By: Lisa He
Huia O’Sullivan is the Executive Director of Ngā Rangatahi Toa in New Zealand. Huia is a Māori native from the Te Ātiawa tribe. She’s been with the Ngā Rangatahi Toa for the past five years and has worked in youth development for the last 23 years. Ngā Rangatahi Toa is a non-governmental organization that focuses on social-justice-based and educational work for young people. It collaborates with South Auckland schools to identify students who will benefit from their programmes and then support them for at least one year. Ngā Rangatahi Toa means “a group of young warriors”.
The goals of Ngā Rangatahi Toa are to reduce suicide in young people and to support future generations because New Zealand holds one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world. The organization focuses primarily on Māori and Pasifika youth, where Pasifika refers to all the island countries around New Zealand such as Samoa and the Cook Islands. Huia shares that everything they do with their young people is steeped in their Indigenous frameworks. They use their own Māori ways of wellbeing. Huia explains, “All our programs are co-designed alongside our young people in the families, so it’s not just us making up an idea of what works. We do it in relation to our kids and with our families. It’s a power with relationship and not a power over.” For instance, one current initiative is a three-night sleepover where youth can discover deeper friendships, connect spiritually, and immerse themselves in a deeper and more vulnerable inner space. In addition, there are one-off workshops and theatre performances being held throughout the year. “It’s all very kinaesthetic based, which is the best way we learn as Māori,” says Huia.
Huia shares that there’s definitely not enough being done to address the needs of Indigenous Peoples. One starting point is to understand the different perspectives and frameworks on how ownership of land is viewed. It’s all about understanding the Indigenous connection to the land and how deep of a spiritual connection there is. “As Maori, we have a guardianship or stewardship role. We don’t own anything, we’re just protectors of it until our next generation comes through. The land is our backbone and is the basis of who we are as people. We’re half a person without our land.”
In addition to but also beyond financial support, the wider public can do many things to promote Indigenous communities. For instance, they can open their minds and actively try to understand the process of colonization, especially the oppression that it’s caused for Indigenous peoples. “The focus should be on decolonizing and re-educating our people in order to provide them with an understanding of what it all means. Our organization exists because of those inequities and disparities.” Furthermore, it’s also about how the Indigenous communities are supported and enabled. People need to be cautious that they’re not misappropriating cultures, such as doing the Haka, or trying to be something that they’re not.
What non-governmental organizations are doing at the grassroots level is extremely important, but this work also needs to be recognized and elevated to the central government level. That’s where legislation will be influenced to be more supportive of vulnerable young people, such as Māori and Pasifika. Huia concludes by saying that “we want to ensure that our voice is at the decision-making table as well.”
For more information and about ways you can support the Ngā Rangatahi Toa organization, please visit their website and social media channels here:
Website - https://www.ngarangatahitoa.co.nz/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nga_rangatahi_toa/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ngarangatahitoa/
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