Naima - This is Aotearoa

Naima | Mt Roskill, Auckland

“Maalin aniga iyo hooyo waan u lugeeyneynay shaaricka. I think waxaan aadeeynay New World Mount Roskill. Nin baa gaariga ku jiray, wuu na caayay.

Wuxuu iraahday wadankiina ku noqda. Waan sii jeedsaday, waan arkay. What? Wadanka ku noqo? Waxaan iraahday New Zealand waan dagnaaday 20 years so wadankeyga waa iska New Zealand haddeer. Maku noqoni karo Somalia haddeer. Wali dagaal baa dhacaya. Wali safety ma ahan. Insha’Allah mardhaw waan noqonayaa. Somalia ha noolaato! Laakiin waan sii jeedsaday waan u sheegay. New Zealand waa wadankeyga waxaas waan u sheegay. New Zealand waan imaaday sanadka 2000. Waligeyna markaan iskuulkaas u lugeyn jirnay iyo markaan supermarket-kaas ka lageyni jirnay dad badan baa na caayi jiray. Wadanka ku noqda, madoowtihiin, foolxumo Laakiin maalintaas ma aqaan waxa dhacay. Waan sii jeedsaday. Waan u sheegay. Wadankeyga waa New Zealand. Wallaahi! New Zealand waa iska wadan fiican Alxamdullilah. Iyo dadki oo dad fiican. Racism wuu dhacaa. Waligiis wuu jirayaa. Allahu aclam laakiin insha’Allah waxaan doonayaa ciyaalka badan oo New Zealand jooga ciyaalka New Zealand joogaan inay noqdaan brave. Inay dadka u sheegaan wadankan waa wadankeyni. Waa haddeer It’s our new home. Haa.

Translated

One day my mother and I were walking on the footpath. I think we were going to New World Mount Roskill. A man who was in a car abused us. He said ‘go back to your country’. I turned around, I saw him. ‘What? Go back to your country?’ I said. I have been in New Zealand for 20 years so right now my country is New Zealand. I cannot go back to Somalia right now. There is still a war going on. It is still not safe. God willing, I will go back soon. Long live Somalia! But I turned around and told him. ‘New Zealand is my country’ I told him. I came to New Zealand in the year 2000. And we were always being insulted by many people when we walked to and from the supermarket. Go back to your country, you are black, ugly but that day I don’t know what happened. I turned around. I told him. ‘My country is New Zealand. I swear!’ New Zealand is a good country. Thank God! And the people are good. Racism happens. It will always exist. God knows but God willing, I want the many children in New Zealand, the children in New Zealand to be brave. To tell people that the country is theirs. It is now, it’s our new home. Yes.”

What, if anything, have you done differently after visiting this site?

Kale

Kale

Kale | Welbourn, Taranaki - "I used to do quite a few heavy drugs and used to be around a lot of violent, angry people, and I just had that moment of realisation that I wanted to change. So, instead of focussing on doing negative things, I wanted to do something positive, and the one thing that’s always in the back of my mind was my nan, and helping others."
Ezra

Ezra

Ezra | Fitzroy, Taranaki - "It made my life really difficult, just moving from house to house, and not actually understanding what home means. So, when people ask that question, where’s home, it’s almost like saying, what is the key to the universe."
Chaana

Chaana

Chaana | Raetihi, Manawatū-Whanganui - "My uncle made me do a pōwhiri, or a karanga as they call it, for the first time. I was able to perform that welcoming out of my comfort zone. No practice, no time to prep, and knowing that the people we were calling to come to us were standing right in front of me."
Tihi

Tihi

Tihi | Ōhakune, Manawatū-Whanganui - "Whāia te iti kahurangi, ki te tuohu koe, me he maunga teitei which means to go after the sacred treasure, or go out and chase your dreams, and if you have to bail let it be to the great mountain."
Naima

Naima

Naima | Mt Roskill, Auckland- "Waxaan doonayaa ciyaalka badan oo New Zealand jooga ciyaalka New Zealand joogaan inay noqdaan brave. Inay dadka u sheegaan wadankan waa wadankeyni. Waa haddeer It’s our new home. I want the many children in New Zealand, the children in New Zealand to be brave. To tell people that the country is theirs. It is now, it’s our new home."
Kiri

Kiri

Kiri | Ōhakune, Manawatū-Whanganui - "Home for me is the feeling of being safe, being in a community that’s loving and caring. Home is a feeling. Especially this place. This place does something special to people."
Te Arapo

Te Arapo

Te Arapo | New Plymouth, Taranaki - "My hope for the future is I want to be able to have my own business, run my own business, and get my kids back. Well, at least be able to see them and reconcile the relationships that I’ve maybe broken in the past."
Jade

Jade

Jade | Westown, Taranaki - "I’ve learned to be more accepting towards things that I don’t really like. I’ve learned to be less judgemental towards others, and I’ve become more forgiving to things that may be hard to forgive. I’m more brave and confident in myself to do the things that I talk about."
Jace

Jace

Jace | Waitara, Taranaki - "I’ve been through some pretty hard moments myself, and just seeing the people around me hurt because of it makes me want to better myself, and so I find ways to express it, rather than doing anything that could affect other people around me, which is what got me into art in the first place."
Shaz

Shaz

Shaz | Timaru, Canterbury - "What I’ve learned is that I can be strong for myself, and even when things get hard, just look back on it and say, look at the end goal and focus on that."

Naima | Mt Roskill, Auckland

“Maalin aniga iyo hooyo waan u lugeeyneynay shaaricka. I think waxaan aadeeynay New World Mount Roskill. Nin baa gaariga ku jiray, wuu na caayay.

What, if anything, have you done differently after visiting this site?

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