Matapiata | Me Haere Ngātahi Tātou, Shared Journeys — Voices of the Lived Experience Community

Nōku te Ao is dedicated to eliminating discrimination and increasing social inclusion for people with lived experience of mental distress. Through collective action and advocacy, we challenge systemic barriers and drive meaningful change across Aotearoa.

Our focus is on increasing social inclusion and eliminating discrimination against people with lived experience of mental distress. Me Haere Ngātahi Tātou | Shared Journeys – Voices of the Lived Experience Community speaks to the power of collective action—bringing together communities, decision-makers, and lived experience leaders to create lasting change.

This mahi is crucial for tangata whenua, Pasifika, and all communities impacted by mental distress. Discrimination in employment, education, and healthcare isolates individuals and limits opportunities. We work to shift attitudes, dismantle barriers, and foster environments where everyone can participate fully in society.

Our work highlights persistent stigma and discrimination in key areas, exposing institutional bias, systemic inequities, and interpersonal discrimination that negatively affect those with lived experience. We push for accountability and transformative shifts in these spaces.

Through Me Haere Ngātahi Tātou, we engaged with lived experience communities across the motu to co-design and identify solutions. From that, eight key recommendations were put forth as a path to challenge stigma and drive behavioral and systemic change.

The report strengthened cross-sector collaboration, amplified lived experience voices, and provided a framework for action. It reinforced the need for collective responsibility and continues to shape inclusive policies and practices across Aotearoa.

Kia Kai-Kōrero Tātou Me Haere Ngātahi Tātou.

Me Haere Ngātahi Tātou: Shared Journeys – Voices of the Lived Experience Community is a powerful new report from Nōku te Ao that brings forward the lived experiences of people navigating mental distress, with a strong focus on Māori and Pacific communities. It highlights the enduring impact of prejudice, discrimination, and exclusion, while offering insight into how we can collectively build a more inclusive, equitable Aotearoa grounded in mana, human rights, and social justice.

“This report enables further understanding of how we can best aid and facilitate an Aotearoa that upholds the mana and human rights of people with experiences of mental distress. It is my hope that the whakaaro, knowledge and wisdom within this report will educate and reconstruct societal beliefs and public attitudes, so that Māori, Pacific peoples, and everyone throughout Aotearoa can experience improvements to their social inclusion and the landscapes in which they dwell” – Shaquille Graham Tainui, Te Arawa Programme Lead – Nōku te Ao Health Promotion.

You can watch the video of the report or obtain a hardcopy of the report at no cost.

This is vital work centred on upholding the human rights and mana of people who experience mental distress—and addressing the ongoing systemic discrimination and exclusion they face.

With a particular focus on the experiences and voices of Māori and Pacific peoples, we invite you to join us in exploring social activism and movement building aimed at eliminating prejudice and discrimination against the lived experience community.

If you would like to contact our amazing kaikōrero from the session, their contact details are below

Gina Giordani – livedexperience@tepou.co.nz

Nakisha Tau – Nakisha.Tau@mentalhealth.org.nz