Rangatahi leading the way with Toi Matarua

Photo taken on tour May 1, 2008 – part of the Kahungunu Violence Free Strategy youth group. Bottom centre is Charlizza at the age of 14.

Charlizza Matehe, 29, is the founder and director of Toi Matarua, a rangatahi/youth programme to help enable rangatahi to navigate their own future by leading the way.

Initially established in 2011 as a ‘by rangatahi, for rangatahi’ performing arts group focusing on mental health and suicide, it has now transformed into an immerging rangatahi-led research organisation that specialises in health and wellbeing, social and justice issues pertaining to Māori.

The core objective of Toi Matarua is to meet the demand for significant research pertaining to indigenous issues including health, education, incarceration and addiction, to develop informed initiatives and educational programmes that foster leadership and optimise the health and wellbeing of whānau and their communities.

Matehe has followed in the footsteps of her mother Sally Rye, who has been an advocate for Māori development for more than 20 years.

In August 2007 Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated launched its Violence Free Strategy, Te Tumu Whakahaere o Te Wero Whakamoe Patu Lay Down Your Weapons to Rest.

In 2008 Rye was employed alongside Mereana Pitman to advance the messaging of the violence free strategy to Kahungunu whānau, using performing arts as a platform for expressing key messaging,

Matehe and a number of other rangatahi portrayed these messages at theatres throughout Kahungunu. Now in her late 20s, Matehe continues to lead the voice of rangatahi through Toi Matarua.

The mission of Toi Matarua is ‘Kia tipu kia rea ngā pononga o ngā iwi taketake hei tikitiki mo te māhunga kia whakaora i te whai oranga ā mokopuna, ā whānau, ā hapū, ā iwi’, ‘To unearth the numerous truths of indigenous knowledge and use it for the healing and advancement of tamariki, rangatahi and whānau’.

“It’s about empowering our rangatahi in their pursuit and development of new knowledge to become their best,” Matehe said.

“We facilitate and manage safe spaces that support the rangatahi to assert their tino rangatiratanga and develop solutions to issues that impact them.

“We are there to guide and provide support through mentorship and other resources to explore and ‘go deeper’ into issues of importance to them,” Rye said.

“It’s the best feeling seeing rangatahi experiencing achievement and contributing to their own success as they learn and accept their own leadership.”

“They love that they have kaumātua who also enjoy the intergenerational transformation of knowledge and experiences that are shared between them,” Ara Hudson (kaumātua) said.

“Toi Matarua has seen some positive activities and initiatives transform lives. It simply is a great formula to support a brighter future.”

Toi Matarua has a dedicated communications team who are working to share the exciting things that are happening in the Toi Matarua space. Ngāti Kahungunu Iwi Incorporated is excited to provide Tihei Kahungunu as a platform for Toi Matarua to share their stories – the point of view from the voice of our rangatahi.

We already have a line-up on kaupapa for the next 12 months. Watch this space. Articles will start in our July edition.