Nōku te Ao Auckland Regional Wānanga
About this Event
Overview
- Free to attend – registration essential
- Limited spots
- Morning tea and lunch provided
The Nōku te Ao Regional Wānanga series, He reo tini, he wawata kotahi – Many voices, one goal to end mental distress discrimination, continues to build momentum for lasting change for people experiencing mental distress in Aotearoa.
As the final event in a series of wānanga held across the motu, the Nōku te Ao Auckland Regional Wānanga will bring together systems change leaders, mental health professionals, and lived experience advocates to explore practical actions and tools for ending mental distress discrimination at every level of society.
Join us in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland for a day of powerful kōrero, practical learning, and collective action.
Keynote Speakers
We are honoured to welcome Egan Bidois and Kerri Butler as our keynote speakers.
Egan Bidois’s keynote will explore why the voice of tāngata whaiora (people seeking wellness) must be present, purposeful, and influential in shaping change. His kōrero will challenge us to confront the barriers that silence lived experience and to resist softening difficult truths for the comfort of others.
In her keynote, Kerri Butler will explore the stigma and discrimination faced by people living with mental illness or distress, and the role each of us can play in challenging it. She’ll share practical tools and everyday actions that support greater social inclusion, while highlighting the importance of keeping this movement visible, active, and growing.
Workshops, panel discussion and resource spotlight
The day will feature two interactive workshops. The first, led by John Kingi and Heemi Kapa-Kingi from Soften Up Bro, will challenge the misconception that experiencing mental distress is a sign of weakness. Through storytelling and reflection, participants will explore how vulnerability can strengthen whānau and communities, and how honest conversations about mental distress can foster deeper connections and a stronger sense of identity.
The second workshop, facilitated by Hannah Whittaker-Komatsu, will explore lived experience as an ongoing loop of influence that shapes the actions we take to create change within our whānau and communities. Together, participants will reflect, share insights, and celebrate the many ways we contribute to shaping our world every day.
The day will also include a panel discussion with questions from the audience, facilitated by champions of the lived experience community Hannah Lorigan and Dan Goodwin. Finally, Sam Forbes, a student at Rosehill College, will shine the light on the Nōku te Ao resource Inside a Young Person's Mind.
What you’ll gain
- Evidence-based strategies to challenge mental distress stigma and discrimination in your workplace and community.
- Connections with sector leaders and lived experience advocates, both across Auckland and nationally.
- Inspiration and practical steps to help create lasting change.
About Nōku te Ao
Nōku te Ao is a public awareness movement dedicated to increasing social inclusion and ending discrimination against people with lived experience of mental illness or distress.
Grounded in Te Tiriti o Waitangi and led by tāngata whaiora, Nōku te Ao works alongside lived experience communities, whānau, and kaimahi across Aotearoa – to end stigma and discrimination in homes, schools, workplaces, hospitals, and the media.
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
NZD 0.00
