Meet 11 Inspiring New Zealanders Opening Up About Their Mental Health Challenges

A new exhibition, Behind the Smile, spotlights how creativity and culture can help healing.

Every year about 10,000 people in New Zealand are subject to treatment or assessment under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act (*Te Whatu Ora), and almost half of the population of New Zealand will experience mental distress or illness in their lifetime.

For a nation isolated geographically from the rest of the world, New Zealand’s staggering statistics around mental health issues also have an impact on our most vulnerable communities. More than half the rainbow community will have a personal experience of mental distress or illness, while Māori and young adults aged 18 to 24 are also more likely to experience mental distress or illness.

This week, mental health charity Voices Of Hope launches an insightful new audio and visual exhibition entitled Behind the Smile, delving deep into the personal stories of 11 everyday New Zealanders who have worked to overcome their journey with mental health.

Founded in 2017 by Genevieve Mora and Jazz Thornton, Voices of Hope was created for individuals who have personally battled mental illness to inspire and create a better understanding of mental health.

The year-long project was photographed by previous Viva contributor and internationally award-winning director and photographer Tom Gould, whose work has been published and exhibited at institutions globally, including MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts) and the British Film Institute, along with collaborating with the likes of Ralph Lauren, Nike, NBA, Timberland, adidas and more.

In 2023, Voices of Hope had another successful campaign, Behind the Jersey, which highlighted the challenges people in sports face, and sparked conversation and awareness of mental health in the sporting world, which included Symone Tafuna’i, Tai Wynyard and Israel Dagg.

For this year’s campaign, Voices of Hope co-founder Genevieve says the focus is a continuation of the work it does to remove the stigma that comes with people facing mental health challenges.

One of those photographed is our cover star Semi Cho, whose complex upbringing was centred on not fitting into societal norms.

Having albinism, Semi is exposed to judgment daily, leading her to grapple with depression and ultimately physical setbacks, including health conditions like thyroid autoimmune disease. Emotions and mental health issues are rarely discussed in her Korean culture, but she has learned to embrace her culture, creativity — including a love of stand-up comedy — and riding horses.

“I started riding horses ever since we moved to New Zealand in 1997, and I’ve recently picked it up again,” says Semi. It’s something she credits as helping her on her healing journey.

“It’s been a journey,” she admits. “Right now it’s Lunar New Year, so one of the things I wanted to make sure to do was spend time with my family in Christchurch and pass on that tradition of giving money to family members that I care about. I have one aunt and uncle there with their two sons, and my brother has moved to Sydney, so I am the only young person left in the family who still lives in New Zealand. Connecting with my traditions and keeping these alive continues to help shape my identity.”

From Congolese to Singaporean cultures, there’s a melting pot of diversity represented in the exhibition that opens up another layer of awareness around how different cultures deal with mental health.

“Hearing the lived experiences of how different upbringings or cultures navigate and deal with mental health was fascinating as we worked on this project,” says Genevieve. “New Zealand is a diverse place, so it was important for us to tap into as many different people from all walks of life and life experiences. We did our best to encapsulate as many people as we could in this exhibition, and we hope people can see themselves in either one of the photos or at least leave feeling inspired through their stories.

“One of our talents shared how coming to New Zealand made them feel more comfortable because we’re so much more open, which to me I found quite confronting because I feel like we have such a long way to go.”

“Drag and the drag community has given me the strength to be my true self,” says Henrique.

“When I started drag I discovered it was like I was putting on a mask and I could get away with so much. No inhibitions, and no shame. I was bold and strong. When I was at Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School I did a drag show and comedian Chris Parker, who was studying there at the time said to me, ‘Omg that was amazing, you’re so confident in drag. Why are you not like that as a boy?’

“It made me think — and I started to learn and explore that Rhubarb in Drag — it’s just me — but with a wig. So I can take the wig off and still have the same confidence, happiness and strength in my everyday life. It’s something I recommend everyone do once in their lives. Dress in drag and help find your true self.”

Genevive says: “It seemed like a theme to use creativity as a tool for healing, whether the creation of outfits, or comedy. There are multiple examples of this and through my own lived experience, it does help to get things out of your mind and onto paper. It’s an empowering thing to do.”

The interactive exhibition will also allow guests to put on a headset and listen to each person share stories about the challenges they’ve had to navigate in support of each of their portraits, inviting visitors to connect with their humanity.

“Everyone has struggles you can’t see behind the smile,” says Genevieve.

The Voices of Hope Behind the Smile exhibition is open to the public at no cost from Friday 16 February to Friday 8 March at Allpress Studio, 8 Drake Street, Freemans Bay, Tāmaki Makaurau.

For anyone experiencing mental health issues, free call or text 1737 any time for support from a trained counselor.

Lifeline: 0800 543 354 (0800 LIFELINE) or free text 4357 (HELP).

Youthline: 0800 376 633, free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat.

Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO).

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