“Living with my friends was a good thing about Level 4, but there were things that were not very good, so I had to get out of there. But that was okay, I have always been unsettled, always ready to move, it’s just what I was used to. There were times during Lockdown when I…
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“I was looking forward to my birthday on March 28. I was going to turn 31 and had planned a big whānau dinner. Then the Lockdown came. It was sad to have to stay at home for my birthday, but it was okay. My support person Sue came over, we had dinner and cake. And…
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“Tēnā koutou katoa, tōku ingoa Millie Matahiki. I was actually brought up at Tokomaru Bay with my nan, but she moved to Gisborne and then my great-uncle died, which I found hugely upsetting. I tried to take my own life. It was a very silly thing to do. I felt I needed to be in…
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Lockdown was the longest time Timothy has had away from his parents. He stays at the Hearth Trust home full time, but his parents often visit and he goes home regularly in the weekends. Timothy loves spending a lot of time outside and being in big open spaces. He was able to do this during…
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“The hardest thing about Lockdown for me was not seeing my Mum. I visit Mum two or three times a week. She lives a few blocks away. It takes me half an hour to walk there. My brother was looking after Mum but I still worried about her because I couldn’t see her. I rang…
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“Lockdown was revitalising in a lot of ways. We slept in and we did a lot of exercise because the weather was good. We listened to Jacinda, we stayed home; we saved lives. We saw a few neighbours and met up for a drink over the fence but everyone pretty much did their own thing.…
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Corey relished his time in Lockdown spending more time on the land, helping out wherever he could and getting involved in a whole range of activities with those in his bubble. He hosted movie nights in his room where everyone relaxed around his TV, made huge pancake stacks for Sunday morning breakfast and turned his…
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“I like walking a lot. I walk in Totara Park and I go down to the local shops and I like talking to people when I’m out. Everyone knows me around here! The staff would call me on my smart watch to check I was okay and to remind me to come home. I usually…
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“How long have we been together? I don’t know. I lose track, I think three years. I fell in love with him and he’s nice to me. He’s my partner. I like that he’s got tattoos. We first met on an online dating site. I said to him ‘would he like to come to Gisborne?’…
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Timothy, Andrew and Corey live at their Hearth Trust home set in Lower Hutt’s western hills where they are supported by staff and volunteers. This has been their home for the last few years. In 2015 Tim’s family founded the Trust and bought the home where he lives with two others and support workers. The…
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