Voices & Stories

I wonder what you think As you sit there in your chair Assessing my mental condition Based on how i appear here I wonder if you know That this building fills me with fear And maybe im a little elevated Because i sense danger here Theres danger in your pen And the power you have to decide Based on how i appear What treatment order you might prescribe I wonder if you know doctor Im elevated because of you Because im nervous and im scared Of what your power can do Im scared to say the wrong thing Worried about how i appear So my mouth blurts out some rubbish That i never meant to share I also wonder doctor If you walked a moment in my shoes If you with all your power Might be labelled manic too

These artworks were inspired by two campaigns, The Toitu Te Tiriti movement in Aotearoa 2024 and the #MeToo campaign started by Tarana Burke in 2006 in America for survivors of abuse. Toitu te haumaru means – let safety remain upstanding. I believe our tupuna originally signed Te Tiriti O waitangi with the brittish crown for safety. Let us all stand for safety it was the purpose of Te Tiriti. The #meTOO #youTOO #eTU part of this art collection came from my own experience of abuse and the shame i felt in silence. I felt alone with all my evidence it felt like noone was listening. I wanted us ALL to stand together and speak up for safety like we did for Toitu Te Tiriti. #meTOO #YouToo #e-TU Toitu Te Haumaru In Māori e TU means stand or rise and in Italian in means AND YOU. My artworks were left unfinished but i photographed them like this to try and preserve the concept while i ran again for safety it was a desperate attempt to say please let safety remain.

Hikitia! For our Future is for everyone. We invite you to take hold of the anchors within your community and Hikitia! with us. Here are 3 questions to help you get started: • What do you love about your community? • What dreams do you have for your community? • What anchors hold your community back from reaching those dreams? Primary Prevention occurs before any harm has taken place. It focusses on building the conditions that promote safety, respect, and wellbeing. The goal of Primary Prevention is to stop people from ever reaching the risk point.