This article was first published by RNZ
A young wahine Māori is using the power of the Māori language to inspire rangatahi to chase their dreams and realise that “the world is better with them in it”.
Brooklyn Opetaia (Te Whānau-a-Kai) founded ‘Words to Heal You’ in 2021, originally as an Instagram account and a safe space to share her mental health journey through poetry.
Since then, it has grown into something much larger: a safe space, a dream, and a movement, Opetaia said.
The movement quickly took on new life, and by the end of 2021, Words to Heal You dropped its first hoodies, designed to encourage people to “wear words that heal” and create a global impact together.
Fast forward to 2024, Opetaia, in collaboration with Manawa Māori, a reo Māori provider, have released their first-ever hoodie in te reo Māori, with the words ‘Mei kore ake koe, e pai ai tēnei ao’ meaning: ‘The world is better with you in it’.
She said that Māori, especially young Māori, need to hear these words.
“I feel like so many young Māori put their dreams to the side because they believe that someone is more qualified or comes from a better background.”
Opetaia said she wanted to break that stigma.
“There is such a space for Māori in the world'
Opetaia said that another reason for launching the hoodies in te reo Māori is Aotearoa’s tragic mental health statistics, which show Māori have the highest suicide rates.
“These statistics break me,” Opetaia said.
“All suicide breaks me. I know that if this hoodie could impact and save even just one of our people - then we are doing a good job.”
Opetaia said she wants ‘the world is better with you in it’ to be a message that exists in every language, in every country and on every person’s back.
However, she said that “the most important place to begin was at home, with our own language and my own people”.
Opetaia and her husband are expecting their first pēpi, a son, and she said her dream is to create a world she wants to raise her tamariki in.
“I want to raise my kids in a New Zealand, an Aotearoa, where they can do whatever they want to do and be whoever they want to be.
“It needs to start with me being who I want to be and chasing the dreams that I have.”
Initially, Opetaia wrestled with doubts about her worthiness to release the hoodies and thought maybe “someone else” who was raised in a Māori-speaking family or lived closer to home should be the one.
“I always made excuses for why there was someone better, but I’m the one with it in my heart, and it’s a dream in my heart. I hope young Māori feel inspired to chase their dreams through seeing me do that as well.
“There is such a space for Māori in the world.”
Finding strength in Māori identity
Alongside her work with Words to Heal You, Opetaia creates social media content, with 25,300 followers on TikTok and over 2.1 million likes.
In the past few years, she and husband, Masyn Opetaia - who has Māori-Samoan whakapapa - travelled the world and lived in London for a couple of years.
She said people in Europe showed tremendous aroha for her mahi, even encouraging her to make versions of their hoodies in French or Spanish.
“People in New Zealand say things like, ‘Māori won’t take you anywhere’, or that learning te reo Māori is pointless, and that we should learn languages like Chinese or French. But when I went overseas, it was the very thing that set my husband and me apart.”
Opetaia said she gets emotional thinking about the amount of support she has received from English people while living in London.
“One thing I learnt through travelling is that people love Māori [culture].”
Since announcing the launch of their hoodies in te reo Māori, her DMs and comments have been flooded with aroha.
“It’s so encouraging to see people saying things like, ‘This is amazing, I can’t wait to buy one - how much is it to send to Scotland?’”
So when she hears comments like “Māori won’t get you anywhere”, Opetaia feels grounded in her experience that being Māori has taken her even further.
“I feel more loved out in the world because of our Māori culture. To showcase it as such a strong part of who I am-I feel so lucky.”
Opetaia said more reo Māori hoodies and further collaborations with Manawa Māori could be expected.
“Manawa Māori is such an amazing team to work with, and I just love that we fuse our passions together.”
“I think this is the beginning of something really beautiful. But beyond that, I just hope that in years to come, we see the statistics change. I hope that next year when suicide statistics are released, we see the numbers of Māori taking their lives drop … that’s the core value of why we’re doing this.”
Where to get help:
Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202
Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)
Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
What’s Up: free counselling for 5 to 19 years old, online chat 11am-10.30pm 7days/week or free phone 0800 WHATSUP / 0800 9428 787 11am-11pm Asian Family Services: 0800 862 342 Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm or text 832 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm. Languages spoken: Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, Japanese, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi and English.
Rural Support Trust Helpline: 0800 787 254
Healthline: 0800 611 116
Rainbow Youth: (09) 376 4155
OUTLine: 0800 688 5463 (6pm-9pm)
If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
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By Layla Bailey-McDowell of RNZ