Marihja Helena is embraced by actor and speaker Rob Mokaraka of 'Shot Bro' at Grassroots Hawke's Bay 2022 at Taruna College in Havelock North. Photo/Ian Cooper
Marihja Helena is embraced by actor and speaker Rob Mokaraka of 'Shot Bro' at Grassroots Hawke's Bay 2022 at Taruna College in Havelock North. Photo/Ian Cooper
Actor Rob Mokaraka is bringing the story of his battle with depression, a bullet and his seven-year healing journey to Marton.
The seasoned performer dives into the deep and emotional side of what living with depression is like in a one-man play, Shot Bro.
In late July 2009, Mokaraka, dealing with years of depression and on a suicidal mission, called the police on himself. He told them someone had broken into his house, described his own build, and when the police showed up, ran on to the street armed with a meat cleaver and soup ladle wrapped in a teatowel and stepped towards them.
He was shot in his chest. The bullet just missed crucial organs, leaving him alive and gasping for breath and forgiveness in the middle of his quiet, residential street.
“The thing about depression, which drives people to suicide when you hide it, is it’s not sexist, it’s not racist, it doesn’t care how much money you’ve got - it will take you if you don’t go and deal with it,” Mokaraka said.
Touring with his one-man play is part of his permanent journey towards greater healing, and it helps inform him as much as it informs others.
Shot Bro is on at Te Rūnanga O Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa (the former Turakina Māori Girls’ College buildings) with shows catering to rangatahi as young as 10, with all sessions booked out.
There are separate showtimes to cater for different audiences, with Mokaraka performing to rangatahi aged 10 and up on Wednesday, holding He Piko Tāne (a men’s only session) on Thursday and concluding with the wider community on Friday.
“Rob’s show is a good opportunity for our community to wānanga amongst each other,” Rawiri Te Hina, from the rūnanga’s primary health and social service provider, Te Kōtuku Hauora, said.
“It will inspire our community here in Marton to think about our own mental health.”
A documentary on the Shot Bro kaupapa, directed by Jess Feast, has also been made.
Rob Mokaraka. File photo / Dean Purcell
The show is an intimate experience, with Mokaraka welcoming guests and making sure they’re comfortably embedded within the space to get the most out of the experience.
“We are very grateful to be invited to the communities in and around the town of Marton to present our hauora, suicide prevention and ‘post-vention’ kaupapa,” Mokaraka said.
WHERE TO GET HELP:
If you are worried about your or someone else’s mental health, the best place to get help is your GP or local mental health provider. However, if you or someone else is in danger or endangering others, call the police immediately on 111.
Or if you need to talk to someone else:
Free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counsellor.
Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP);
