.

Jamie says in the first year she’ll have a focus group of mums and she’ll get in touch with them to do a short quiz to ensure the mana of the kaupapa is being upheld.

She also wants to make sure that the caregivers feel comfortable and accepted.

“We want it to be like a good space. Safe space, first and foremost.”

There are spaces currently in Dannevirke, Pahiatua, Woodville and Eketahuna and Jamie hopes to add more.

She says there might be organisations that want to support the kaupapa but don’t have the space and she can give them something such as a poster saying breastfeeding is welcome.

The support so far has been great.

“Everyone’s just been so awesome.”

Jamie says it’s about having a sense of belonging and at the end of the day “we’re all here for the same purpose”.

“Which is to care for our most precious taonga, which is our children. It’s that simple.”