Whānau challenged to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora

Māori community-based youth provider e Kaha O Te Rangatahi Trust is running a Pink Shirt Day Māori Whānau Festival.
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Found in: News / News
Date: 9 May 2019
Whānau challenged to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora

 9 May, 2019

Te Kaha O Te Rangatahi Trust is spreading the important message of Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak Up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying this Pink Shirt Day.

The Māori community-based youth provider is running a Pink Shirt Day Māori Whānau Festival at Manurewa Marae this Saturday.

It’s the second year the event is being run to engage whānau and rangatahi with Pink Shirt Day, a bullying prevention campaign run by the Mental Health Foundation (MHF).

Mental Health Foundation (MHF) Māori development manager Ellen Norman wants whānau, kura, workplaces and communities to take a stand against bullying and create positive, safe environments where bullying can’t flourish.

“Māori are over-represented in our mental health statistics so we hope campaigns like Pink Shirt Day will bring communities together and provide the support they need to feel safe and good about who they are – whether that is at mahikura or at home,” Ellen says.

Ellen says whānau know their rangatahi best and need to be role models.

“They need to engage, inspire and connect with them; lead by example, teach what is appropriate and reinforce the behaviours they want to see.”

Te Kaha O Te Rangatahi Trust CEO and event organiser Natasha Kemp says the trust is proud to be partnering with Pink Shirt Day again on a bullying prevention event with a Māori approach.

“Supporting the kaupapa of anti-bullying within our community and spreading the word about aroha and kindness will help reduce bullying and the impact of it,” Natasha says.

“We believe in the E tu Whānau values, specifically, Kōrero awhi which encourages whānau to communicate clearly, positively and with compassion. Strong whānau talk about the small, trivial matters as well as the complex, serious issues in life. Kōrero awhi helps whānau relate and feel connected to each other.” Natasha says.

“By engaging in these actions, we will minimise the impact bullying has on our rangatahi, whānau and communities.”

People can expect music, kapa haka, food stalls and a strong presence from local schools at the Pink Shirt Day Māori Whānau Festival.

Natasha says the day is about “local communities providing local solutions with a kaupapa Māori approach”.

Pink Shirt Day began in Canada in 2007 when two students took a stand against homophobic bullying, mobilising their whole school, after a fellow student was bullied for wearing a pink shirt.

The Pink Shirt Day Māori Whānau Festival is being held prior to the nationwide Pink Shirt Day on Friday 17 May.

Pink Shirt Day Whānau Festival event details:

Time: 9.30am–2pm

Where: Manurewa Marae, 81 Finlayson Avenue, Manurewa

ENDS

For more information on the Pink Shirt Day Māori Whānau Festival event or Pink Shirt Day, please contact:

Mark Wilson
021 998 949
mark.wilson@mentalhealth.org.nz

About Pink Shirt Day

  • Pink Shirt Day on Friday 17 May 2019 is the day when Aotearoa turns a sea of pink to Kōrero Mai, Kōrero Atu, Mauri Tū, Mauri Ora – Speak up, Stand Together, Stop Bullying.
  • Pink Shirt Day supports schools, workplaces and communities to be safe, welcoming and inclusive for people, regardless of age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, or cultural background.
  • Pink Shirt Day originated in a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada in 2007. Two students, David Shepherd and Travis Price, took a stand against homophobic bullying and mobilised their whole school after a student was harassed and threatened for wearing pink.
  • New Zealand has the second-highest rate of school bullying out of 51 countries, and one in five employees in New Zealand workplaces report they have experienced bullying each year.
  •  Since 2012, Pink Shirt Day has been led by the Mental Health Foundation with support from InsideOUT, the Peace Foundation, Village Collective, New Zealand Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA), Auckland District Health Board Peer Sexuality Support Programme (PSSP), Youthline, Te Kaha O Te Rangatahi Trust, the Human Rights Commission and Bullying-Free NZ Week.
  • In 2019, Pink Shirt Day will be celebrated across New Zealand on Friday 17 May.
  • Schools are also encouraged to participate in Bullying-free NZ Week, which runs from 13–17 May, in the lead up to Pink Shirt Day.