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Turamarama Ki Te Ora National Suicide Prevention Conference 

Sunday 24 May – Tuesday 26 May

Tangatarua Marae Waiariki Institute of Technology & Holiday Inn Hotel Rotorua

I will be giving healings throughout the hui, and also presenting on Tuesday at 2.35.

A very unique conference as the elders of Ngati Pikiao have sent out the call to emerge the knowledge, processes and practices from Te Ao Māori to address this very important kaupapa. The keynotes are the very best of our leadership in this area, an exceptional opportunity for us all.

http://www.pikiaorunanga/turama-ki-te-ora-2015.html

If you are able to make it please come up for a kōrero, a listen or a healing or even better, all three.

Whakaohooho Mauri : The re-awakening Indigenous spirit

 Like water ceaselessly flowing to the sea, despite grave injustices and ongoing suffering, Māori people locally and Indigenous peoples globally, indomitably re-gather ourselves as Māori peoples locally, and as indigenous peoples globally. We turn to horizons of hope, and lean again, and again into the winds of change and potential. Alongside other ‘dominant’ disciplines, mental health and psychological formulations predominate a decontextualised, deficit based, and pathological or diseased Indigenous individual. In comparison Indigenous peoples are increasingly re-membering, re-collecting, and re-embodying vital and dignified ‘i-dentities’ and ‘we-dentities’. What is it about Māori and Indigenous peoples that sustains this un-quenchable vitality?

My PhD considers ‘Māori psychologies’. Ihirangaranga rongoa, or waiata wairua will be performed to share an aspect of Māori psychologies and assist the delivery of ‘Te Tī’, a conceptual framework I developed to incorporate Māori resilience discourse within a wholistic Indigenous conceptual lens. ‘Te Tī’ apprehends and traces a vital trajectory of enduring Indigenous dignity and resilience across natural, national, global, oceanic and timeless cosmological landscapes that are our Indigenous realities and inheritance. Like the never ceasing, ever-cycling and renewing flow of water, and ancestral blood as whakapapa, ‘Te Tī’ suggests there are re-constituting essential forces that continue to flow through the land, generations, people and peoples. Vitalising sources that we can align with to enhance, strengthen and nourish our mokopuna, rangatahi, whānau, hapu, iwi, communities and beyond.

Key Words: Māori, Indigenous, vitality, dignity, ancestors, ihirangaranga

Turamarama Ki Te Ora – Reflections and Ta Koha – Shared Gifts of Love

Friday 29 May 2015

 Ngā mihi aroha ki a tatau e te whānau mo o tātau tā koha aroha ki te mauri o te hui ‘Turamarama ki te Ora’, ki ngā tangata i raro i te kapua o te pouritanga o te ‘suicide’, ki ahau hoki -. Greetings of love and thanks to you who turned toward this beautiful kaupapa, hui, and me and sent sacred thoughts of love, caring and connection.

Such a blessed experience, I am left with a heart-filled recognition of the sacredness that is the experience of being part of holding space that enables the unfolding, sharing and release of deep pain and grief. Many times I/we sat in silent witness while those who are hurt spoke, and shared tears falling – and it was beautiful, and also interspersed with humor, and moments of joy and celebration. I am left with a huge sense of privilege to be a part of holding spaces that allow safety for this sacred expression.

We were privileged to have family of rangatahi who passed by taking their own lives at our presentation. I spoke to them of the unending timeless vitality and love from which we come, and which continues to flow as a vitalising river of embrace, strength, and reconstitution. I also spoke of how trauma and isolation knocks us off an awareness of this flow, and then I sung to them. Afterwards a brother approached me to share his wairua experience of connection and release. Thank you for your love and prayers they make a huge difference.

The learnings that continue to echo for me relate to the effect of being ‘sealed in silence’. Firstly, we heard over and over again how our societal perception and fear of profound suffering, and our incapacity to ‘be with’ those who suffer, effectively leaves them sealed in cocoons of silent suffering and soul torture. Secondly, we heard how the negative and damning stereotypes, or perceptions associated with suicide are the manacles and chains or straight jackets that entrap, isolate and condemn the deeply hurt and wounded to what in that moment appears to be endless suffering.

Another key message from our rangatahi, and those who work closely and effectively with our rangatahi, is how often we (the competent adults???) fail to see what they have, and what they can bring to effectively bear on this issue. There was a strong call for wānanga where the rangatahi can be supported to lead out with their own conversations and to develop approaches to suicide preventions and initiatives of hope from the meaningful soils of their ground up.

Lastly, it seems to me being able to gather in spaces made sacred, protected and contained by karakia and our shared care-filled attentions is a primary pathway to unlocking the ‘silence sealed suffering’ of both before and after suicide. I take away the powerful importance of simply being able to be there, to listen, to witness, and therefore share in the releasing of condemning isolation, shame, blame and pain. We need more meetings and gatherings like this where the voices can be heard and ultimately healed.

Mauri Ora!

na

Waireti

 A Matariki Puanga Mōteatea sharing

of

 “Ngā Mōteatea a Te Whetū Mataiata – Chants for a New Dawn”

8.00 July 4th 2015 – Kawai Purapura Albany Auckland

Naumai Haeremai Koutou Katoa – all Warmly Welcome

Sorry about the late notice – have been on the road – be lovely to see you and to share – watch this space more to come soon…

Kia Ora anō e te Whānau

“Ihirangaranga’ has the pleasure and privilege of performing at Paekakariki on the 22^nd of this month with the Lovely Sunny Ray, Jasper and Matiu Te Huki. Nau mai haere mai whānau for an experience that will take you on a journey into hearts and souls ease, pleasure and vitality, followed by a great chance to dance the night away – till 11.00 at least, $15 a ticket, sales link on poster below.

Naumai Haere Mai Whānau