Matariki Starlight Jazz Concert - fundraiser for '™Wahine Walk for Wellness' Project

I'm June Pitman, and I'm doing what I can to support mental well-being in Aotearoa.

On Saturday 21st July, I'm staging ‘Matariki Starlight Jazz Concert’, a fundraising for mental wellness event which is included in Auckland’s Matariki Festival 2018 programme of events. Its purpose is to help raise funds towards supporting the development and organization of a ‘bigger picture’ cause – '™Wahine Walk for Wellness – Footsteps supporting the ripple effects of mental wellness', a walk for our Nation designed to raise funds in support of existing, or to create new support networks within our communities that enable the ‘Caretakers’ of the mentally unwell to reach out and connect, draw strength from, and support others who are walking a similar journey.

Matariki Starlight Jazz Concert blends both Pakeha and Māori artists together in an exciting programme of music sung in Te Reo Māori and English. Every artist featured in the concert has given freely their time for the cause. Each has their own experience related to mental unwellness to some degree.

Head-lining the Matariki Starlight Jazz concert is Whirimako Black, Aotearoa's own

award winning songwriter and artist having achieved Best Māori Album and Best Jazz Album at the NZ Music Awards and a coveted Silver Scroll award in song writing for Best Māori Composition.

With no organisational funding, and with limited personal funds to hand, I am reaching out my fundraising/sponsorship hands for support in covering the production costs to stage this event so that revenue from ticket sales can be used for the planning, development and organization of the bigger picture cause. Your help in helping me achieve this will be gratefully appreciated.

The concept or idea behind ™Wahine Walk For Wellness (named for no other reason then that I’m a Maori woman with a big dream) is to create an all-inclusive (including manuhiri - visitors/tourists) event for Aotearoa that holds the potential to raise awareness of, and collectively raise funds by our Nation for the purpose of establishing and providing new ‘heart-centered’ community support networks, and to further support already existing networks. These networks are/will be essential ‘reach-outs’ to enable the ‘Caretakers’ within our communities to connect and become better empowered to cope with the day-to-day impacts that supporting someone who is mentally unwell demands. The sense of knowing that one is not alone on this journey is in itself an empowering tool for self-care.

From mid-October 2019 to mid-February 2020, people from all over Aotearoa will have opportunity to participate in a ‘40 hour famine’ sponsor-styled fundraising event – to walk the length of our country following the Te Araroa Trail from Reinga to the Bluff, and from all directions, in support of the ‘ripple effects of mental wellness’.

This four-month window of time will enable seasoned trampers to walk from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South in reasonably good weather conditions. Participants may choose to walk as long or as little as they want. Weekend and day walkers may choose a particular segment of the trail. Families may want to choose to walk a segment of the route that passes through their community, town or city. In the event that the Te Araroa Trail does not pass by, participants may choose to design/pre-determine their own route. It really doesn’t matter how long or how far. It’s the ‘doing it’, and ‘the why’ that counts towards making a difference!

™ ‘WALK FOR WELLNESS TRUST - Footsteps supporting the ripple effects of mental wellness'

A registered NGO Trust will be set up and governed by a Board of Trustees specifically for the purpose of receiving, managing, and distributing ‘™Wahine Walk For Wellness’ funds into Communities. All activities will be carried out with integrity and with complete transparency.