This article was first published by RNZ.
An Ōtautahi-based collective is leading a movement to connect Tangata Moana through culture, creativity and celebration, working to combat the “longstanding issues of racism” in the city.
What began as a group of friends seeking a community has transformed into Brown Town, a space that nurtures the hauora (wellbeing) of Tangata Moana, bringing groups together through monthly kaupapa.
Brown Town founders Devyn Baileh (Te Atiawa), Grace Colcord (Malie, Afega), and Shea Wātene (Ngā Puhi, Ngā Rauru) recognised a “real need” for such a space in Christchurch, and said they were “carving space for Tangata Moana to be loud, brown and proud”.
“We’re so over the aggression of being brown in Ōtautahi,” the collective said. “We know that it exists in other places across the motu and around the world, but the discrimination is uniquely strong here.”
Brown Town sprung from the founders’ shared experiences of exclusion and their desire to create a sense of belonging. After an evening spent together, they realised the importance of having spaces where they could connect and be themselves.
The rōpu made a pact to meet monthly, hosting events at their homes, including potlucks, games nights, paint-and-sip sessions, cocktail-making parties, phone case decorating and Matariki celebrations.
As these events grew in popularity, they quickly outgrew their whare, revealing a hunger for a sense of community in the region - especially among rangatahi.
“We outgrew our monthly events very quickly, in less than a year. We all knew someone that knew someone, and that has never stopped,” the collective said.
Overcoming racism in a ‘pākehā city’
The creation of Brown Town also stemmed from the group’s individual experiences of racism in Ōtautahi.
“We all have our own experiences of being brown in a predominately pākehā city,” Colcord said.
Colcord recalled a moment when she was racially profiled while shopping with a friend from Tāmaki Makaurau: “We were accused of being gang members or thieves… I was kind of used to it, but it was devastating for her.”
Baileh also spoke about the “ingrained racism” she encountered growing up in Christchurch.
“The scary thing about racism in Christchurch is that it’s underlying. It’s not someone yelling at you, but it’s always there. I realised there were no brown people around me at school, no one I could turn to.”
Wātene, born and raised in Christchurch, said while he spent the majority of his life there, most of the time it did not feel like home.
“Where I do find home, though, is with these people - we all find home in each other.”
While racism was a global issue, Colcord said in Christchurch it had been enabled for so long it was normal.
“This can isolate brown people, and socially exclude them to a point where they feel like they have no community or belonging. It’s a gamble on our safety, safety of authenticity, expression, and ambition.”
The group believed Christchurch’s “long and troubled history” could be traced back to when the first four settler ships arrived.
“Only 60 years ago Christchurch was the capital for many white racist groups, more than anywhere else in New Zealand, and the effects of this still ripple throughout our city.”
The group said they often thought about the mosque shootings in 2019, and said it was not by chance it occurred in Christchurch.
“We hold that it would not have happened if the prevalent discrimination against our diverse communities did not exist.”
Changing the narrative
Brown Town’s mission was to change the narrative and provide support for the brown community in Ōtautahi.
“There’s magic when people of the Moana come together,” Baileh said. “Our mission is to weave Tangata Moana communities together. When we come together, we feel a collective power of belonging and authenticity.
“If we harnessed that collective power-like how we show up for Manu Samoa, Mate Ma’a Tonga or Tiriti protests, we’d be unstoppable.”
The group said a key message Brown Town lived by was Baileh’s saying, “Brown joy is resistance.”
Goals and aspirations
Wātene said he was excited about Brown Town’s future.
“The most rewarding part so far has been the encouragement we’ve received from both people we know and people we don’t.”
Through Brown Town’s mahi, Colcord believed she was fulfilling her ancestors’ dreams.
“I feel like I’m reconnecting and re-indigenising, and helping others along the way - or having others help me.”
The collective said while the experience had been rewarding, it had been healing too.
“As I connect with my community, I feel my inner child healing. She’d be proud of what Brown Town has accomplished so far,” Baileh said.
Brown Town’s goals for the coming years included establishing their own community hub, partnering with like-minded organisations and continuing to host events “by and for Tangata Moana”.
They were also working towards becoming a charitable trust, with plans to finalise a board and deed soon.
“Everybody has their own story,” the collective said. “What Brown Town wants to do is give everybody their voice to tell it.”
The group’s message to people interested in joining Brown Town was “come as you are”
“There’s space for all Pacific people here.”
By Layla Bailey-McDowell of RNZ