Arohanoa Mathews: Never stray from your authenticity

Arohanoa is a wife and mother of two boys, she is proudly from Ngaiterangi and Ngatiranginui Iwi, and has whānau whakapapa from Matapihi Mount Maunganui where she is based now.  Arohanoa is a talented Contemporary Māori artist, with a degree in visual communications, design and fine arts, her artwork is absolutely stunning! All of her beautiful pieces represent who she is, where she comes from, and within each piece, she aims to really inspire women to stand tall, use their voice and empower themselves!  This kōrero is from our vault filled with beautiful stories! Arohanoa is deeply passionate about her cultural heritage and talks to us about her identity journey, having moved around when she was younger with her whānau and having lived in Australia for 10 years she is now really happy to be connected back to where she comes from. We talk to Arohanoa about her wellbeing journey being a mother and juggling a career like being an artist as well as being in the education space. We share kōrero about the importance of being true to yourself and ensuring you never stray from your authenticity, as well as the realities of expectations that many mothers face and being able to empower yourself and those around you as mana wahine!  This kōrero is one we are so excited to share as a podcast, so take the time to have a listen to Arohanoa’s journey and enjoy the stories of wellbeing she shares! All of our interviews are available to watch via our website too!