Lived Experience Lead | Kaiarahi Wheako Ora, Porirua - Kāpiti Locality
What led you to this role?
I was looking for a new opportunity to learn and grow and continue elevating the voice of lived experience.
Most recently I was part of the Salvation Army Bridge Programme, where I went from client, to volunteer, to recovery coach, to a management-level consumer advisor role. An important part of my role was sourcing feedback and feeding it up the line. I would hold regular consumer groups, and people would share their experience with the service, good and bad. It was cool to be able to share that, not only regionally, but nationally as well.
I was also able to input into programme planning, service structure, and the organisation’s ethos, reiterating the importance of taking a person-centred and holistic approach.
What drives your passion for advancing the lived experience voice?
Having my own lived experience means I understand the importance of being heard, and having those voices included in decision-making at all levels. But not just that – being seen as equal. So much of the challenge is being valued as equal to other opinions or voices, and not just in a tokenistic way.
Some of the most amazing people I've met have been those with lived experience, and I've had so much support from others. I try to give back to the community.
What opportunities do you see for this role to advance the lived experience voice in MHAIDS services?
We’re already working on the implementation of more Peer Support Workers in our services - and I’ll be pushing for more!
We're going to be establishing local lived experience partnership groups, bringing together tāngata whaiora and the lived experience workforce, so we can share our stories together and get their feedback. And be able to keep bringing those stories to leadership.
I also want us to be more reachable within the community. Often people feel unable to talk about their experiences or think they won't be heard.
What are you looking forward to in this role?
There’s so much! This is a brand-new role, which comes with challenges, but it's exciting to be able to make it my own and make a foundation that will be inherited by someone else someday.
Since in joined the organisation in November, I’ve been meeting people in the community and listening to their stories. While I'm in the Porirua-Kapiti locality, a lot of my networks are in the city, which gives the opportunity to make connections between these networks.
I’ll be trying to broaden support networks for people using our services, but also for people in lived experience roles. I’m also keen to create new pathways for people with lived experience to enter the workforce - they're so valuable and opportunities are limited.
Although these roles are important, there is still a long way to go in elevating the voice of lived experience into all levels of the service.
