“I was deeply unhappy. I think people looking in from the outside would have thought: ‘Oh, he’s got it together,’ but there was no one coming to put this fire out.” — Former firefighter Jemarl Paerata on transforming his mental health.
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“In that moment with my son, I was standing on the edge of a line that must not be crossed. But so many other Māori men have crossed it.” — Tīhema Baker, author of ‘One Day a Taniwha’.
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“Our tūpuna navigated vast oceans with no modern instruments, guided by the stars, the winds, the currents. If they could find calm in the uncertainty of the Pacific, surely, we can find it in the uncertainty of our inboxes and calendars.” — Nathan Hira.
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“When people are empowered to self-heal, they reclaim their mana. They are no longer passive recipients of care — they are active creators of their own wellbeing.” — Rebecca Collett on creating a mental health support programme in Ohakune.
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“Here I am, 68 now, going on 69, and I’m having a vibrant life because I turned to my mātauranga Māori, and I started trusting my voices, and learning what I needed to learn.” — Tui Taurua, on her journey to recovery after 20 years in the psychiatric system.
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“In my experience working with Māori clients, I’ve seen how some cases of mental health challenges like depression, anxiety and even memory and concentration difficulties can be better understood through the lens of ongoing discrimination, intergenerational poverty and housing instability.” — Carrie Clifford.
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“Prayer has been massive for me. I have a couple of friends, and we just vent and pray, vent and pray. And then we eat.” — Siautu Alefaio, psychology professor at Otago University.
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“Part of showing aroha to yourself is accepting that you can only do what you can do. Some people can do more than others, and some people go about it differently, and all of that is okay as long as you’re doing something. The little things that we’re all doing come together to make a difference.” — Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki.
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“I’m well if my family is well, and my family is well if I’m well. Also, as a people, we are all well if the land is well.” — Dr Waikaremoana Waitoki, clinical psychologist.
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“The rangatahi Māori interns were like mascots. We were there to entice funding bodies into handing over more money.”
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