Motherhood, Matariki & Mahina KIRI'S TIME TO CELEBRATE

A new baby is just what the Kiwi designer needed after heartbreak

-  Kasia De Vydt-Jillings

Staring into her granddaughter Mahina-Rose Pirihira Nathan’s eyes, acclaimed fashion designer Kiri Nathan can’t help but lose track of time as she marvels at the similarities between the delightful eight-month-old and her son – Mahina’s father Astley.

“I get this amazing double-layered thing happening where Mahina looks like a reincarnation of Astley,” beams mother-of-five Kiri, 51. “So it’s almost like seeing my baby again, but I also get to see him as a dad for the first time, which has been really beautiful.

“He’s really relaxed, and my husband Jason and I have seen this gentleness in Astley we’ve never seen before. If Mahina gets upset, she looks around to try and find her dad and as soon as he picks her up, she’s fine again.”

With a laugh, Astley, 32, adds, “I think Mum is trying to say I wasn’t really someone they thought was going to have a baby now. I’ve always been a little less serious and only had to take responsibility for myself, so it’s been a massive shift. But I’m so happy to have baby and this opportunity to look after someone else.

“Although the day-to-day can be hard, she’s a ray of sunshine in my life. In the morning, she’s sitting up smiling, ready for me to take her out of bed. There’s so much joy in that.”

Astley – a former Flava radio host and Te Karere television reporter, now works in Māori engagement for the Mental Health Foundation – also acknowledges his partner Kim Newton.