Tā mātou taurangi ki te hunga wheako ora Our commitment to lived experience
We have promised to uphold a ‘nothing about us, without us’ approach and to work together to improve wellbeing transform the mental health and addiction system. Our Lived Experience Position Statement outlines what we will do to uphold these commitments to lived experience communities.
We promise that, in all our work, we will prioritise the voices and interests of people who experience mental distress, substance harm, gambling harm or addiction. Through our Lived Experience Position Statement, we commit to doing this by:
- Privileging the experiences and aspirations of tāngata whaiora and tāngata mātau-ā-wheako Māori
- Amplifying the voices of people who have experienced loss, harm, or exclusion in the mental health and addiction system
- Monitoring the mental health and addiction system, and monitoring wellbeing, together with people with lived experience
- Ensuring that each project or focus area of our work involves people whose personal experiences directly relate to that project or focus area
- Valuing and using ‘lived expertise’ across our work, including lived experience research, wisdom and leadership
- Prioritising our projects and focus areas based on their importance to people with lived experience.
Read and download our Lived Experience Position Statement
Lived Experience Position Statement - English [PDF 1.1 MB]
Lived Experience Position Statement - English [DOC 1.3 MB]
Lived Experience Position Statement - te reo Maori [PDF 1.2 MB]
Lived Experience Position Statement A3 (Printable version) - te reo Māori [PDF, 1.2 MB]
Lived Experience Position Statement A3 (Printable version) - English [PDF, 1.2 MB]
Nau Mai te Ao
Nau Mai te Ao sits behind our Lived Experience Position Statement, as a discussion document that shares how we have explored understanding, honouring, and working with lived experience.
Nau Mai te Ao is a resource both for Te Hiringa Mahara and for other organisations working in mental health, addiction and broader wellbeing.
Read and download our Nau Mai te Ao discussion document