Without foresight or vision the people will be lost.
Ki te kāhore he whakakitenga, ka ngaro te iwi.
The following stories of our people take us on a journey – a journey from despair and frustration, separation from whānau and communities of purpose, future and hope, to a journey of reconnection, identity, re-establishment and hope.
We hear the voice of their lived experience and this enables us to start courageous conversations in our communities around changing the narrative of the ‘silent sentence’ – the sentence of stigma, judgment and bias faced by people who are in, or have been released from, prison and deportees.
Their stories are a taonga for us to share, to develop understanding and acceptance from community in order to build a more inclusive society.
Ema’s story – Life has done a complete 360
It would be fair to say that life has thrown Ema* more than her fair share of challenges. She grew...
John’s Story – Journey Through a Newcomer’s Eyes
Writer Paulette Crowley was lucky enough to ‘shadow’ a navigator recently while he helped John*,...
Mike’s Story – A New Beginning at Seventy
It’s not often you get a chance to make a new start in life when you’re 70, but that is how Mike*,...
Josh’s story
Age 38 Iwi Ngāi Te Rangi “I won’t go back to old ways, on the hard days at work, I think about...
Mark’s story
Age 39 Mark and his sister were born in the South Island and adopted by a family who lived in...
Volunteer: Siilvie
Hola! My name is Siilvie and I am from Brazil. I migrated to New Zealand and decided I would like...
Xavier’s story
Age - 19 Iwi - Ngapuhi I was brought up by my Mum and my Aunty. I come from the North. I liked...
Stories about people affected by deportation
Harry DROPPED OFF WITH NOWHERE TO GO Harry's* story is a familiar one to the PARS team, who are...