Thalia Kehoe Rowden

Thalia Kehoe Rowden is a former Baptist minister and current mother and development worker. She writes about parenting, social justice and spirituality at Sacraparental.com. Thalia was born in Palmerston North in 1977.

Politics
Jul 16, 2019

What a horrified New Zealander can do about kids in cages

Practical steps to take right now if you’re appalled at the news coming out of the United States.

Read on.

Television
Mar 25, 2019

Immerse yourself in kindness with new Kiwi kids show Kiri and Lou

The world needs more kindness, clearly. Thalia Kehoe Rowden reviews Kiri and Lou, a new musical comedy show about kindness and feelings, made for children, but a tonic for adults, too. 

Read on.

Parents
Aug 17, 2018

Nida's story: Escaping from the Nauru detention camp and making a home in NZ

As a toddler, Nida Fiazi escaped Afghanistan with her mother in a quest for survival. Instead they ended up in a detention camp in Nauru. Thalia Kehoe Rowden tells their story.

Read on.

Food
Aug 14, 2018

How refugees are enriching Aotearoa’s food landscape

Whether making Somali sauces or Nepali dumplings, former refugees are providing income for their families and delicious food for the rest of us.

Read on.

Parents
Aug 13, 2018

What’s on HEIHEI for older kids?

New kids’ media platform HEIHEI has some great stuff (and also some missable overseas imports). Thalia Kehoe Rowden, with the help of her six-year-old son, gives us the lowdown.

Read on.

Parents
Jul 16, 2018

Family separation is happening closer to home than you think

 We were all horrified to see children ripped from their parents’ arms at the US-Mexico border last month. Sadly, this kind of thing happens in Australia too.

Read on.

Society
Jul 7, 2018

It’s time for Aotearoa to step up and welcome home more refugees

Now is the time to figure out if we want to be the good guys or the bad guys, here in Aotearoa.

Read on.

Parents
Jul 5, 2018

Is there anything good on HEIHEI for pre-schoolers?

HEIHEI says its programming is targeted at five to nine year olds, but Thalia Kehoe Rowden finds plenty that’s great for pre-schoolers. Here are the best shows for littlies – and a few to avoid.

Read on.

Parents
Jul 2, 2018

How you can help Australia’s caged children

Thalia Kehoe Rowden spoke to some mums living in Nauru, waiting for years to be welcomed to a new country.

Read on.

Society
Jun 20, 2018

What can a horrified New Zealander do about children in cages?

Practical steps to take right now if you're appalled at the news coming out of the United States.

Read on.

Parents
Jun 17, 2018

On ya bike! The charity getting kids on Wellington’s mountain bike trails

Ash Peters is passing on her love of mountain biking to hundreds of families around the Wellington region. She spoke about how her charity is reaching all sorts of families who haven’t been on the trails before.

Read on.

Parents
Jun 14, 2018

Is new kids TV platform HEIHEI any good?

Thalia Kehoe Rowden and her six-year-old son are reviewing all 39 shows on HEIHEI, filling out an intimidating spreadsheet of notes, and reporting back to us.

Read on.

Society
Feb 21, 2018

A meal out could kill my husband. Why do so few restaurants seem to care?

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders have serious food allergies, and hundreds are hospitalised each year, often because hospitality staff have mistakenly served them something they’re allergic to. A new law was supposed to stop that happening – so why has so little changed?

Read on.

Parents
Aug 5, 2017

A future with mothers in the House?

Thalia Kehoe Rowden imagines a future where we have mothers of young children and babies in Parliament. What a world it could be...

Read on.

Parents
Jul 12, 2017

Three mums, six kids, and one award-winning self-published book: The story of Little Gems

In Tibet babies are named by a respected elder. In Borneo, turtles are kept out of the birthing room, and the Gusii women of East Africa paint their breasts with bitter herbs when they’re ready to wean. Thalia Kehoe Rowden learned all of this and more from a beautiful new book, Little Gems, produced by a trio of Kiwi mums. She tracked them down to find out how they managed such a feat.

Read on.

Parents
Jul 3, 2017

The Tiger Who Came To Tea: A true story

The Tiger Who Came To Tea was first published in 1968. Written and illustrated by Judith Kerr, the classic picture book has long been ripe for a satirical re-write. Thanks to Thalia Kehoe Rowden, we have just that.

Read on.

Books
Jun 27, 2017

Māori (and Pasifika) writing in 2017: Thalia Kehoe Rowden recommends 22 picture books that feature Pasifika and Māori children

Thalia Kehoe Rowden tracks down 22 picture books which actually reflect the New Zealand of today.

Read on.

Parents
Jun 1, 2017

What’s wrong with having boys’ toys and girls’ toys?

When a Tokoroa mum queried McDonald's gendered Happy Meal toys, the Facebook response was huge – and vitriolic. Depressing enough, but do kids really need different toys based on their gender? All signs point to no, says Thalia Kehoe Rowden.

Read on.

Books
Apr 26, 2017

Why do so few of the best New Zealand picture books for kids have characters who are girls, Māori, or Pasifika?

Thalia Kehoe Rowden finds a lot of great reads in the Storylines selection of the best picture books for young kids - but wonders why the hell it is in this day and age that so few authors write about girls, or Maori, or Pasifika.

Read on.

Parents
Mar 31, 2017

‘I’m going to stop you there’ and other conversational comebacks to protect your pregnant soul

Every pregnant person has struggled with unsolicited advice and comments on their body. Spinoff Parents columnist and mum of two Thalia Kehoe Rowden has tips and ways to reply to well-meaning strangers who are overstepping or oversharing.

Read on.

Parents
Dec 22, 2016

There’s a God in our Christmas: One mother on the role of religion in her family’s festive celebrations

Every family celebrates Christmas in their own way. This week we're hearing from families around New Zealand explaining what they celebrate and why they do. Thalia Kehoe Rowden, a former Baptist minister, and a mother of two writes about why God is part of her Christmas.

Read on.

Parents
Oct 25, 2016

Think Big for Kids: 5 big ideas (and a few dozen more) to protect children and support families

Experts agree: improving the welfare of our children - especially the most vulnerable - would bring huge social benefits, not least among them a drastic decrease in crime. So what are the fixes? And what's stopping us? Thalia Kehoe Rowden has some suggestions.

Read on.

The Spinoff is made possible by the generous support of the following organisations.
Please help us by supporting them.