Stories | 5%

Elspeth was a 62-year-old New Zealand woman of Scottish heritage, living in a small rural town when we first met her.

Anthony was a thirty-year-old European male who lived in the North Island with his wife and children when we first met him. He has recently moved to Australia with his family.

Maia was a 23-year-old Māori woman doing conservation work in the South Island when we first met her. She is also a musician, singer songwriter and has recently moved to Wellington.

Mahalia is a 30-year-old Māori/Tongan woman who lives in a coastal town in the North Island. She works in the retail industry and is a caregiver. Mahalia is married and has 4 children.

Knife is a 26-year-old non-binary transgender Pākehā who is living and flatting in one of Aotearoa’s main cities.

Miri is a 36-year-old Māori woman who lives in the central North Island. She works as a beekeeper and has a partner and 2 children.

Meilani is a 25-year-old Māori Cook Island woman who lives in Auckland. She has a partner and is a stay-at-home mum looking after 2 children.

Nikora is a 20-year-old Māori man living in Auckland. His partner has a 2-year-old child. Nikora currently lives with his mother and has a fulltime job, often finishing late.

Mana is a 29-year-old Māori man who lives in South Island. He has a partner and is currently working in a mine.

Anaru is a 30-year-old Māori man living alone in a lower North Island town. He has a major spine injury made worse by his first doctor sitting on his results for over a year. Anaru is now on a benefit, still waiting for specialist care or surgery.

Tiana is a 29-year-old Māori woman living in Auckland. Monday to Friday, she is a manager in the childcare sector and works with Youth in the weekends.

Tayla is a 27-year-old Pākehā woman living in Auckland. She is a busy mother with 2 children. One child has a hereditary heart condition and the other has a rare kidney disease.

Amber is a 29 year-old Pākehā woman who lives in the lower North Island. She is a full-time mother caring for 4 children – 2 of whom have autism.

Alna is a 30-year-old South African woman who came to New Zealand in 2016. She lives in Auckland with her husband and 4 children, ranging from 22 months to almost 8 years old.

Rangi is 24-year-old Māori man living in Auckland with his mum. He has a 2-year-old son and is a solo dad. Rangi has whānau in both Northland and Auckland and often goes between both.

Edward is an 81-year-old man who is from Canada. He is retired and lives in the South Island. Edward is married and has adult children and a lot of grandchildren.

Frano is a 19-year-old man of Māori and Pākehā descent who lives in the South Island. Frano is studying conservation and looking for work.

Moana is a 63-year-old Māori wife, mother and grandmother from Northland. She works fulltime in the education sector and is pursuing a higher degree.

Bled is an 80-year-old Pākehā man living in the far North with his partner. They met during the Covid 19 lockdown. He stays active with tennis, fishing and fruit-picking at a local orchard.

Scott is a 34-year-old Pākehā Kiwi who lives in Auckland and works fulltime. He is a father of four, including a new baby with his current partner.

Andy is a 58-year-old New Zealand European man who lives with his adult son in a South Island town. He works fulltime and was an essential worker through the Covid19 Lockdown.

Julie lives and works with her husband north of Auckland in a semi-rural area. She is a Pākehā grandmother in her early 50s, with three grown sons.

Maka is a 34-year-old Māori man who lives in Auckland. He has a partner and is a father. Maka has a fulltime job and works long hours.

Wairere is a 34-year-old Māori woman living in the lower North Island. She lives with her partner and three school-age children.

Ariana identifies as both Māori and Pākehā. She’s 26, lives in an outer suburb of Auckland and her partner who lives nearby. She works for a freight company.

Hana is a 36-year-old Māori woman who lives in Auckland. She has a 3-year-old son and lives in her whānau home. Hana is a team leader. Her work focuses on helping vulnerable families.

Hineawhi is a 47-year-old Māori woman. She lives in the lower North Island. Hineawhi is the mother of two teenagers.

Tui is a 27-year-old woman who is both Māori and Pakehā. She lives in Auckland and has three children. Tui is a stay-at-home Mum.

Mihirangi is a 52-year-old Māori woman who lives in the North Island. She works for the police department and was an essential worker during the first Covid 19 lockdown

Kiwa is a 26-year-old Māori woman who lives in a seaside surburb of Auckland. She is a stay- at-home mother with 2 children.

Puawānanga is a 37-year-old Māori wife and mother of 3 children. She lives in a coastal suburb of a North Island city and works as an event organiser.

Bulma is a 30-year-old non-binary Pākeha musician who lives in a large city in the North Island. In addition to playing in several bands, they do paid and voluntary work.

Jason is a 44-year-old Pākehā man who lives in a coastal town in the North Island. He is a father of 2 and he works in the education sector.

Sione is a 59-year-old Samoan man who lives and works in Auckland. He has two children and a partner.

Laura is a 36-year-old Pākehā woman who lives with her partner and 8-year-old daughter in a coastal town in the North Island. Laura recently became a nana.

Kara is a 51-year-old Māori Pākeha woman who lives in the South Island. She is married, has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Kara and her husband are also foster parents.

Anahera is a 45-year-old Māori woman living on the east coast of the North Island. She lived in Australia before returning home. Anahera is married with four children aged between 9 to 17 years.

Mei is a 38-year-old Chinese woman who came to New Zealand at the age of 16. Mei lives in Auckland and works part time in the education sector. She is married with school-age children.

Talia is a 38-year-old Samoan woman who lives in Auckland. She is married and has 5 children. Talia is a stay-at-home mother. In her spare time, she makes candles.

Teuila is a 68-year-old Samoan woman who came to New Zealand in 1970. She has 5 adult children, 13 grandchildren and 3 great- grandchildren. Teuila is a trained social worker but retired to look after her mother.

Hinemoa is a 39-year-old Māori woman who lives in the North Island on a farm. Her youngest daughter lives at home with her.

Roger is a 68-year-old Pākehā man who lives in the lower South Island. He is a published writer who has enjoyed some international acclaim for his work.

Henry is a 72-year-old European man who lives in the South Island. He owns his own home and shares with a male flatmate, of the same age. He enjoys sharing the produce grown in his vegetable garden.

Chanel is a 20-year-old Pākehā woman who has grown up in South Auckland. She lives with her family and is studying to get into nurse training.

Sheree is a 52-year-old Pākehā woman who lives in the South Island. She has a partner and they both have two adult children. Sheree grew up in Australia and has had a successful career as a chef.

Edna is an 82-year-old woman who lives within a North Island retirement village. In her younger days she travelled a lot including backpacking across Europe.

Leeanne is a 47-year-old Pākehā woman who lives in a major city. She has worked in the mental health and addictions sector, works closely with the Police and in the past, worked in prisons.

Brooke is a 30-year-old Pākehā woman who lives in a lower-North Island town surrounded by farmland. She is married and has 4 children.

Kelvin is a thirty-eight-year-old Asian man who grew up in Auckland. He is married and the father of 5 young children. Kelvin owns a restaurant in Auckland.

Margaret is a 73-year-old woman who came to New Zealand at 16-years-old. She worked as a nurse for 25 years before retiring at 65. She lives on her own, but her daughter and grandchildren live close by.

Eru is a 62-year-old Māori man living in the South Island. A head injury from a road accident 12 years ago ended his working life as a shearer. He is a father and grandfather.

Marion is a 40-year-old European Kiwi originally from Canada. She lives with her partner and 5-year-old daughter in the South Island and works from home for an insurance company.

Nigel is a 41-year-old Pākehā man living in Southland. He’s unemployed and lives with his parents while dealing with his mental health. During the week he helps on the farm.

Dawn is a 63-year-old Pākehā woman. She used to be a teacher, but is now retired and lives on her own quite a distance from her nearest town on the West Coast of the North Island.

Tane is a 35-year-old Māori who lives rurally. He was seriously injured in an attack several years ago, but is finally able to work part time.

Bob is a 59-year-old Pākehā husband, and uncle, who lives with his wife in a mid-sized NZ city. He does voluntary work for a mental health service.

Keith is a 73-year-old Kiwi who came to New Zealand from England in 1976. He lives with his wife in a North Island city that is surrounded by farmland.

Rose is a retired nurse. She is 75, lives on her own but has a partner. They live in a central North Island town on the coast.

Peggy is a 69 year old Pākehā woman who lives by herself in a central North Island Town. She is a mother and is currently retired.

Tamati is Māori, 35 and lives in a North Island city with his partner, teenage son, toddler and new baby. He was made redundant in lockdown, but is now working.

Arthur is a 74-year-old Pākehā man living by himself in an east coast town in the North Island. He has his own villa within a rest home complex.