Awards finalist uses Māori tradition and period-proof undies to break stigma around menstruation

Michelle Wilson is a finalist in tomorrow night's Māori Businesswomen's Awards held at Auckland's Aotea Centre. Photo / NUKU

Entrepreneur Michele Wilson, who co-founded a period-proof underwear company to teach her daughters that ikura (periods) are not shameful, is a finalist at this year's Māori Businesswomen Awards.

Wilson, 38, co-founded Awwa with her business partner Kyle Matthews in 2018. They developed a pair of high-tech underwear that could hold the same amount of blood as two tampons.

She earned more than 75,000 products in the first 24 hours and her products are sold all around the world, including in all 50 US states.

"We invented a pair of underwear that you can literally bleed into. When I first entered the market, there was a lot of push back because people normally felt uncomfortable talking about ikura," she says.

"I wanted to push boundaries and let people know that ikura is not a whakama [shameful] thing. When it's silenced, women don't learn about their bodies and how it impacts their mental and physical health. I'm proud to use my platform to smash these taboos."

Wilson, whose iwi are Ngāti Paoa and Tainui and lives in Auckland, also wanted her company to inspire her daughters, Eva, 10, and Frankie, 7.

"I wanted things to be different for my own girls and wanted to change how they view their own bodies."

She's inspired by the work of Dr Ngahuia Murphy and her research around traditional Māori attitudes to menstruation. Wilson has always used traditional cultural practices to manage her own ikura. Before inventing her period-proof underwear, she did not use pads or tampons. Instead, she used angiangi, a moss-like plant, to absorb the blood.

"It was different for our tupuna. Ikura was spoken about, and it wasn't taboo at all. A girl's first bleed was special and celebrated because it meant that she was able to continue her whakapapa," she explains.

"There was a lot of ceremony around a first period, returning the blood to Papatūānuku as a sacred gift to our Mother Earth."

Kaupapa Māori has always been important for Wilson. For the last five years, she's been attending te reo Māori classes and has studied Rongoā Māori to learn traditional medicine and methods of healing. Practising Māori values are core to her business.

"All of my marketing, my business policies, decisions, who I work with, how I market my company, how I work with others, is inspired by te ao Māori. It's my connection to my Māori culture that drives me to thrive in business."

Wilson says her nomination at the Māori Businesswomen Awards is a testament to her hard work.

She's a finalist in the Auckland region and marketing categories in an event that is organised by the Māori Women's Development Inc. Wilson has come a long way since ditching her job as a corporate lawyer to invest more time in her business interests. Next year she will start a new tech-focused enterprise,

"When I first started out in business, I always dreamed that I could be a good enough businesswoman to be recognised for an award. Just to be a finalist is such an honour."

Interim CEO of Māori Women's Development Inc, Linda Clay, says the gala awards ceremony will highlight the work of Māori wāhine in business across all sectors.

"This event is an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of wāhine and showcase their businesses on the economic world stage."

The Māori Businesswomen Awards are on tomorrow night at Auckland's Aotea Centre.