Homebirth Heals Families: Kaupapa Māori Birthing Wisdom with Joanne Teina

In this deeply moving, wairua-filled episode, host Claire Holloway is joined by Joanne (Jo) Teina - Registered Midwife, proud Indigenous Nurse and Midwife, and Ngāti Apakura keeper of traditional birth knowledge. As a mother of eleven (seven birthed, four borrowed), Nanny to twenty-one mokopuna, and great-Nanny to two, Jo brings a rich tapestry of intergenerational wisdom grounded in Te Ao Māori.

Jo explores what it means to reclaim birth sovereignty and honour the sacred transition of bringing life into the world outside of medicalised management. She shares how connection to ancestral lineage, tikanga, and deep bodily trust restores true authority to birthing parents.

Grounded, humorous, and profoundly wise, Jo also reflects on how the strength discovered during homebirth serves as an unshakeable anchor on life's hardest days. This conversation is an invitation to remember the innate power carried across generations and to step into birth with reverence, self-trust and autonomy.

This episode is generously sponsored by Vicki Hobbs, founder and trainer at Doula Training Academy, offering online and in-person doula training courses. If you're in Perth, come and join Vicki and many other perinatal service providers at the Pregnancy, Birth & Postpartum Expo on 18th October.

Key Takeaways: Grounded in Te Ao Māori: Weaving wairua, ancestral connection, and traditional tikanga into modern birth spaces. Reclaiming Indigenous Birth Sovereignty: Moving past systemic management to honour birth as a sacred, autonomous transition. Intergenerational Wisdom: Life lessons from birthing seven children, raising eleven, and nurturing over two dozen mokopuna. Birth as a Lifelong Anchor: How remembering your power in birth grounds and sustains you through the challenges of parenthood. Autonomous Midwifery & Cultural Safety: Advocating for care that respects the sacred mother-baby dyad and honous bodily authority.

Chapters: 00:00 — Traditional Maori welcome & defining home, wairua, and ancestral connection in Te Ao Māori. 08:15 — Reclaiming Indigenous birth sovereignty and traditional birth knowledge. 19:40 — Intergenerational lineage: Insights from mothering eleven and nurturing mokopuna. 31:10 — Homebirth as a lifelong anchor of strength on hard days. 42:25 — Honouring bodily authority, physiological birth, and cultural safety in maternity care. 53:10 — Final thoughts of wisdom for the homebirth curious.

Links & Resources: Access the podcast transcript here. Study to become a doula with Doula Training Academy Access Claire’s FREE resource: Choosing Your Birth Guide Connect with Claire on Instagram: @yourbrightbeginning

If this conversation resonated, please consider leaving a review in reciprocity for the hours of voluntary care and the generations of wisdom that have gone into the creation of this episode.