OCTOBER: WEEK SEVEN of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ How have you resolved conflict in a positive way? Simon Simon | Parnell - "I just want to see my mum, and maybe I never will. I understand why she did it. I’ve got a great mum. I’m so gifted to be adopted, but I just want to see my mother’s eyes." Mayus Mayus | India - "I would always want to end my relationship with someone on a happy note. I would always go the extra mile and try to resolve issues, and I’ll always try to leave a smile on your face." Alfred Alfred | Browns Bay - "Violence won’t solve the problem. Actually, it creates the problem. If you want to solve a problem, you have to first of all listen" OCTOBER: WEEK SIX of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ When was the last time you felt different? Zoe Zoe| Auckland Central - "I can’t really dye my hair blue in China, because people will say I’m not a good student. It’s quite free here, not only physically but mentally free." Sarrah Sarrah | Mount Albert - "With my previous relationship, my child’s father, when he knew that I was pregnant he just got on the plane and headed somewhere else..." David David | Takapuna - "To be a man is to be part of a community that includes men, women, people of different ethnicity, people of different religious backgrounds or non-religious backgrounds, people from all parts of the world. Elaine Elaine | Waimauku - "I’m a Westie. You may not think I’m a Westie looking at me, but I grew up there... I call New Zealand home, although at times it’s challenging because I’ve had all sorts of prejudices against me." SEPTEMBER: WEEK FOUR of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ When was the last time you connected with someone you didn’t know? Tau Tau | Otara - "Too much hate, too much violence in the world today, people. You know? One love, one people, one world, and peace." Kah-Shar Kah-Shar | Manurewa - "It would have been with my mother as I was living in Australia, and she was over here in New Zealand, and she just found out that she was ill." Gwen Gwen | Point Chevalier - "Connecting with people is very important. It happened three days ago that someone, a friend of ours was found dead. Her neighbours hadn’t seen her for three days, and if you keep to yourself people don’t know you." Rhi Rhi | Papatoetoe - "There was a girl that looked like she was my age. She was crying and everything, and I went up to her and asked if she was alright, and then I sat down with her for about an hour and a half, and had like a real good conversation with her" Tailua Tailua | Māngere - "A young girl asked for a cigarette and I sat down and I started talking with her and just getting to know how her background was. You could tell she needed someone to be that listening ear, someone to talk to" David David | Māngere - "The last time I connected with a stranger was probably at my job. I had a mother with her baby who was just having a real difficult time. Imagine yourself in that situation, with a crying baby, and it was evident that passengers around here were getting kind of frustrated" SEPTEMBER: WEEK THREE of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ How have you connected to your culture lately? Sarah Sarah | Manurewa - "We paid for one lady's groceries and she just broke down crying" Jeff Jeff | Papatoetoe - "We call it the cloak of love, the cloak of future, the spirit of our ancestors. Anything with culture is special to Māori - to Māoridom" Elvin Elvin | Manurewa - "It would be with my grandmother. She’s a very beautiful lady. She has very strong values, and she’s very strict. She’s always been there for me, from the time I was born." Kevin Kevin | Mairangi Bay - "I guess my last heart to heart would have been yesterday with my wife. I’d done something I shouldn’t have done, I lost my temper, and had to apologise. I did the right thing by buying some flowers and sat down and talked it over. Robin Robin | Muriwai - "My culture I guess is, one of having been an adventurer most of my life, and I’m currently writing books about those times." Jitendra Jitendra | Te Atatu Peninsula - "Hindu is all about decency, honesty and keeping happy. Your, what we call, inner-soul happiness. If you are happy inside within yourself, then I guess the rest of it takes care of itself" Jenny Jenny | Takanini - "I am interpreter so I work with people who don’t speak English on a daily basis, and I interpret for them at hospitals for their appointments. So, this way I’ve really felt I’m helping them to actually get settled and get seen by a doctor and then really help them through their life." SEPTEMBER: WEEK TWO of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ When was your last heart to heart? Mike Mike | Waterview - "My mother is an alcoholic, I have to do this most days to provide for me and my mum. If not, I stay by myself if I can’t go home to provide for her. Tau Tau | Otara - "Too much hate, too much violence in the world today, people. You know? One love, one people, one world, and peace." Nic Nic | Hillcrest - "I have an 11 year old son and I’m a single mum, so I have lots and lots of heart to heart conversations with my son. I think it’s really important to have open dialogue with loved ones." Elvin Elvin | Manurewa - "It would be with my grandmother. She’s a very beautiful lady. She has very strong values, and she’s very strict. She’s always been there for me, from the time I was born." Kevin Kevin | Mairangi Bay - "I guess my last heart to heart would have been yesterday with my wife. I’d done something I shouldn’t have done, I lost my temper, and had to apologise. I did the right thing by buying some flowers and sat down and talked it over. Kah-Shar Kah-Shar | Manurewa - "It would have been with my mother as I was living in Australia, and she was over here in New Zealand, and she just found out that she was ill." Reuben Reuben | Grey Lynn - "It was one of those moments where we talked about everything, but nothing at the same time. So, yeah it was good." Sione Sione | Manurewa - "I haven’t had a heart to heart with someone for a long time. I think the last one was in 2007, just before I lost my grandma..." SEPTEMBER: WEEK ONE of ‘8 WEEKS OF HUMANITY’ When was your last random act of kindness? Sarah Sarah | Manurewa - "We paid for one lady's groceries and she just broke down crying" Jeff Jeff | Papatoetoe - "We call it the cloak of love, the cloak of future, the spirit of our ancestors. Anything with culture is special to Māori - to Māoridom" Gary Gary | Eden Terrace - "I really like to help people. I was brought up in a really poor family, and I know what it’s like to be in that position" Jamie Jamie | Avondale - "I was on Three News, the young homeless teenagers living in the bush. I’ve been on the streets for two and a half years now" SEE PREVIOUS MONTHS STORIES
Simon Simon | Parnell - "I just want to see my mum, and maybe I never will. I understand why she did it. I’ve got a great mum. I’m so gifted to be adopted, but I just want to see my mother’s eyes." Mayus Mayus | India - "I would always want to end my relationship with someone on a happy note. I would always go the extra mile and try to resolve issues, and I’ll always try to leave a smile on your face." Alfred Alfred | Browns Bay - "Violence won’t solve the problem. Actually, it creates the problem. If you want to solve a problem, you have to first of all listen"
Zoe Zoe| Auckland Central - "I can’t really dye my hair blue in China, because people will say I’m not a good student. It’s quite free here, not only physically but mentally free." Sarrah Sarrah | Mount Albert - "With my previous relationship, my child’s father, when he knew that I was pregnant he just got on the plane and headed somewhere else..." David David | Takapuna - "To be a man is to be part of a community that includes men, women, people of different ethnicity, people of different religious backgrounds or non-religious backgrounds, people from all parts of the world. Elaine Elaine | Waimauku - "I’m a Westie. You may not think I’m a Westie looking at me, but I grew up there... I call New Zealand home, although at times it’s challenging because I’ve had all sorts of prejudices against me."
Tau Tau | Otara - "Too much hate, too much violence in the world today, people. You know? One love, one people, one world, and peace." Kah-Shar Kah-Shar | Manurewa - "It would have been with my mother as I was living in Australia, and she was over here in New Zealand, and she just found out that she was ill." Gwen Gwen | Point Chevalier - "Connecting with people is very important. It happened three days ago that someone, a friend of ours was found dead. Her neighbours hadn’t seen her for three days, and if you keep to yourself people don’t know you." Rhi Rhi | Papatoetoe - "There was a girl that looked like she was my age. She was crying and everything, and I went up to her and asked if she was alright, and then I sat down with her for about an hour and a half, and had like a real good conversation with her" Tailua Tailua | Māngere - "A young girl asked for a cigarette and I sat down and I started talking with her and just getting to know how her background was. You could tell she needed someone to be that listening ear, someone to talk to" David David | Māngere - "The last time I connected with a stranger was probably at my job. I had a mother with her baby who was just having a real difficult time. Imagine yourself in that situation, with a crying baby, and it was evident that passengers around here were getting kind of frustrated"
Sarah Sarah | Manurewa - "We paid for one lady's groceries and she just broke down crying" Jeff Jeff | Papatoetoe - "We call it the cloak of love, the cloak of future, the spirit of our ancestors. Anything with culture is special to Māori - to Māoridom" Elvin Elvin | Manurewa - "It would be with my grandmother. She’s a very beautiful lady. She has very strong values, and she’s very strict. She’s always been there for me, from the time I was born." Kevin Kevin | Mairangi Bay - "I guess my last heart to heart would have been yesterday with my wife. I’d done something I shouldn’t have done, I lost my temper, and had to apologise. I did the right thing by buying some flowers and sat down and talked it over. Robin Robin | Muriwai - "My culture I guess is, one of having been an adventurer most of my life, and I’m currently writing books about those times." Jitendra Jitendra | Te Atatu Peninsula - "Hindu is all about decency, honesty and keeping happy. Your, what we call, inner-soul happiness. If you are happy inside within yourself, then I guess the rest of it takes care of itself" Jenny Jenny | Takanini - "I am interpreter so I work with people who don’t speak English on a daily basis, and I interpret for them at hospitals for their appointments. So, this way I’ve really felt I’m helping them to actually get settled and get seen by a doctor and then really help them through their life."
Mike Mike | Waterview - "My mother is an alcoholic, I have to do this most days to provide for me and my mum. If not, I stay by myself if I can’t go home to provide for her. Tau Tau | Otara - "Too much hate, too much violence in the world today, people. You know? One love, one people, one world, and peace." Nic Nic | Hillcrest - "I have an 11 year old son and I’m a single mum, so I have lots and lots of heart to heart conversations with my son. I think it’s really important to have open dialogue with loved ones." Elvin Elvin | Manurewa - "It would be with my grandmother. She’s a very beautiful lady. She has very strong values, and she’s very strict. She’s always been there for me, from the time I was born." Kevin Kevin | Mairangi Bay - "I guess my last heart to heart would have been yesterday with my wife. I’d done something I shouldn’t have done, I lost my temper, and had to apologise. I did the right thing by buying some flowers and sat down and talked it over. Kah-Shar Kah-Shar | Manurewa - "It would have been with my mother as I was living in Australia, and she was over here in New Zealand, and she just found out that she was ill." Reuben Reuben | Grey Lynn - "It was one of those moments where we talked about everything, but nothing at the same time. So, yeah it was good." Sione Sione | Manurewa - "I haven’t had a heart to heart with someone for a long time. I think the last one was in 2007, just before I lost my grandma..."
Sarah Sarah | Manurewa - "We paid for one lady's groceries and she just broke down crying" Jeff Jeff | Papatoetoe - "We call it the cloak of love, the cloak of future, the spirit of our ancestors. Anything with culture is special to Māori - to Māoridom" Gary Gary | Eden Terrace - "I really like to help people. I was brought up in a really poor family, and I know what it’s like to be in that position" Jamie Jamie | Avondale - "I was on Three News, the young homeless teenagers living in the bush. I’ve been on the streets for two and a half years now"
