PADA - Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Aotearoa

24/07/2025

🌿 Speaker Spotlight: Aver-Kathleen Kahutaha Watford
Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Hinekura, Te Arawa, Te Uri o Hina o Te Rarawa, Muriwhenua

Aver-Kathleen is a proud Māori māmā of three, whose personal experiences navigating Aotearoa’s health system have driven her advocacy for culturally aligned care for wāhine Māori, māmā, pēpi and whānau.

Her journey through postnatal anxiety and depression revealed deep gaps in maternity and mental health support — and led her to found R.O.T.O (Raranga o te Ora), a kaupapa grounded in the healing power of raranga and guided by atua Hine-te-iwaiwa.

Aver-Kathleen believes in restoring traditional balance within whānau, where everyone — including pāpā — is supported in harmony.

We’re honoured to have her share her wisdom and lived experience at the PADA Parliamentary Breakfast. 💛

📅 Thursday 31 July | 7:00–9:30am | Parliament
🔗 Link in bio or visit: https://pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington

24/07/2025

🎙 Missed it on air?

If you didn’t catch our General Manager Amy Castle speaking on The Breeze earlier this week, here’s your chance to listen in!

Amy joined the breakfast show to kōrero about the upcoming PADA Parliamentary Breakfast on Thursday 31 July — why it matters, who’s involved, and the importance of putting perinatal mental health on the national agenda.

📣 Tune in to the full audio here: https:https://drive.google.com/file/d/15EI-AKLdjjc8orq29hT2oqkmf7Vq_-es/view?usp=sharing

🔗Link also in bio for Insta (Amy Castle talks to The Breeze)

🎟️ Get your tickets to the Parliamentary Breakfast here: https://pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington/
🔗 Or check out the link in our bio

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23/07/2025

🌿 Meet Our Panellist: Aidan Kyrke-Smith

Aidan Kyrke-Smith is the founder of Dadventure, a platform created to support dads through the highs, lows, and identity shifts of parenthood.

With lived experience of postnatal depression and time as a stay-at-home dad, Aidan brings a powerful voice to the conversation around emotional wellbeing for fathers and families. His background in leadership, coaching, and mental health advocacy underpins his work — supporting individuals, workplaces, and communities to create safer, more connected spaces for men to show up for themselves, their partners, and their tamariki.

We're proud to have Aidan joining the panel at this year’s PADA Parliamentary Breakfast to speak to the often-overlooked experiences of dads navigating the perinatal journey. 🧡

📅 Thursday 31 July | 7:00 – 9:30am
📍 Parliament Buildings, Wellington

🔗 For tickets and more info, visit pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington or head to the link in bio.

21/07/2025

🌿 Meet Our Panellist: Serra Clark – PADA Parliamentary Breakfast 31 July - Wellington

Serra is a mum and a registered social worker living on the Kāpiti Coast. Her lived experience of periods of mental distress and recovery informs all of her professional roles – and she knows that safe storytelling is one of the most powerful ways we can end stigma and discrimination.

Serra is deeply passionate about autonomy and consent in the perinatal journey. At this year’s Parliamentary Breakfast, she’ll share her experience navigating trauma, distress, grief and recovery – helping to shine a light on the complexity and strength within the perinatal mental health space.

We’re honoured to welcome Serra’s voice and advocacy to our panel. 💛

📅 Thursday 31 July | 7:00 – 9:30am
📍 Parliament Buildings, Wellington

🔗 For tickets and more info, visit pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington

🔗 Or head to the link in bio.

21/07/2025

🎙️ Tune in!
Amy Castle, our General Manager at PADA, will be live on The Breeze Breakfast Show tomorrow morning – Tuesday 22 July at 7:10am – to kōrero about our upcoming Parliamentary Breakfast on Perinatal Mental Health 🧡

She’ll be sharing what the event is all about, why it matters, and how we're amplifying the voices of whānau, and those working on the frontlines of perinatal care.

Set your alarms ⏰ so you can listen live or catch up here: https://www.thebreeze.co.nz/listen

19/07/2025

🤰 Our friends at Khandallah & Churton Park Physiotherapy Centre are excited to announce their new Pregnancy Reformer Pilates class, specially designed for pregnancy 🧡

At PADA, we're proud to support providers working in the perinatal health space, and this class is a great example of safe, supportive movement for expectant parents.

Check them out and book through their website!

17/07/2025

🎤 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: Kristy Maguire - Panellist 🌿
📍 PADA Parliamentary Breakfast | 31 July 2025

Kristy Maguire lives in Tauranga and is a proud mum to her 2-year-old son and step-mum to a 10-year-old. In 2022, following the birth of her son, Kristy experienced postpartum psychosis — a devastating and often misunderstood condition.

At our upcoming Perinatal Mental Health Parliamentary Breakfast on Perinatal Mental Health, Kristy will share her powerful lived experience of navigating Aotearoa’s public mental health system while facing an acute perinatal mental illness. Her story highlights a painful reality for many: a system not equipped to meet the urgent, specialist needs of mothers and whānau.

Since her recovery, Kristy has become an outspoken advocate for change — championing the inclusion of perinatal mental health in the Mental Health Act reform and calling for accessible Whanau and Pepi Units across regional Aotearoa.

Her voice is one of resilience, urgency, and unwavering hope — and we are honoured to have her join our panel.

🧡 Join us on Thursday 31 July as we elevate voices and drive kōrero for better outcomes for whanau and pēpi.

Tickets at the link in bio - selling fast

🔗 https://pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington/

17/07/2025

🖤 “I didn’t know how to deal with it.” – Tamaiti Williams on Anxiety and Fatherhood

In a powerful and honest piece with RNZ, All Black Tamaiti Williams opens up about his experiences with anxiety and the mental and emotional shift that comes with becoming a parent.

As a young dad in the public eye, Tamaiti speaks candidly about the pressure to appear strong – and how becoming a father pushed him to face and better understand his own mental health.

At PADA, we know that perinatal mental health doesn’t just affect mothers. Fathers and partners also navigate big changes, emotional challenges, and identity shifts — often without the tools or support to talk about it.

🧡 We’re grateful to see voices like Tamaiti’s helping to break the silence and stigma around paternal mental health.

📖 Read the full article:
👉 https://www.rnz.co.nz/life/relationships/family/all-black-tamaiti-williams-opens-up-on-anxiety-and-fatherhood

Let’s keep normalising these kōrero and making sure support reaches all parents.

The 24-year-old, who plays for the champion Crusaders and is in rehab after a serious knee injury, is speaking up as part of a campaign by All Blacks' partner, Bupa, along with other rugby stars.

16/07/2025

🎤 SPEAKER SPOTLIGHT: Dr Gillian White

📍 PADA Parliamentary Breakfast | 31 July 2025

We’re honoured to welcome Dr Gillian White, a retired professor with a lifelong commitment to maternal mental health, education, and research.

With a PhD in Community Health and decades of experience in clinical midwifery, psychology, and academia, Dr White has held senior roles across Aotearoa, Australia, the UK, Brazil, and the Sultanate of Oman — where she helped establish midwifery education and lead groundbreaking research into postnatal distress.

Her work spans everything from validating screening tools for postnatal depression to examining sleep, nutrition, and paternal trauma. She’s also a passionate advocate for equity, self-determination, and social justice in healthcare.

Today, Dr White continues her contribution through governance and community roles, including with the Cancer Society, Whanganui Welfare Guardian Trust, and Rotary.

Join us to hear from a powerhouse of insight, compassion, and dedication.

🎟️ Tickets available now via our website – limited numbers!
https://pada.nz/event/pada-parliamentary-breakfast-july-31-2025-wellington/

🔗 Or check out the link in our bio

15/07/2025

💬 Birth Trauma Awareness Week | 14 - 20 July 2025

Birth trauma is real — and it matters. For many birthing parents in Aotearoa, the journey into parenthood is marked not only by joy and transformation, but also by fear, pain, or distress.

Whether that trauma is physical, emotional, or psychological, it deserves to be acknowledged, validated, and met with compassion.

At PADA, we continue to advocate for trauma-informed perinatal care and systems that uphold the dignity and voices of all birthing people. No one should be left to carry their experiences alone.

📖 RNZ has shared a powerful and practical article:
What you need to know about birth trauma and where support can be found

🔗 Check out the link in our Bio

Or you can find it at:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/566849/what-you-need-to-know-about-birth-trauma-and-where-support-can-be-found

🙌 We also want to acknowledge the important mahi of – a community standing up for better awareness, understanding, and support for those affected.

Please share widely – and remember, if you or someone you love is struggling after birth:
🧡 You are not alone. Support is available. Healing is possible.

14/07/2025

📚 Introducing When the Sky Feels Heavy – A gentle resource for mothers navigating the early days of motherhood, reviewed by psychologists and created to remind mothers they are not alone.

We’re delighted to introduce Luciana Valbuena, author of the children’s book When the Sky Feels Heavy — a beautifully written and illustrated story that gently explores maternal mental health through the eyes of tamariki and their māmā.

Follow Mothers as they fight a hidden enemy. It’s not a dragon or a monster, but a shadow lurking in their minds.

Join us on this thrilling journey as our heroes take on the mysterious challenge threatening to take over – proving that even in the darkest times, courage can light the way.

Are you ready to join their adventure?

This book is a taonga – gently creating space for tamariki and whānau to talk about big feelings, hard times, and finding hope.

🖌️ Illustrated by Catalina Bobadilla, When the Sky Feels Heavy brings empathy, courage, and healing to life for both children and adults alike.

🤎 Thanks to the generous support of The Village NZ, this book will be available free of charge to all mothers and whānau attending PADA’s Parliamentary Breakfast on Maternal Mental Health on Thursday 31 July.

🧡 And we’re so excited to share that Luciana Valbuena will be joining us in person at the breakfast — a special opportunity to meet the author and hear more about the kaupapa behind her story.

📅 Thursday 31 July – PADA Parliamentary Breakfast on Maternal Mental Health

🎟️ Tickets available via our website – limited spaces!

10/07/2025

🌿 Have you or someone you know experienced maternal, perinatal, or early parenthood mental health distress?

Our friends at Changing Minds are holding space for people to share their lived experiences to help inform a review of community maternal mental health services in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) — and to support wider advocacy efforts across Aotearoa.

💬 This kaupapa is being led by Megan, who brings both professional insight and her own lived experience of postpartum depression and anxiety. Through kōrero with communities, Changing Minds is hearing just how many people are still feeling unsupported or lost in the system — and they’re working to change that.

🧡 “We are making a conscious choice to reach out to people with these experiences to give more nuance to our Lived Experience advocacy.” – Megan, Changing Minds

🔗 You can contribute anonymously via a survey, or by having a 1:1 kōrero with the team.
All details are here:
👉 https://www.changingminds.org.nz/insights/maternal-mental-health-auckland
🔗 Check out the link in our bio

🙌 Please share with your networks — especially anyone in Tāmaki Makaurau who might want to help shape more compassionate, effective maternal mental health support.