Our story

StandingTallNZ.org is a "Tangata Whenua" (people of the land) website to support Māori and Pacific men support people and communities affected by sexual violence and family violence. In New Zealand, approximately 1 in 3 Māori and 1 in 5 Pacific males will have experienced some kind of sexual harm and violence in their lives. How, then, can we support our bros and community?
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The solution to this question came from PhD research (Stevens II, 2022) from Māori and Pacific men who were physically and sexually abused as children. We asked them what kind of questions and information might be helpful for other men in a similar situation to get help online. We also wanted to know how this information should be presented. This included the use of our own reo and Pacific languages.
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We then asked their support people and organisations that need to learn more about this topic what they would want in a website to support themselves and their bros/clients.
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The result of this community project is a simple, clean, and easy-to-access website that connects with Māori and Pacific people. The strength this website also offers is relevant images, cultural content, non-clinical language, and instant support to helplines. We are working every month to ensure all the content is relevant and meaningful.
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In 2020 the website was a finalist in the Public Good category for the Best Design Awards. This is a prestigious award presented by the Designers Institute of New Zealand.

Nau mau, haere mai! Welcome!