‘SHE is Not Your Rehab’ is a nation-wide programme to help communities move away from family violence. PHOTO SUPPLIED
VIOLENCE in any of its shapes and forms, whether physical or psychological, is prevalent in New Zealand society today. Violence Free Maniapoto is hosting a national programme aimed at educating communities and co-ordinator Caren Campbell said it is relying on people to get in and make a booking for the free event this week. The programme targets how to change, heal from and create healthy relationships and is travelling New Zealand. It will be the turn of both Ōtorohanga and Te Kūiti to host “She is Not Your Rehab” on November 9 and 10 respectively. More than any other organisation outside of police, Oranga Tamariki and the justice system, the Ministry of Social Development is familiar with the results of intergenerational family harm. AMBASSADORS In 2018, it joined up with Matt and Sarah Brown, the founders of the programme as ambassadors for MD’s “It’s Not OK” initiative. Matt understands better than most what a violence-centric environment is about. A New Zealand-born Samoan, he is these days an internationally-acclaimed barber, hair artist, communicator, husband, and father of three children known for ‘giving great cuts’ and ‘inspiring great men.’ A survivor of family violence and childhood sexual abuse, his story is shared with the men who frequent his busy Christchurch barbershop as a way to foster vulnerability, healing, and connection. From those beginnings, he has held multiple barbering programmes inside Christchurch Men’s Prison, Te Puna Wai O Tuhinapo, a Christchurch youth justice facility, and as a result of the initiatives, was named a Corrections NZ patron in 2020. TRUE CALLING Matt has cut the hair of everyone from All Blacks to the Wu Tang Clan but said his true calling lies in his work to redefine society’s view of masculinity and to help end the cycle of domestic violence affecting whānau all over New Zealand. He is not alone in this. His wife Sarah (Ngāpuhi/Te Rarawa) is passionate about their mandate of ‘creating violence-free communities’ and has worked alongside Matt since the beginning. She and her sister Ngaroma co-founded “She Is Not Your Rehab” and launched the concept in Matt’s 2019 TEDx talk. Matt said the movement invites men to acknowledge their own childhood trauma and to take responsibility for their healing so that they can transform their pain instead of transmitting it on those around them. The couple are happiest together when with their three children and whānau, being creatively inspired and travelling. WELL RECEIVED The New Zealand bestseller of the same name: She Is Not Your Rehab, has been well received since its launch with the goal being to encourage intergenerational healing. Caren encouraged as many locals as possible to attend. “It really is a story of healing and helps create empathy and understanding in communities and I can’t stress enough how important it is – and how well Matt and Sarah get the message across,” she said. The doors open at the Ōtorohanga Club on November 9 at 6pm, with Matt and Sarah speaking from 6.30pm until 7.30pm. This will be followed by dinner – and there is no charge for this. However, bookings are required because of limited spaces. The same applies to the Te Kūiti event, (in the same time frames), on November 10.
