Stories JOIN THE CONVERSATION Be part of growing Aotearoa’s humanity Our Humanity Inspiration New layer New layer New layer POPULAR TAGS All (1025) Family (216) community (176) kindness (132) children (114) seniors (101) money (95) faith (91) relationships (86) mental health (81) loneliness (42) Alcohol and Drugs (40) Stress (32) THIS MONTH’S QUESTION What has been a big influence on who you are today? Mani | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "I had a pretty rough upbringing. So, that has influenced me not to be like that for my children now. I knew that was everything I didn’t want to be. Now all I aspire for is to give my girls everything that I didn’t have growing up." Peter | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "We were living practically on the Marae which I hold dear to me now, just because of the values they had. It taught me things like whanaungatanga, tuākana-tēina, how to live close to each other, how to respect manaakitanga and all of that." Rhonda | Ongaruru, Gisborne - "With kids, they’re a dream, a future. And what you try and do in a place like Tokomaru is just teach them the values, who they are, what they belong to, because we belong to our whenua around here, in Tokomaru, and we’re just here for the kaitiaki." Western | Manukau, Auckland - "I decided that I needed help, and I went out there and asked, because the hardest thing for a person like myself, being brought up in a very proud family is asking for help. Lillian | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "Being raised within Tokomaru Bay, we had strong Māori wāhine leaders, and they led by example. Their values of manaaki ki ngā tāngata katoa always stuck with me, and that’s to always support people regardless of where they come from, regardless of who they are. Lima | Manurewa, Auckland - "What I’ve come to learn when you learn to be brave with your vulnerabilities, then the ability to heal becomes a stronger foundation for you to walk on." Te Aomihia | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "It wasn’t necessarily the cancer that took my mother’s life from her. It was the loss of her spirit, which died a bit before she did. Near the end, in her last months, my mother reconnected with her spirit, her Māoritanga, by reaching out to her family a bit more." Rachael | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "It’s all about trying to work for the future, for your children. Also being able to provide work and employment for locals around here, that’s been really important for me." Sheetal | Manurewa, Auckland - "I guess when you go through a lot of stuff, you just own it, and it makes you who you are. So, I’m proud of who I am." Gus | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "My experiences with mental health has allowed me to be able to help other men...if I didn’t have that sort of background myself, I wouldn’t be able to tell my side of the story and maybe tell them something that could potentially help them get through their tough times."
Mani | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "I had a pretty rough upbringing. So, that has influenced me not to be like that for my children now. I knew that was everything I didn’t want to be. Now all I aspire for is to give my girls everything that I didn’t have growing up." Peter | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "We were living practically on the Marae which I hold dear to me now, just because of the values they had. It taught me things like whanaungatanga, tuākana-tēina, how to live close to each other, how to respect manaakitanga and all of that." Rhonda | Ongaruru, Gisborne - "With kids, they’re a dream, a future. And what you try and do in a place like Tokomaru is just teach them the values, who they are, what they belong to, because we belong to our whenua around here, in Tokomaru, and we’re just here for the kaitiaki." Western | Manukau, Auckland - "I decided that I needed help, and I went out there and asked, because the hardest thing for a person like myself, being brought up in a very proud family is asking for help. Lillian | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "Being raised within Tokomaru Bay, we had strong Māori wāhine leaders, and they led by example. Their values of manaaki ki ngā tāngata katoa always stuck with me, and that’s to always support people regardless of where they come from, regardless of who they are. Lima | Manurewa, Auckland - "What I’ve come to learn when you learn to be brave with your vulnerabilities, then the ability to heal becomes a stronger foundation for you to walk on." Te Aomihia | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "It wasn’t necessarily the cancer that took my mother’s life from her. It was the loss of her spirit, which died a bit before she did. Near the end, in her last months, my mother reconnected with her spirit, her Māoritanga, by reaching out to her family a bit more." Rachael | Tokomaru Bay, Gisborne - "It’s all about trying to work for the future, for your children. Also being able to provide work and employment for locals around here, that’s been really important for me." Sheetal | Manurewa, Auckland - "I guess when you go through a lot of stuff, you just own it, and it makes you who you are. So, I’m proud of who I am." Gus | Kaikōura, Canterbury - "My experiences with mental health has allowed me to be able to help other men...if I didn’t have that sort of background myself, I wouldn’t be able to tell my side of the story and maybe tell them something that could potentially help them get through their tough times."
