Goodwill Banners

NZ has one of the highest bullying rates in the world. We have children waking up everyday scared to go to school. They sit in classrooms where other children taunt them for being different, call them names, throw things at them, and make them feel like an outcast. How do I know? Because I experienced it all first hand when I was at school.

My name is Montana and my mother is Elaine Hurndell, the creator behind the ‘Goodwill Banners’ that have brightened up corners all around Masterton.

With yards of tarpaulin, fabric, a sewing machine and sheer determination she set to creating an array of colourful signs. These feature empowering messages and song lyrics such as “You are more worthy than you have been told”. The signs speak not only to those being bullied, but also those doing the bullying. The hope is that they give strength to the child sitting in the back of the car, anxious about walking through the school gates, and make the bully consider how they may treat others throughout the day.

For the past two years my mother has created these signs and would like to take their impact to the next level, encouraging banner making in schools. This gives students the opportunity to not only contribute to something positive and represent their own voice, but also facilitate education around treating others with respect and kindness.

We’ve set up this Give a Little page to help my mother continue her amazing work in the community and a movement that is so needed in our schools.