Matapiata | Pākarutia te Mokemoketanga
Published:
July 25, 2024
Breaking our Silence for the Repeal and Replacement of the Mental Health Act Submission
Ko Puke Haua ngā Puke huia ngā maunga
Ko Toukahawai te awa
Ko Ngāpuhi rao Ko Ngāti Porou te iwi
I grew up the mokopuna of a nanny who spent 50 years of her life in and out of the institutions and living in a boarding house. At a young age I saw and felt the effects of the mental health system, knowing in my puku that the potential of my nanny had been diminished by a system that removed her from her whenua, medicated her Māoriness to the point where she experienced severe tardive dyskenesia and silenced her reo.
My nanny’s experiences and growing up with a mum who was a nurse shaped my passion and desire to work in the sector from a young age. My first experiences of accessing services at the age of 20 set the pathway for me to come into the lived experience space 15 years later.
Pākarutia te Mokemoketanga is an advocacy piece that we wrote in response to recommendation 34 from the He Ara Oranga calling submissions into the repeal and replacement of the Mental Health (Compulsory Treatment and Assessment Act) 1992.
We often felt silenced by the use of the Act and the dominance of Western psychiatry. So this was a unique opportunity for us to come together collectively to share our experiences of the Act and to provide clear recommendations for the development of the new Act.
Although the process of exploring our journeys bought up lots of painful memories, it also provided an opportunity to heal from our experiences.
Kerri Butler (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou), Director, Take Notice | Kerri@takenotice.co.nz
