The 'She is not your rehab' group have launched a new social media campaign to continue their bid to raise awareness around domestic violence.
The #HakaAgainstViolence was established to encourage families to stand up against violence through haka.
Matt Brown says, "COVID-19 has been mentally tough for many whānau and now it is more important than ever for men to talk and reach out, rather than to respond in violence to those pressures. I invite men to show their friends, workmates and whānau that violence is never okay by standing with us to."
Brown is an internationally acclaimed barber who has been through his fair share of family violence during his childhood as well as sexual abuse, however, he has come out the other end as a survivor and now shares his experiences with men in his barbershop.
Brown and his wife Sarah founded 'She is not your rehab' in 2019 to encourage men to accept their childhood trauma and to take responsibility of their healing by transforming their pain instead of transmitting it on to others around them.
“The #HakaAgainstViolence challenge is a refreshing innovative approach. Family violence affects so many people and finding new ways that speak to people to help them open up isn’t easy. We can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result, so let's all get behind this great initiative and show our support” says Minister Poto Williams, Associate Minister of the Ministry of Social Development (Family & Sexual Violence).
Komene Kururangi (Tauranga Moana, Te Whakatōhea, Ngāti Porou) composed 'Taku Aronga' (Our Purpose) which is the haka that will be used in this challenge.
“Haka has always been an emissary which, with mana and passion, convey one's thoughts and feelings about a given kaupapa,” says Kururangi.
100 families have signed up for the challenge where they will learn Taku Aronga, post in on their social media pages in an effort to encourage more people.
The campaign will run for the next two weeks and participants will go in the draw to win The Warehouse vouchers.
For more on this challenge visit the She is Not Your Rehab Facebook page.