Mahi a Atua is a Māori approach to mental wellbeing drawing on the stories, narratives and healing practices of te ao Māori (the Māori world).
Psychiatrist Diana Kopua gives us an insight into the work and research behind it.
Dr Diana Kopua and Mark Kopua Photo: Dr Diana Kopua (supplied)
Diana Kopua grew up in the pa at Takapuwāhia marae where, as she recalls, one half of the street were Mormons and the other half of the street were Rastafarian.
“Now, that’s an absolute generalisation, but that was my perspective as a child, When I think about what that’s meant for me, I think of my family and that we didn’t follow a religion,” she says.
Growing up in Porirua, Diana wanted to be a physiotherapist because she loved mirimiri (the practice of healing massage).
Otago University was on the cards but was told she needed more qualifications so she set about building a career in the health sector and decided to study nursing at the nearby polytechnic.
“As soon as I graduated I was introduced to mental health [sector] and I became the first community nurse in Māori mental health in Porirua… I utilised Māori approaches... Paraire Huata and Mason Durie were developing amazing models, [but] all the while having colleagues looking at me saying you shouldn’t be in this position, I knew there was resistance but I pushed ahead.”
Dr Diana Kopua and Mark Kopua with their whanau at Tikitiki. Photo: Supplied
Diana says she followed both Huata and Durie's work in Māori health. When she started her career in Māori mental health, she was also inspired by a colleague who was proficient in their own Mātauranga Māori.
This resonated with Diana, who grew up in a household without religious practices. It wasn’t until she studied the Māori language at Whitireia Polytechnic, where the stories were told in te reo Māori, that it struck a chord.
“I hadn’t heard some of them [the stories] before…I swear I [felt] levitated by that experience because as students of Te reo, we had to conceptualise the context of the purakau and its relevance in our world, and that was phenomenal.”
Dr Diana Kopua and Mark Kopua in the wānanga space. Photo: Supplied
Diana’s work as a nurse in the Porirua community eventually led to a career as a psychiatrist, but four years ago she and her husband decided to move back to the East Coast.
In the bustling metropolis of Gisborne, Te Kuwatawata is the clinic were Diana and Mark carry out their work.
Artwork is displayed on the walls that match the theme of the work of Mahi a Atua and draw on stories and narratives that help Māori families navigate mental wellbeing.
