newsletter for the movement against stigma and discrimination associated with mental illnessISSN 1174-8494

ISSUE EIGHT / DECEMBER 2000

John Kirwan, one of the world’s greatest rugby

wingers, shares his experience of mental illness

in a candid 45-minute documentary featuring

well known New Zealanders who appear in the

Like Minds advertising campaign.

The former All Black and Warriors player describes his experienceas ‘freaking out’, because depression is a word, he says, thatpeople hear and think ‘just snap out of it’.

‘I tried to get help straight away ... and eventually I found someonewho was really good. She said, “You’re a rugby player, if you trainedeveryday for five hours what would happen?” I said, “Well I’d get aninjury - pull a hamstring or something like that”. And she said, “Well,that’s just what you’ve done, you pulled a hamstring, a hamstring inthe brain”.’

Screening on TV One at 9.35pm on December 15th, the doco also relaysthe compelling stories of Mike Chunn, whose experience of agoraphobiaforced him to reluctantly retire from kiwi band Split Enz; model andShortland Street star Sonia Gray; WORLD fashion designer DeniseL’Estrange Corbet; and musician Mahinarangi Tocker.

The documentary was made by ad agency Foote Cone and Beldingand production company Film Construction and copies will be availablenext year.

Kia ora and welcome to issue eight of Like Minds. As the year draws to a close, it’s hardto believe that the project has only been going four years – the results are a testament to thehard slog of so many dedicated and visionary people around the country (if you need evidence,just check out pages 6 and 7 for a celebration of the busiest Mental Health Awareness Weekyet). Ngä mihi o Te Wa me Te Tau Hou, the Like Minds team.

John KirwanandMahinarangiTocker talkabout theirexperience ofmental illnessand the impactit has on theirlives and theirfamilies in acandid newdoco, fundedby the LikeMinds project,that hitsthe screenthis month.

CandidGoes To Air

doco

DECEMBER 2000 / 2

Straight to the Point

Tënä koutou,

Just how far the Like Minds project hascome was evident at the recent NationalProvider Hui (see story on page 10). Rightfrom the start, when the National AdvisoryGroup (NAG) welcomed everyone tothe hui, there was a feeling of unity,consolidation and passion. It was anopportunity to celebrate the relationshipswe’ve developed.

The NAG met the day before, andprogressed policies and guidelinesregarding the structure of the NAG andthe work we will develop over the nextyear. There was also körero about theissues affecting people with experienceof mental illness working within theproject, and the wider movement.

It was wonderful to hear from all thosegroups delivering the project regionally(providers) over the following few daysand to see the enormous amount ofwork being done in communities aroundthe country.

I am delighted that Mary O’Hagan hasbeen appointed as a Mental HealthCommissioner (see story on page 4). As akeynote speaker at the provider hui,Mary raised the issue of perceptions andunderstandings of mental illness. ‘Mentalillness is a judgement, not a fact’, shesaid. This is an important discussionfor the Like Minds project, because howwe shape the public’s understandingof mental illness can either reducediscrimination, or perpetuate it.

Finally, I would like to welcome thosenew representatives on the NAG – LaytonToi, Toto Iuli, Sharleen Baird and, onceagain, Helyn Beveridge. I would also liketo farewell Sam Neho and thank him forall his work and tireless efforts.

Susie CrooksChairpersonNational Advisory Group

A Search for SelfLike minds like mine

I am not a clown or a movie star

This is real life not reel life

Somedays on the street I am a spectator

Somedays on the town I am a consumer

All days when I breathe I am alive

And this day I find Like minds like mine

We who volunteer our expression

to release pain to reveal the flame

of passion in this existence

Somedays my watershed

is a fathomless place

I could be treading murky waters

with frenetic reflexes

Instead of treading wearily homewards

on slipshod feet

It is here where I meet Like minds like mine

Where our separate loneliness

converges in exhibition

Inhibition is fishing twine blind

behind paintings

Colourful reflections of self worth

When worth is wordless

And work is a search

for Self

KJ Edwards, Taranaki

FEEDBACK

DoubleDoubleDiscriminationI would like to promote an

awareness of lesbians who use

the mental health system. I

speak from a consumer’s point

of view, but would like to see

more lesbian nurses and

professionals visible.

Lesbians suffer a double dose of stigma anddiscrimination as consumers and out lesbians.They suffer distress at wondering whetherto be out or not, sometimes contributingto prolonging recovery. The attitudes andbehaviour from fellow consumers, staff andother professionals can be quite distressingand not helpful to recovery. There is notenough support from peers or services,awareness of issues, safe spaces and litera-ture. An awareness and sensitivity of lesbianculture goes a long way in acknowledginga lesbian consumer’s needs and support.

As there was nothing in the way of suitablesupport apart from my counsellor, I begana support group in Wellington for lesbians.The group – Dykes Supporting Dykes – meetstwice a month and is facilitated by a lesbiancounsellor. I am interested to know if thereare any other similar groups in New Zealand.

More recently I co-presented a workshopwith Chris Walsh at the TheMHS conferencein Adelaide titles ‘Future Directions forMental Health Services – the Lesbian WayAhead’. I continue to work towards:

• raising the visibility and awareness oflesbians with mental health issues

• educating the health professionals andothers of lesbian issues

• encouraging appropriate support services,literature, resources and information.

Thank you

donna

To contact donna, write to

PO Box 7204, Wellington South, or

e-mail labrysdonna@hotmail.com

A LegacyI stand alone, seemingly in the wilderness

Searching for myself

But all I see is darkness here, a shadow there

Like a toy must feel sitting alone on a shelf

I’m often asked, by family, why go outside

Seek from others what should be ours to do

The answer is quite plain you see

How much blood, sweat and tears can people

wring from me

But hey! why do I speak like this

Only to let you know, none of us are perfect

We can only do our best

With this I leave a legacy, not to tread the path

I’ve taken

But to live your life the way you desire

Care not what others think for at the end of

the day

It’s what you pass down and not what others think

Our children of today are our adults of tomorrow

Don’t lets drown them out because of our

own sorrow

John Chapman, Hastings

DECEMBER 2000 / 3

2000 Like MindsMedia Awards

‘Screw the stigma. I was mentally ill,’ Alex Spence says. ‘If invading

my own privacy is the price for demystifying this (alarmingly

common) illness, so be it. I’d do it again.’

‘Screw The Stigma’ Says Winner

Alex Spence took top honours at the2000 ‘Like Minds’ Media Awards,part of the Media Peace Awards held

in Auckland City last month.

Spence’s entry ‘Daylight Fading’, publishedin Metro magazine earlier this year, wasdescribed by judges as ‘deeply personal,honest and powerful’. The story promptedcalls to talkback, a discussion in newspapersand a rush of calls to both Spence (now atNorth and South) and Metro.

‘Major depression is the real deal. It

takes over. It impairs your basic

human functions. It rots you, from the

inside out. In some cases it kills. It’s

living hell custom designed. The

thing about mental illness is it is

exclusively your own. No one can see

you at your most naked. Not even

those who have been there. You are

imprisoned in your own mind. You are

unreachable. I don’t have all the

answers, but I know it does get

better. You’re in a place right now

that’s so dark you can’t see out. Don’t

trust what your mind is telling you.

You are strong, you just don’t realise

it. Depression doesn’t last forever, for

most people.’

Excerpt from ‘Daylight Fading’

The role of the media in challenging orperpetuating stereotypes is of criticalimportance, says Warren Lindberg, projectmanager. He says he has already noticed achange in mental illness reporting since thestart of the TV advertising.

‘This year, two of the winners are highlyregarded journalists who happen to havepersonal experience of mental illness. Thewinning entries were well-researched, well-written and devoid of sensationalism – andthey also allowed people with experience ofmental illness to speak for themselves.’

The other noticeable change Warren sees inthe reporting of mental illness is the movefrom stories written predominantly by courtor police reporters to other facets of news,feature and lifestyle reporting, from sport toentertainment and fashion.

Other winners were:

Newspaper: Kathryn McNeil, The Press

Television: Chris Wright, TVNZ

Radio: Mike Gourley, Radio New Zealand

Mäori Media: Kay Robin,Te Reo Irirangi o Turanganui A Kiwa

The Media Peace Awards are an annualevent sponsored by the Peace Foundation.The Awards aim to promote the values ofpeace and conflict resolution. This is thesecond year the ‘Like Minds’ Media Awardshave featured.

What they said on the night ...

‘Mental illness isn’t the end of the world. Ifsomeone had said to me a few years agothat I’d be standing on a stage with JohnPilger, John Campbell and Carol Hirshfeld, Iwould have told them they were the oneswho are mentally ill.’Alex Spence, Premier Award Winner

‘There is nothing quite like these Awards,nor indeed the Peace Foundation, anywherein the world – it is absolutely incredible.’John Pilger

‘It is equally important to recognise andcelebrate the work of those journalists andpublishers who have challenged the stigmaand shed light rather than heat on theunhappy subject of mental illness. This doesnot mean that they have avoided thedifficult issues. In most cases, what theyhave done is enabled people with mentalillness to speak for themselves – and in somecases recounted their own experiences.’Warren Lindberg, Like Minds project manager

‘To be asked to be involved in this MediaAwards Ceremony was a great honour forme, to acknowledge the work and time themedia groups have put into making thiscampaign successful. For their understandingand for realising that it is not going to goaway, educating the public into otherpeople’s worlds, informing them so thatpeople with mental illness will be betterunderstood and accepted, not judged, andbe given the opportunity to partake ineverything they want to do.’Denise L’Estrange-Corbet, Director, WORLD

Premier Award winner Alex Spence with keynote speaker andspecial guest John Pilger.

Winner of the Mäori Media Category, Kay Robin fromTuranga FM.

Kathryn McNeil from The Press took home the trophy forNewspaper Category.

DECEMBER 2000 / 4

Well-known mental health

advocate Mary O’Hagan has

been appointed as a Mental

Health Commissioner.

She replaces Julie Leibrich who resignedearlier this year.

Mary has experience of ongoing mental illnessand brings a wealth of skill to her new role as aCommissioner. She initiated the mental healthservice user movement in New Zealand in thelate eighties and was the first chairperson ofthe World Federation of Psychiatric Usersbetween 1991-95.

‘We had to seek information

rather than being given it. We

shouldn’t be seeking information,

the professionals should be giving

it freely. It would ease my mind if

they did. I didn’t know what was

happening and what help I could

give my daughter. For instance,

when they say “Your daughter is

a special patient”, what do they

mean by special?’

Long-Time AdvocateAppointed as

Commissioner

Talking About RECOVERY

People who use forensic services andtheir families are often not heard; theyare marginalised in the mental health

sector as well as in the wider community,making their journey of recovery harder, saysthe Mental Health Commission.

‘There needs to be recognition of

the trauma created by being in an

institution, and being locked up

for those few months. Everything

revolves around the ashtray and

smoke butts and the whole culture

that goes with living in hospital.’

Three Forensic Service Users and TheirFamilies Talk about Recovery is the fourthbooklet in the Commission’s recovery series– which aims to improve services for peoplewith a mental illness through providing theirstories and points of view to other peoplewho use services and to those who providehealth and other social services.

For copies of the booklet, and

others in the series, contact the

Mental Health Commission:

04-474 8900 info@mhc.govt.nz

or download it from

www.mhc.govt.nz.

Many small- and medium-sized businesses are

unaware of the benefits of promoting human

rights and anti-discrimination practices in the

workplace, says the Human Rights Commission.

The Commission has just released a new booklet, Know YourRights – the Human Rights Act and Best Business Practice, that‘meets the need for more accessible and digestible information

on the Human Rights Act for owners, operators and staff of small-and medium-sized businesses,’ says Commissioner Chris Lawrence.

As a consultant, Mary has worked with con-sumer/tangata whaiora organisations and inmental health policy and funding agencies.There has also been international interest inMary’s work, which has taken her to overseasconferences and made her a contributor toseveral international mental health publicationsand government policy documents.

Mary says her overriding commitment is toensure service users are treated with respectand equality, retain their citizen rights andresponsibilities, and are able to develop theirpersonal resourcefulness. To this end, shehas been instrumental in helping to developself-help and advocacy initiatives, consumer

participation in services, recovery approachesand anti-discrimination initiatives, includingthe Like Minds project.

Mental Health Commissioner, Mary O’Hagan.

There are over 512,000 businesses in New Zealand employing lessthan five people, and another 40,000 that employ less that tenpeople. ‘Such businesses cannot afford human resource staff orsupport,’ says Chris – and may be missing out on the benefits thathuman rights and anti-discrimination practices bring: improvedcustomer service; increased diversity; reduced staff turnover, improvedproductivity and morale; and less likelihood of knowledge lossto competitors.

Copies of the booklet are available free from the

Human Rights Commission: 0800 4 YOUR RIGHTS

(0800 496 877) www.hrc.co.nz or from your nearest

Bizinfo provider.

Know Your RIGHTS

DECEMBER 2000 / 5

The seminar covers: the effect of stigma anddiscrimination; general discussion about mentalillness – causes and treatments; types ofillness; how to respond to clients who maybe unwell or becoming unwell; a mentalhealth consumer’s perspective and first-handexperience with WINZ; WINZ staff concerns– safety issues for clients and staff; clientsupport; and liaison with other services.

Plans are to offer the seminar to WINZoffices in Wellington, Waikato, Auckland andNorthland.

More than 200 Work and IncomeNZ staff around the countryhave given the thumbs up to a

training seminar that introduces them to keyissues around mental illness and how thesecan affect their clients and staff.

By far the biggest attendance has been byinvalids benefit Case Managers, says SFNZnational educator Malcolm Scott – who hasbeen running the seminars for well over a year.

He says people who have experienced majormental illness over a long period often comeinto contact with WINZ as invalid benefitsclients and it’s important for staff to understandtheir unique needs.

Malcolm has been presenting the seminarswith Michelle Hughes from the SF AorakiBranch. They’ve taken the training to Otago,Canterbury, Nelson, Manawatu, Hawkes Bay,Taranaki, Rotorua and Auckland.

He commends frontline WINZ staff he has met,saying they often have a very challenging job,working with clients with very complex needs.

SFNZ national educator Malcolm Scott with SFNZ kaumatuaPercy Tahau at a Like Minds media training seminar held inHamilton recently.

Advocacy ResourceTaking Shape

The world doesn’t need yet another resource

that gathers dust because it’s unaffordable and

doesn’t work for consumers/tangata whaiora.

That’s the view of a working group that recently came togetherunder the auspices of the Mental Health Commission to look at

developing an advocacy resource that builds on the personal strengthsand skills of consumers/tangata whaiora.

‘We need a training tool that is educational and provides some coachingand mentoring so consumers are empowered and able to advancethemselves,’ says Arana Pearson, consumer adviser with the Commission.

‘We are clear there’s a big gap for consumers. Wherever there’s a vibrantconsumer movement, you’ll find that the people involved are skilled andable to support themselves and their peers. You also find that outcomesfor recovery are much better.’

He says the need for an advocacy resource sprang from discussions atthe Building Bridges Conference held in Auckland earlier this year.

There are still decisions to be made about how the advocacy resourcewill be funded, but in the meantime Arana says the recommendationsof the meeting have been sent to the Health Funding Authority forconsideration.

‘WINZ staff are an integral part of anycommunity-based mental health service, andyet until now they have had none of thetraining or support required for understandingtheir clients’ needs. So it is a real pleasure anda privilege for me to be doing this.’

‘I believe this should be delivered to every WINZ shop front.’

‘My fears and apprehensions on the topic of mental illness were

answered and I feel far more confident in dealing with the subject.’‘Very relaxed delivery and it felt very comfortable to contribute.

All WINZ staff would benefit from this training.’

‘Excellent...enjoyed it very much.

Give this course to our service delivery staff as well.’

Making Progressin the WaikatoWaikato-based New Progress Enterprises(NPE) has worked with training staff atWork and Income New Zealand to developa four-hour programme for front-linepersonnel.

The session focusses on examining thebarriers experienced by people thatexperience mental illness. NPE ProjectManager Scott Gemmill says ‘the traininglooks closely at the discrimination thatexists in the community. We really want togive the staff a better understanding ofwhat a consumer has to deal with to accessservices.’

The concept of recovery is also discussedwith the group. Linda Penny, Work ForceDevelopment Manager for NPE says that,‘for many, the idea that people do recoverfrom a mental illness is a big step. Ina session like this, I find it is best toconcentrate on general principles. If youget too detailed, you can loose the group.’

The feedback from Work and Income staffhas been very supportive. Throughout thetraining, NPE makes frequent references toapplying what was being discussed to worksituations. This was highly valued by thefrontline staff. Trainer Tony Culliney saysseveral staff members gave examples ofhow the training could be implementedimmediately – and that’s a sure sign ofsuccess.

Training thegive UPThumbs

WINZ Staff

DECEMBER 2000 / 6

ctio war

Spring season clouds

and rain failed to

dampen community

energy and enthusiasm

surrounding this year’s

Mental Health

Awareness Week.

AA

Unseasonable rain didn’t put a dampener on the Stroll off Stress march that weavedits way through Wellington streets. Organised by Hutt Valley Health’s public healthteam, Pacific Community Health and Te Roopu Pookai Taniwhaniwha, it culminatedin the presentation of Awards for Respect in the Town Hall.

Mental health educator Justin Puna – part of the Like Minds team inHawkes Bay – puts the finishing touches to his display.

credit: Central Hawkes Bay Mail

Sisters Theresa Scott(left) and AnneMcLaughlin from theCobden MercyOutreach were two ofthe West Coasterspresented with Awardsfor Respect byGreymouth MayorKevin Brown.

credit: The Coaster

This Banana in Pyjama’sdeclared himself ‘Just aLittle Mad’, courtesy of aSerious Fun ‘N Mind Trustbadge, while visiting thisPacific Health (Tauranga)exhibition andinformation stall atBayfair.

Waging the war againststigma in Wanganui areHinengaro Hauora’s HineWhareaorere (front) andclients Eddie Herewiniand Herita Turner.

credit: Wanganui Chronicle

In Rotorua, Awards for Respect were presented to (from left to right): Kerry Mackness,Geoff Harman, Ivana Sokolich, Karl Ross and Trudy Duff. Geoff received a Tau AtawhaiAward for empowering people with experience of mental illness.

DECEMBER 2000 / 7

on-Packedreness Week

The Like Minds newsletter was inundated with reports,photos and stories about the Week. From Te Tai Tokerau toMuruhiku – everyone had an outstanding tale to tell about

what happened locally.

To do justice to the efforts of our providers and supporters,we decided the old adage – ‘a picture paints a thousand words’– applied.

Here is a small insight into the phenomenal work ofeveryone involved in Mental Health Awareness Week.

credit: Waikato Times

Sitting proud ... (left toright) Poppy McDonald,Rowan Wilkinson, TomHohua and RipekaCurrie made sure thepunters had OpenMinds in Blenheim.

This march down Victoria Street in Hamilton, organised by ScottGemmill of NPE, marks one of the first times mental healthservices in the area worked together for an event.

Hikoi mo te hauora ote tangata! ArtistGeorge Mastenbroekcreated these beautifulbanners forWhakatane’s Walk forWellness.

Gisborne mayor John Clarke (left) had a helping hand presenting Awards forRespect from entertainer Bunny Walters, and his wife Rita Walters, who wereguests of Marg Price and the Tairawhiti Like Minds group for the Week.

Getting ready to roll atthe Mental HealthFoundation’s AucklandTown Hall concert onWorld Mental HealthDay are, from left toright, Jordan Luck,Mike Chunn andJohnny Matteson.

Hammering mental illness stereotypes is MP and Like Minds campaignerLiz Gordon, watched by Frances Anderson from the Mental HealthFoundation. The wall, symbolising barriers society puts up to consumers/tangata whaiora, was demolished with a mallet in one minute.

credit: The Press

DECEMBER 2000 / 8

Tei roto te maki manako ito tatou oire

Cook Islands people will continue to receive mental health servicesafter the HFA recently confirmed it will continue to fund two

Richmond Fellowship mental health workers in Rarotonga throughto 2003.

Fellowship chief executive Dr Gerry Walmisley says the impact of theservice in its first two years has been profound. In many cases it hasallowed residents to receive treatment at home instead of travelling toNew Zealand.

A major part of the Fellowship’s role has been educating the localcommunity and breaking down the stigma of mental illness. ‘Althoughit’s early days yet, we do see some increased awareness and a readinessto seek help for sufferers rather than simply hide them away or sendingthem to Auckland,’ he says.

Te Rau PaniA first for Mäori mental health services will emerge soon in Taranaki.

The new group, Te Rau Pani, will combine mainstream and Mäorimental health providers – all with the aim of improving fragmentedservices.

‘There’s not another on the same scale anywhere else in the country,’says HFA senior locality manager Henry Harrison.

Te Rau Pani will provide full non-acute mental health services for Mäoriin Taranaki. The combined service will be delivered by Taranaki Health,Raumano Mental Health Trust and Te Whare Pauwai o Te Tangata Trust.

Expected to be in place early next year the group will provide a crisisservice, early intervention, child and adolescent, community mentalhealth and social worker services.

The move is in line with the Mental Health Commission’s call for animproved range of services for Mäori in proportion to their needs, eitherthrough better and more appropriate mainstream services or by Mäoriproviding their own specialist services.

1 in 4In an attempt to combat mental illness stigma, the Royal College ofPsychiatrists has produced a two-minute trailer to be shown in WarnerVillage cinemas in England throughout November and December.

The title 1 in 4 reinforces the message that any of us can experiencemental illness. The College has chosen film as the medium for itsmessage because it wants to target young people. Its recent surveyof public attitudes in Britain showed that stigmatising opinionsabout mental illness are more common among young people thanolder people.

The fast-moving film has rapid cuts, powerful language, and deliberateploys borrowed from pop videos to capture the attention of the MTVgeneration. Described by advocates as having an uncompromisingmessage and enduring images, the film has also attracted criticism fromsome quarters and been described as self-indulgent art.

All shall no doubt be revealed when 1 in 4 is evaluated. The Collegewill repeat its survey of public attitudes in a year’s time to see whetherthe film and other interventions in its ‘Changing Minds’ anti-stigmacampaign have affected young people’s views.

Mercury TelevisionScoops Award

Three documentaries produced by Mercury Television in Southlandhave won the Best Broadcast Media Achievement Award for mental

health programmes for television and radio in Australasia.

Out of the Shadow – Into the Sun looks at the lives of two people withexperience of schizophrenia. A Journey Through the Tides investigatesliving with bipolar disorder and Depth of Blue explores living withdepression.

The half-hour documentaries, produced by Katie O’Connor andtechnical director Mike Bartley, were part of a series that screened onseven regional stations throughout New Zealand during Mental HealthAwareness Week last year.

The award, which includes $3000, was presented at the 2000 TheMHSConference.

Criteria for judging included evidence that the story was wellresearched and factually accurate; that the content was sufficientlycomplete and well rounded to convey a good understanding of theissues; and that there was evidence the broadcast had a positive effect.

What Works?

More than half the population with mental illness do not seekhelp. Why? Because many people believe that mental health

professionals will not be able to help them. So ‘what works? whatdoesn’t? & what do we do about it it?’ is the focus of the TheMHSSummer Forum 2001, to be held in Sydney over the 24th and 25th ofJanuary.

The forum will debate: What are effective interventions? What servicesystems are effective? What is the evidence? What are the resourceimplications? How do we ensure good practice/systems? What isneeded for sustainability? Where are the gaps and what is needed forthe future?

For information, contact TheMHS Summer Forum, PO Box 192, BalmainNSW 2041, Australia, enquiries@themhs.org

Good News forYoung PeopleYoung people are struggling with stress, depression and relationships –and increasingly concerned with their mental, physical or sexual health.

The world wide web is a logical place to have their questions answered,says Suzanne Jones, project manager for a site launched lastmonth as a result of a collaboration between government and non-government agencies (www.urge.co.nz and www.whakamanawa.co.nz).

‘The web is safe. It doesn’t involve asking parents or friends em-barrassing questions and more importantly, it’s private,’ she says.

Also well worth checking out is www.thelowdown.co.nz – an initiativeof Justin Puna, Like Minds coordinator in Hawkes Bay.

sni petS

NEWSsnippetS

DECEMBER 2000 / 9

Mäori and Pacific Islands

providers have been given

assurances that greater

attention would be paid to the

diverse cultural needs of those

involved in the Like Minds

project.

Warren Lindberg told the Like MindsMäori Provider Hui in Hamiltonand Pacific Islands Provider Fono

in Auckland that up until now, the project hadbeen based on a generic plan for everyone.

‘However, I think there are important culturaldifferences that the national plan doesn’trecognise and we will need to address that.’

He said over the next three years, the projectwould need to explore new ways of buildingstronger networks and relationships withworkers in the mental healthsector and with consumers/tangata whaiora.

Advancing Mäori and PacificIslands involvement in the LikeMind project could focus ondeveloping the personal andadvocacy skills of consumers/tangata whaiora and supportingthe independent growth ofeducational activities like HearingVoices workshops.

Providers needed to share ideaswith each other about initiativesthat have been successful inorder ‘to build a sense of purposeand help each other developskills to deliver on our objectiveseffectively.’

Warren said any future strategywould emphasise policy develop-ment, education and training forstaff in government agencies thathave frequent contact with consumers/tangatawhaiora.

More could be done to help agencies likethe Department of Work and Income andthe Police implement the Mental HealthFoundation’s service quality guidelines. At alocal level, Pacific and Mäori providers could

Advancing the KaupapaMäori and Pacific

Providers meet at Hui

reported on their activities for the year and keyissues of concern arising from their work.There were also reports from the Mäori andPacific Islands reps on the project’s NationalAdvisory Group.

David Lui, of Lotofale in Auckland (right) – with John McCullough, family spokesperson and member of the Lotofale whänau – toldthe Pacific provider fono that ‘discrimination is a most important part of mental illness ... this campaign depends on the goodwill ofpeople, and requires buy-in from a huge range of people and organisations.’

develop their own effective models for workingwith these agencies.

Building relationships with the media, providingpublic information and running national andregional health promotion activities wouldcontinue to be key lynchpins of the project.

At the Hui and Fono, each contracted provider

Delegates of the Like Minds Mäori Provider Hui at KirikiriroaMarae in Waikato.

DECEMBER 2000 / 10

Imagine being faced with the task ofpushing a locomotive stopped on thetracks. It’s a huge task – and it takes an

extraordinary amount of effort and manypeople working together. When it eventuallydoes crawl forward those first few inches, it’sheld to tell if the train has moved or not - andno-one understands why you’re so exhausted?!But pushing the train those first few inches isthe hardest part of the task. After that it’s acase of building up speed – until eventually thetrain has enough impetus to move by itself.

And that’s a good comparison for the LikeMinds project, Deputy Director General ofPublic Health Don Mattheson told people atthe Project’s national hui in Hamilton lastmonth.

People working on the project around thecountry gathered for two days of inspiration,sharing of ideas, and to recharge their batteriesto charter a new course for the project overthe next three years.

‘The success of the project to date in raisingawareness – and sustaining it over that period– has been extraordinary,’ said project managerWarren Lindberg. ‘But we now need toimprove the effectiveness of what we’re doing– and that means taking advantage of theimpact we’ve made and focus on changingattitudes and behaviour.’

Warren said the launch this year of the massmedia advertising, and the busiest MentalHealth Awareness Week ever, had generateda hectic environment for national and regionalactivities.

‘What we need to determine now is: how canwe build on what we’ve learned? How can webetter communicate some of the project’smessages to key audiences who we now needto focus on? And what training and resourceswill we need to achieve these goals?’

‘I’d have to say that on a personal level, I’vefailed spectacularly at answering thequestion, “what is mental illness”, keynotespeaker Mary O’Hagan told the nationalprovider hui.

‘But the fact that I don’t know is good, andgives me great comfort – it means I haven’tclosed myself off to all the possibilities. Infact there are many understandings ofmental illness, much like different colourson a palette.

Mental illness is a judgement rather than afact, Mary said, and one of the mainassumptions made by people is that it hasno positive meaning. ‘It is one of the bigexperiences a person is likely to have. Yet

unlike love, grief, or religious revelations, itis seen as having no value.’

The new Mental Health Commissionersays this discussion is important to the LikeMinds project because some understandingsof mental illness may reduce discrimination,while others may in fact perpetuate it.

She urges the project to avoid relying on thebrain disorder and psychological dysfunctionmodels of mental illness and explore otherways of discussing mental illness that giveit meaning.

‘The project should start a discussion, notgive a final word. We must paint a picturethat is coherent and many coloured, thatunites all the pictures of people with mentalillness that have been suspended in thedarkness that is discrimination, and show afully human face.’

A JudgementNot a Fact

The Gathering

Ray Hawkes and Jan Pfeiffer, representing the SouthernDistrict Advisory Group (Invercargill), with some of the full-page ads developed for their local newspaper.

Simon Irvings and Kirsty Simms of the South CanterburyDistrict Advisory Group (Timaru).

Susan Taylor, Jan Wilkinson and Carol McIntosh – part of theLike Minds team at Nelson Marlborough Public Health.

From the North – Bevan Holtz (left) of Te Hauora o Te TaiTaokerau, and Jessie Tipene and Lena Simeon-Myles of NgäMorehu Whaiora.

‘What a long way we’ve come.When I think of only four years ago – the struggles,

the heartache, the pain. Already, to walk into this hui with it’sincredible spirit – it’s amazing. We’re not tentative as we were

earlier in the piece. We’ve got issues still – but the way theprojects have been picked up and run with – it’s heartening.’

Peter Burton, HFA Manager Public Health, Dunedin, the start of the hui.

Scott Gemmill and Gill Redfern of New Progress Enterprise inHamilton displayed the work of the ANT Team (AgainstNegative Thinking).

DECEMBER 2000 / 11

Reaching Employers

Balancing the expectations, needs and demands of a diverse

population can be difficult for local authorities, especially when it

comes to ensuring citizens are properly housed.

housing services is that ascribed to them bythe Resource Management Act.

In a paper submitted to local authority planningconsultants, Warren says the use of thesepowers has a major influence, good and bad,on their citizens’ quality of life.

‘If resource consent proceduresare used to encourage andsupport provision of supportedhousing, local authorities canmake a major contribution tomeeting the needs of theirmost needy citizens. On theother hand, if they are used torestrict access to supportedaccommodation and to exposeproviders and residents of suchhousing to contempt and abuse,they exacerbate social tensions,stigma and social exclusion.’

He says funders and providers of supportedaccommodation can testify that their mainexperience is of caring, accepting communitieswho welcome and become more involved withtheir new neighbours.

‘The overwhelming majority of problemsassociated with supported housing are theresult of fear and anxiety in anticipation of the

Addressing

But that challenge can be successfullymet if it’s done in partnership with non-government community agencies and

central government, says Like Minds projectmanager Warren Lindberg.

He has recently been working alongsidecommunity housing funders and providers onhousing issues that have arisen in Hamilton,Manukau City and Waitakere City.

‘This is an issue that seriously affects howthe requirements of the Mental HealthCommission’s Blueprint can be met to providean adequate level of appropriate housing forpeople with experience of mental illness.

‘I see a role for the Like Minds project inworking with housing providers and localauthorities to address NIMBY (Not in my backyard) attitudes and to make a constructivecontribution to this problem.’

Warren says that currently, responsibility forproviding supported accommodation for awide range of citizens with special needs,including people with mental illness, is sharedbetween central government and the NGOsector. This excludes local authorities from anyresponsibility but exposes them to local tensionsand political pressure when problems arise.The only power local authorities have toinfluence central government policies and

arrival of “strangers” – who have traditionallybeen kept separate and attended by pro-fessional caregivers.

‘Yet the number of incidents of harassment,crime or violence associated with supportedaccommodation is extremely small in relationto the total number of residences providingsuch a service, and in comparison with thenumber of incidents involving “ordinary”residents and their neighbours.’

In a small number of cases where problemshave occurred, funders and providers are asanxious as neighbours and councils to ensurethey don’t happen again. Warren says they arealmost invariably settled amicably.

‘It is extremely important that local authoritiesrecognise that the people who need supportedaccommodation are already citizens of theircommunities. The bottom line is whetherthey have access to housing that meets theirneeds and enables them to participate fully

in their community, or whetherthey are denied access, subjectedto discriminatory treatment andexcluded.

‘People with special needs eitherlive in decent housing or theylive in poverty, overcrowdingand on the streets. If othercitizens are not motivated byaltruism, they might at least beable to understand that it isin their self-interest that localauthorities should protect them

from the poverty, disease and crimes thataccompanies social exclusion.’

Warren says the proper response to fearand anxiety is education. Central governmentagencies that fund supported accommodation,and the NGOs who provide them, are able andwilling to assist in an educational process.

‘In the case of mental illness, the Like Mindsproject exists for this express purpose.’

(Left to right) Liz Gordon, MP; Marcia Read,Phobic Trust chief executive; and

Anne Stidworthy, Wellington Mental HealthConsumers Union, at the Beehive launch of

Scary Thoughts. The new video wasproduced by the Phobic Trust and

filmmaker Mark Summerville to helpgive young people the confidence

to talk about their fears.

(Left to right) Trudie McNaughton, executivedirector EEO Trust, Mike Gourley, RadioNew Zealand; and Margaret Hanson, TopDrawer Consultants at the launch of a seriesof resources for employers that discussdisability issues – including a booklet onmental illness and work.

Conquering Scary Thoughts

Trudi McNaughton: ‘Any organisation that fails to recognise thetalent pool and customer base of people with disabilities is sellingtheir workplace short. There are well -qualified people out there whohave a disability who can bring enormous potential to an organisation,including the ability to tap into the client base of 20 per cent of NewZealanders, plus their friends and families.’

Marcia Read: “The video will hopefully increase acceptance of thefact that it is normal to have fears, but not normal to have themoverwhelm you, or stop you enjoying life. We hope it will create inyoung people the ability to talk openly about fears and problems thatmany experience.”

NIMBY Attitudes

‘It is extremely

important that local

authorities recognise

that the people who

need supported

accommodation are

already citizens of

their communities.

DECEMBER 2000 / 12

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The project to counter stigma anddiscrimination associated withmental illness is an initiative of theHealth Funding Authority

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Huia Communications, PO Box 17-335, Wellington. Tel: 04-473 9262 Fax: 04-473 9265

Speaking at a hui for families, held inHamilton last month, she said thecampaign was of particular importance

to her – especially with the multiple Associateportfolios she holds in Health, Mäori Affairs,Housing, Corrections and Social Development.

She said the importance of whänau well-beingin mental health is a significant aspect ofhealing and service delivery.

‘A whänau or family-centred approach in thedelivery of mental health services to Mäori,and their restoration to mental health andwellbeing, must be part and parcel of theirassessment, diagnosis and treatment.

‘It is from whänau that we learn about life.Whänau experiences shape our values andbeliefs. Whänau teach us to love, to share andto nurture. The whänau witnesses the first cryof a newborn baby – “tihei mauri ora”, thesneeze of first life. The whänau often alsowitnesses the expiration of the last breath oflife – “tihei mauri mate”.’

She said there were four key messages forfamilies about the part they play in thesolutions needed to improve mental healthservice delivery:

• whänau participation in the assessment,treatment and rehabilitation of tangatawhaiora is important

• when the family is integrated into thetreatment team, better care, managementand outcome is achieved

• education and information about mentalillness is essential for whänau

• a good mental health service will treatwhänau as equal partners in care, so thatthe chances for recovery are maximised.

The family hui was a joint initiative betweenSFNZ and the Like Minds project.

SFNZ national coordinator Heather Simpson,who organised the hui, said it was the firstchance for families to share freely and findsolutions under the mantle of the Like Mindsproject.

The hui brought together approximately100 people from community agencies, SFNZbranches and Mäori and Pacific Islands serviceproviders. Key speakers included Phyllis Tangitu,Lakeland Health; Christine Elliot, Health FundingAuthority; Peta Karalau, Kaute Pasifika; andChris Harris, Health Waikato.

Like Minds project manager Warren Lindbergsaid to be more effective, the future objectivesof the Like Minds project would need toconsider the role of families/whänau, hapuand iwi.

Whänau Participation ForBetter OutcomesAssociate Minister of Health Tariana Turia says she’s impressed by

the Like Minds project because it’s opened up dialogue about

issues surrounding mental health

Tariana Turia (2nd from left) with family members at the hui.

Like Minds project manager Warren Lindberg and SFNZnational coordinator Heather Simpson at the families hui –‘the first chance for families to share freely under the mantleof the Like Minds project’.