Mother’s Day is a time to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing mother figures in our lives. Mums can come in many different forms, whether by blood or by fostering, through marriage, as a caregiver, another family member or as a close family friend. In this issue, we honour some inspirational mums around the region and find out how they plan to spend their Mother’s Day on 8 May.
Words: Amy Russ
Sally Russ
Busy sales and marketing extraordinaire, Sally Russ is a mum and stepmum to three beautiful children, 16-year-old Connor, 15-year-old Finn and 8-year-old Molly. Becoming a part of the boys’ lives 10 years ago, Sally says was a privilege. “Jamie, my husband, had them weekly and I feel this has really cemented me feeling part of their world. I have always felt welcomed and loved. From day one I treated the boys as my own and love them as my own.” Sally credits maintaining a good relationship with the boys’ mum and stepdad as helping to create a nurturing environment for the children. “They say it takes a village to raise a family, I am lucky enough to just be one of the puzzle pieces.”
There are always challenges when raising children, says Sally, but family will always remain her first priority. “Finn has autism, some would say this could be a challenge, but he is such a special human I think it helps us grow as people. Never having been a mum before it was never about Finn being different, it was about him being my family.” The teenage boys are now over 6ft tall but are gentle giants with big hearts. “Naturally, there is always some sibling rivalry in the house between the kids to keep us on our toes.”
“Raising happy, healthy and grounded children is all we can ask for. Being a stepmum or a mum is one and the same to me, it’s all about having a safe and loving home environment.” Sally looks forward to a family breakfast on Mother’s Day and perhaps a food bribe or two to spend time with the kids. “I am sure some homemade cards will be on the list, and not forgetting celebrating our own mums, too.”
Melanie Potter
Passionate businesswoman and ardent animal lover, Melanie Potter, is mum to a 15-year-old Maltese pooch called Indiana and an adopted kitty, the ever-playful Charlie. Her babies mean the world to her, as a child Melanie grew up around animals, and she says she would not imagine life being any other way. “At one stage we had three Maltese pooches living with us simultaneously. Sadly, we are down to one now, Indiana is our little old lady. We have always had cats and dogs growing up. I can’t imagine not having pets in the house now and we tend to call them our fur kids.” Charlie was found as a stray kitten on what Melanie says was a cliché story of being a cold rainy night. The kitten was not microchipped and despite Melanie searching for her owner for two weeks, Charlie claimed her home and made herself comfortable. “It was pretty obvious we were keeping her. She’s our ratbag and keeps us and our neighbours entertained with her antics, she is not shy!”
Melanie has an extremely close bond with her mum, Paulette, co-owning the Caci-Clinic in Nelson together, and Melanie says going into business with her was a natural progression. “My mum and I have always been close. We have worked together for 17 years, and we love what we do.” With the growth their business has seen over the years, Melanie says it is great to have each other on hand for support. “We are fortunate to have different strengths and work well together as a team.”
Dining out at a favourite local restaurant on Mother’s Day has become somewhat of a tradition for the tight-knit family. “We take both my mother and father, and my mother-in-law out for lunch. This year we have booked a table at Forster’s Moutere Hills, and no doubt we will have a wine or two to celebrate them.”
Danielle Hennessey
Travel agent Danielle Hennessey has travelled the length and breadth of the country as a child and has certainly seen the sights of the world in her adult years. Growing up in Nelson from high school age she has now settled back in the region, calling Nelson home, and says her biggest adventures in life have been raising her two children, four-year-old Elora and four-month-old Aria. “I grew up here from a high-school-age and still have a close relationship with all my school friends. It’s great being back home here in Nelson and sharing the motherhood journey together. My partner Rohit is from India, having lived in New Zealand the past 12 years, so our girls have the gift of two cultures in their lives.”
Going back to work when Elora was eight months old had its challenges with juggling her job as a travel agent and being a mum, but she made it work, she says, with no regrets. “If I’m honest my journey of being a mum has been filled with so many wonderful highs, but also some lows thrown in there too. I think a lot of mums can relate to that. It is certainly a role that I had to learn along the way and at times I have felt a bit out of my depth, but during the hard times I just remind myself that tomorrow is a new day.” Watching her children reach their first milestones, feeling the unconditional love and hearing their laughter, is pure joy for Danielle.
“I feel very blessed to be their mum. Seeing the world through their eyes can ground you when you need it the most.”
The young family have faced their fair share of challenges along the way in the past four years. They have owned their own business while bringing up a new baby, then sold the business at the beginning of the pandemic and built a house during Covid with another little one in the mix. “It has not always been easy, but we have pushed through, and I am proud of where we are today.”
Family is of the highest priority for Danielle, so much so that when building their new home in Brightwater, she and her partner invited her mum to join them. They incorporated a private space into the planning of their home to ensure her mum had the freedom and privacy to relax. “It works well most of the time, but we have had to put a lock on the door so Elora is not in there at 5am!” “We are very lucky to have mum's support. Every day I remind myself how privileged I am to have her. She is an ear to listen when I question myself in parenting decisions, she takes Elora on lots of adventures and it's nice to just sit and have a wine and a laugh with her.”
The family plan on celebrating with a relaxing lunch at Nahm for Mother’s Day, content in each other's company. “I just feel a general appreciation for the superstar job that all mum’s out there are doing. It’s not always easy but it is certainly all worth it.”
Raina Masters
An international model, and mother of three, Raina Masters is the epitome of a strong independent woman. The Auckland-born, social media stunner has travelled the world, residing in New York, London, Australia and Germany, but credits her beautiful children with bringing out the very best in her. “I think every day is Mother’s Day”, says Raina. Her eldes,t Arlo, will be three in July and she says he is her rock. “I wasn’t in a good mental space when I found out I was pregnant with him, but that news truly was the biggest blessing for me. He gave me so much motivation in life to be the best version of myself.”
After a high-risk pregnancy, Raina has also welcomed identical twin girls, Noelle Ivory and Willow Oakley, into the world earlier this year. The twins arrived in March, seven weeks early, and spent 15 days in NICU. “Both girls are little fighters. I feel like they came into my life at such a perfect time and seeing them with Arlo melts my heart. They bring me, and everyone around them, so much joy. Their little personalities are starting to show and there is never a dull moment.”
Fiercely independent, Raina says bringing up the children on her own has been a huge struggle but also an extremely rewarding one. “I wake up every day for my kids and do absolutely everything to ensure they are happy, healthy and loved. They continually inspire me and watching them reach their milestones confirms to me that I’m doing a great job.”
Raina is very familiar with life being busy, growing up in a family of six, and says maintaining a strong family bond and building her own home is something she is extremely proud of, fulfilled in knowing she has provided a safe and warm environment for the children to grow up in. “I lived with my parents during the time my house was being built. Dad (koro) and Arlo have such a beautiful bond. He’s a very gentle, polite and patient man so I’m grateful Arlo has him as a strong male role model and my mum is Arlos’s kindergarten teacher. She has really helped me to teach Arlo to talk about his feelings, to use kind words and just overall has taught him to communicate so he never struggles in the future. He has such a kind gentle nature about him. He is extremely empathetic, and the girls are so lucky to have him as a big brother. I would do anything for my babies, and I know Arlo knows that.”
Spending time surrounded by her family is the perfect way to celebrate Mother’s Day, says Raina. “Every day feels like a blessing with my babies. I will forever be grateful to them for blessing my life.”
