Kākano means seed, beginning and ovum in Māori. The focus of Kākano Retreat is on decolonising birth and healing (day 1) + trans and gender diversity in birth and healing (day 2) and is open to midwives, birth workers, therapists and all healing practitioners committed to providing truly safe and expanded care.

The responsibility to be a safe space for the people we work with is beyond intellectual work; it is heart and spirit work. We are invited to practice radical honesty and love with ourselves and others in order to acknowledge the ways we have been harmful as well as harmed by white supremacy & colonialism. Divesting from colonialism means remembering and being able to find the sameness that binds us all, honouring our differences, embodying the love and acceptance that is the birth right of all people. Learning the value of “inclusivity” is a sacred responsibility that will bring us back to our spirit, back to the oneness that will ultimately co create a new world where what are currently considered privileges are once again collectively valued as universal human rights. Our hearts must be open to one another; we must learn to hear with our hearts as well as our minds. Together we ask ‘How have I internalised harmful systems of oppression? How have I upheld them and been harmed by them? Am I a truly safe space for all people? Do I want to be? And how can I begin to heal from the impacts of white supremacy and colonialism?

We are not the systems that divide us, but until we psychologically and spiritually divest from them they will be upheld and enforced.

It is obvious to those paying attention that the birth and care realms are largely unsafe places in general but particularly for marginalised peoples. Kākano seeks to challenge this by offering seeds of change and support to those working in these realms. We will be providing a safe learning environment to unpack and begin to heal from implicit bias, internalised transphobia and racism related to colonialism and white supremacy in the birth and care realms. A collaborative, safe and shame free learning experience facilitated by BIPOC, trans and Gender Diverse leaders striving to bridge the gaps between the spiritual, political and personal realities of pregnancy, birth and healing.

We will explore, unlearn, share, remember and connect through story, movement, deep listening; learning how to listen with the heart as well as the mind, through remembering the interconnectedness of all things and people, through remembering our sameness and honouring our difference.

Kākano is a three day, two night retreat held on Darug and Gundungurra land.

- All nourishing meals are provided.

- All facilitators and speakers are paid for their time, knowledge and experience.

- The local Blue Mountains community will be engaged through supporting small local businesses.

- Reparations will be made to organisations (to be confirmed) that directly support First Nations peoples and to the trans and gender diverse community.

Kākano is open to birth workers, midwives, therapists and other care providers who work closely with people, particularly birthing people. We will be exploring ways in which to change the current paradigm through workshops and panels led by BIPOC and Trans and Gender Diverse facilitators and organisers.