This article was written by Lucy Cooper and appeared in the Wairarapa Times Age on 23/4/2025
A “dedicated” early childhood education practitioner is putting in the hard yards — 46,145 yards to be precise — to help raise money for a support service for new mums and their whānau.
Sian Paterson, who owns and operates early childhood centre Blue School in Greytown, would be running the iconic London Marathon on Sunday, April 27 in a bid to raise at least $5000 for Hōkai Tahi’s clinic in Featherston.
Hōkai Tahi opened in Masterton 2017 and offered support for all parents from conception to one year post-partum.
Paterson, being South Wairarapa-based, wanted to support the service’s newest clinic in Featherston, Susie Mackie, Paterson’s friend and supporter told Wairarapa Times-Age.
“Sian believes the service Hōkai Tahi offer is really important, and in particular the accessibility for South Wairarapa mums,” Mackie said. “Masterton is not that far away, but if you’re in Featherston it can be a barrier, especially if you’re in a vulnerable position or not doing so well.”
Paterson had done “a fair bit of training”, Mackie said, despite some setbacks.
“If she has to walk a little bit, that’s okay, because that’s not necessarily what it’s about. It’s about being there and the experience and sometimes in these events, magic can happen.”
Rebecca Vergunst, Hōkai Tahi’s service manager, said being able to direct the funds Paterson raised to the Featherston clinic would be “amazing”.
“The Featherston service is still quite new,” Vergunst said, “But we’re probably operating at full capacity now, which is really, really good.”
With a Featherston-based support coordinator and counsellor on board, the satellite clinic would soon be able to offer a group therapy course alongside its normal drop-in services, Vergunst said.
“This new course is really exciting,” she said. “It’s particularly for mums with symptoms of perinatal depression or anxiety, and it isn’t offered anywhere else in the region.”
The importance of services like those offered by Hōkai Tahi could not be underestimated, Vergunst said.
“Your world [as a new mum] becomes this little, tiny newborn, and sometimes it’s even hard just to get out of the house for a walk,” she said. “It’s such a consuming period, and it can become almost impossible to find some space for yourself and for your self-care.
“By being able to get out of the house and go talk to other mums who might also be struggling with the adjustment to motherhood and parenthood, and also just talk about some strategies about how to keep yourself well, is so important.”
Paterson’s contribution through embarking on one of the world’s most renowned endurance runs would help the Featherston service develop and respond to the needs of the community, Vergunst said.
“As our service has grown we’ve become more aware of certain needs within the community,’ she said. ”Our support has focused on the conception to birth stage, but in the last couple of years our scope has broadened to support all parents from conception to one year post-partum.“
To make a donation to Paterson’s London Marathon, visit https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/the-marathon-for-motherhood-running-the-london.