Tawnee Kahukore-Goomes from Chatham Islands shares her story at Te Anga Mua Whānau Ora Research Hui in Wellington, 23 November 2012.
Whānau planning in the Chatham Islands
Tawnee talked about her life before her involvement in Whānau Ora – a life of “drugs, chaos and lies”.
At 13, as an out of control teenager, she was sent to live with her aunty in the Chatham Islands. For the first time in her life she found safety and security. Her journey to reconnect with her whānau began again with the birth of her baby who was sent home to the island to be cared for while she served the remainder of a prison sentence. “The system offered me nothing.” Whānau Ora and the facilitator have enabled her to plan and for the first time in a long time to dream. Most importantly it has strengthened the bonds between her and her children. She finished her kōrero by thanking those who had supported her on her journey.