http://www.asaca.nz/blog/ The latest Blog feeds from www.asaca.nz en-us Tue, 05 May 2026 22:39:30 +1200 Rocketspark http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/163445/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... Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:53:23 +1200 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post163445 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/162921/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 ... Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:11:14 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post162921 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/162504/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.... Wed, 25 Mar 2026 12:41:54 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post162504 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/161997/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 ... Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:23:39 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post161997 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/161098/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... Fri, 27 Feb 2026 00:14:52 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post161098 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/160446/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.... Sun, 15 Feb 2026 13:00:29 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post160446 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/158569/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... Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:34:21 +1300 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post158569 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/152048/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... Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:15:04 +1200 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post152048 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/151917/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... Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:31:24 +1200 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post151917 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/post/151908/creative-australia-report-2024/ ... Wed, 10 Sep 2025 14:06:52 +1200 http://www.asaca.nz/blog/#post151908