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The Unlikely Doctor

The Unlikely Doctor: From gang life and prison to becoming a doctor at 56Author(s): Timoti Te MokeNZ Non-fiction | Auckland Writers Festival 2026The extraordinary story of Dr Timoti Te Moke who - having endured a horrific childhood of beatings and abuse, then gang life, stints in prison and an unsupported manslaughter charge - became a doctor at the age of 56 and is a staunch advocate for Māori​.Born into love but then thrust into violence, and shaped by struggle, Timoti Te Mok...

Inside the Manosphere

Will SmithMarch 24 at 7:40 PM ·I’ve watched the recent documentary “Inside the Manosphere.” And I’ll be honest, the language, the rhetoric, the mindset… none of it shocked me. I see it every single day. I sit with boys who repeat those lines. Who consume that content. Who are slowly being shaped by it. And yes, it’s confronting. It’s aggressive. At times, it’s outright disgusting. But here’s the part people don’t want to talk about…These boys are not ...

Newsletter Vision 2026

Kia Ora friends, colleagues, sponsors and our wonderful community!Thank you for your help and for tuning in.This is an overview of where we are at and where we would like to go for the youth of Aotearoa....

Neuro-Serenity a new Label

A friend of mine has her neighbours grandchildren come over when they are visiting their Nan. She was told that the boy is 'on the spectrum', a problem child, be careful.When the children visit, the boy chooses to sit on the deck, his legs dangling, in absolute serenity, watching the water fountain in the garden for hours, with books or the cat. No technology, noise, hype. For days after his visit he is no longer behaving 'on the spectrum'. When do children get to experience and enjoy ...

Colouring-In - Templates or Freedom?

There is considerable determination to supply children with pre drawn images to 'colour-in'.A childhood spent 'following the rules', keeping within the boundaries is the opposite of developing the tools that young people need to manage themselves.If young people have the opportunity of a blank space in front of them and invited to put whatever they want onto that blank space then a huge amount of emotions develop."Anything you want"Anything - What is anything? Materials, dimensions, how can I us...

Our Prisons cause more harm

The 596-bed Waikeria prison, 14 kilometres south of Te Awamutu in Waikato. Expansion plans for a further 800-plus beds are underway as the prison population hits an all-time high....

The Story That Makes You Sick

She sat in my office for the first time at forty-two, carrying twenty-three years of psychiatric history in her body and a pharmacy in her purse. Lithium since she was nineteen. Depakote added at twenty-six. Seroquel for sleep. Klonopin for the anxiety the other medications seemed to generate."I am bipolar," she said.Not "I have." Not "I was diagnosed with." The disorder had fused so completely with her sense of self that there was no separation between the label and the woman. This was not a co...

Creative Waikato 11 June 2025

Safe spaces for creative practice provide valuable opportunities for individuals and communities alike.They allow people to explore ideas and discover their creative voices. They are places where vulnerability is welcomed, diverse identities are embraced, and where growth can happen, whether through music, art, expression, or simple conversation.Spaces such as these can be found throughout the Waikato, often operating without fanfare, always underpinned with care. What they offer to those who at...

STEM - The abscence of THE ARTS!

STEM Conference in Tauranga 28 September this year.Time to reverse this madness! Bring back The Arts to STEAM!Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths, are not possible without The Arts. Someone dreaming, imagining, designing, preparing. Someone's curiosity, initiative, planning makes all the 'technical' Arts possible. Come on Aotearoa, get with the 21st Century, we need all the bright sparks we can get, playing, experimenting, drawing, building, testing, prototyping. Celebrate all of The Arts...

Creative Australia Report 2024

The Australian Government commissioned the report, link below, out of their commitment to building a powerful future for their country and peoples."Children and young people have fundamental human rights to play, to access culture, to engage in self-expression and to experience challenging, complex artworks and new ideas. The art children and young people create and experience is valuable in its own right. Creative activity also has real and significant positive outcomes for young participants �...

Waikato Creative News 2025

A former teacher and lifelong lover of live performance, Ray Diprose has channelled his passion for storytelling and production into community events across Raglan. Whether supporting the coordination of the Raglan Film Festival, working events like the Country and Blues Festival, or installing public screens to showcase local happenings, Ray’s focus has consistently been on inclusion, access, and joy.“What creative experiences bring is both performance opportunities for artists and connecti...

Book Launch - Speech by Shona Hammond Boys

Thank you Richard for your dedication and commitment to youth and children and to the community at large. Thank you for standing up and speaking out. I teach creativity. I teach this because I believe in Life. I teach that we must be in love with life itself.   I speak from my experiences in Children`s Art Houses. I speak for many young lives struggling to express themselves and to be heard. I speak because every child counts, every life matters and because I cannot give up on the...

New post

I remember listening to a Radio NZ interview with Rt Hon Jim Bolger on the launch of his book, Fridays with Jim.I had spent many years living in Te Kuiti with the Bolger family just a part of the community, and was interested in what he was saying.The thing that took my attention, and I would like to hear the audio of the interview again, but it was clear to me, he mentioned John Lennon's song "Imagine". He said we need to let our children 'imagine' the future for us. Wouldn't it be nice if...