Nōku te Ao ingoa
For 24 years, Like Minds, Like Mine has fought the good fight against mental distress prejudice and discrimination.
When it launched in 1997, it was ground-breaking — one of the first national campaigns in the world to actively challenge mental distress discrimination. Working alongside many amazing advocates and activists in Aotearoa, the programme’s collective efforts truly have changed the way many New Zealanders understand and interact with those of us living with mental distress or illness.
In 2021, our programme had different challenges. One in five New Zealanders live with mental distress in any given year – one in three are Māori and one in four are Pasifika. Many New Zealanders now understand what it’s like to live with mild or moderate distress, but there is still exclusion towards people with more ‘severe’ experiences.
So, we changed.
Two years ago we began our movement with a new ingoa or name – ‘Nōku te Ao: Like Minds'. ‘Nōku te Ao’ means ‘The world is mine’, and invites all New Zealanders to empathise with the unique world those of us with mental distress live in every day.
Our strategy is grounded in kaupapa Māori principles, and enables us to co-design community-led social movement activities, education, social action grants, media work and national campaigns. We created a new logo of a waharoa or gateway. This symbolises the treasures our whānau with distress contribute, and the strength we have when we work together against discrimination. Through the waharoa, we welcome you to see the world the way we do.
Today, in this time of Matariki, we continue our journey with a modified logo – fully stepping into the kaupapa set by the ingoa Nōku te Ao. This ingoa includes all people with mental distress that have journeyed with us from Like Minds, Like Mine. We also carry the spirits of those who have passed and have an extended hand to those we haven’t met before.
We invite you to take up the rākau and come along with us as we enter these next three years. We are excited about the changes to come.
