One woman, Rosie Smith, saw a gap and had a vision. There was no national organisation for perinatal mental health in Aotearoa New Zealand. A brainstorming day was held in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington in June 2009. This was attended by 30 representatives connected with perinatal distress issues from around Aotearoa New Zealand. A working group was

Earlier this month, PADA General Manager Treena Cooper flew down to Whakatū Nelson for the second of 2021’s PADA Seminar Series. These seminars provide professional development for those supporting families affected by mental illness related to pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. Thank you to the presenters who donated their time to share valuable information on

This morning, PADA had the honour of attending the Mothers Matter launch at Parliament on 10 Poutū-te-rangi | March 2021. ‘Who Holds Our Mothers?’ is a short film that marks the start of a national campaign to demand Government takes action to prevent maternal suicide and to take the need for perinatal support seriously. Speakers

This week, our General Manager Treena Cooper flew down to Ōtepoti Dunedin for the first of 2021’s PADA Seminars. These seminars provide professional development for those supporting families affected by mental illness related to pregnancy, childbirth and early parenthood. Thank you to the presenters who donated their time to share valuable information on their specialty

Recently, Liora Noy, PADA Educator, enjoyed being part of a very welcoming group of health service providers in Tairāwhiti Gisborne, including Plunket, Māori service providers and one support worker from Supergrans! She reported that they had some great conversations on the topic of Māori Maternal Mental Health. Between 50-60% of the families they see are

Kia ora koutou and welcome to our Christmas 2020 newsletter! Our team were able to travel freely across Aotearoa to deliver our seminars and events in the second half of this year, and have worked on new resources available for download. Read on to find out what is new.. Read more »

In November, the team at PADA came together in Tāmaki Makaurau for the first Māori maternal mental health hui at Ōrākei Marae, to come together in whakawhanaungatanga with a goal to find the right path to assist all māmā and their whānau in the space of Māori maternal mental wellness. Our wonderful Board Member Joanne

Kia ora koutou and welcome to our first newsletter of 2020! What have we been up to, do you ask? Read on to find out what we’ve been up to, new resources available to you, challenges we’ve overcome and exciting news about our rescheduled seminars and events! Read more »

Kia ora koutou and welcometo our final e-newsletter for 2019. In September we welcomed Denise Graham to the PADA team as our Fundraising Manager. Read more »

Welcome to our Autumn Newsletter!  The start of the year has raced by and we are now on the countdown to Perinatal Awareness Week 5th-12th May.  World Maternal Mental Health Day is Wednesday 1st May and we have our first Perinatal Anxiety & Depression Seminar at Wellington Hospital, with a range of informative presentations.  Thanks to The Winton… 

Manda Southorn’s Story  Maria Powell’s Story Arita Costuna’s Story

A book for professionals who support new parents is being published by Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Aotearoa (PADA). To be launched on May 2 at the World Maternal Mental Health Forum in Wellington, the 300-page book, Are You OK . . . Really? will deal with subjects that include postnatal depression, anxiety, breastfeeding, loss and grief, parenting

Download the Newsletter PDF As we head into cooler, unpredictable weather, we can keep our spirits up with the many heartwarming events and initiatives taking place within the perinatal community.

Thank you so much to the incredible cake designers this year who  generously donated their time and talent to our event.  Once again everyone was completely blown away by the level of thought, amazing skill, and moving inspiration that went into the array of cakes on display. Check out the magnificent and decadent creations! Cake