“Mana 4 Mums” Celebrates 1,000 young Mums!

Mana 4 Mum’s is Tāmaki Health’s maternity services programme, which supports Māori and Pacifica mums under 22 years, helping to bridge the gap between Māmā, Pēpē & Essential Maternity Support.

Created in 2019 under the guidance of Tāmaki Health Director & Founder Ranjna Patel and managed by our Director of Nursing Rachael Scully, the programme has now helped over 1,000 young Mums in South Auckland.

Independent, empowered and supported.

Mana 4 Mums is a free service for enrolled patients. It provides support from the time the young woman tests positive for pregnancy through to the early years of her child’s development, helping to access the healthcare, social and wellbeing support services that she needs during and after pregnancy.

One of the key differences that sets Mana 4 Mums apart and makes a huge impact on young people’s lives during the early stages of pregnancy, is the empathetic approach taken combined with education – empowering young Māori and Pacific women to make their own informed decisions about the care they need.

The benefits to the young Mums and their children are endless:

Short term outcomes (<3yrs): reduced alcohol, tobacco and other substances used in pregnancy to imported living conditions, decreased post-natal depression, improved breastfeeding rates, fewer preventable hospitalisations and ED attendances for children, increased engagement with ECE and well-child services, reduction in family violence.

Intermediate outcomes (3-5yrs): decreased exposure to Adverse Childhood events, improved school readiness, improved household income and employment, reduced conduct/behavioural problems for all children in the household, earlier maternal engagement with maternity services, improved health and mental health literacy.

Long-term outcomes (5+ years): reduced early adversity, improved quality of life and health, reduced direct and indirect health & social costs across a range of government services, and so much more.

There is no doubt that our Mana 4 Mums programme is making a significantly positive impact on the lives of our young mums and the tāmariki they raise.

If you have a patient who may benefit from the programme or would like more information, please email our maternity services coordinator: farah.jafar@tamakihealth.co.nz