Āhua Wellbeing is a newly launched non-profit organisation in New Zealand bringing light to the struggle of parenthood while approaching it with innovative ideas and design.

Āhua Wellbeing is co-directed by Mona Gabr and Sharla Watene, a joint force that aims to help mothers balance all areas of their lives while parenting.

Utilising the four traditional areas of Māori hauora and two of their own pillars, the power duo have created their six pillars of Wholeness to base their education on.

Gabr’s background is in design but she has a passion for making sure mums know their worth and helping them achieve an all-round healthy lifestyle.

Watene’s skill set is a little different, focusing on marriage and family counselling as well as mental health support.

Gabr says “Āhua Wellbeing was first inspired by my desire to connect and learn from other working mums on how to better balance all the areas of responsibility that come into play.”

Gabr’s design skills were put to good use on this project. She says trying to avoid the colour red was a challenge to push past. When she thought of Āhua Wellbeing, red instantly came to her mind.

Āhua Wellbeing’s design incorporates the colour purple, a blend of blue and red which Gabr says represents the blend of relaxation and energy that the business encourages.

Gabr says, “In the early stage of my design I started with using women’s illustrations to convey the meaning of the diversity. Then, I recognized by doing that I straightforwardly sent an image of diversity to the audience and hindered their creative mind and feelings.

“I used the shapes to enable the audience to imaginatively identify the diversity in their own particular manner from their perspective. The shapes can speak to any race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. Using circle shapes to represent the vision of Āhua wellbeing helps working moms to achieve a holistic balance.”

Āhua Wellbeing has a goal of empowering women through wellness. Gabr says their services and workshops are innovative thanks to their well-rounded approach compared to other services that focus primarily on career advancement. 

“Āhua Wellbeing helps to fill a much-needed gap focusing on the wellbeing of working mums and the need to have better education on how to create this balance.”

Check out Āhua Wellbeing’s website here.