Two voice message
Tiakina a¯ Ta¯ tou Tamariki (TTT) co-founder Rukuwai Allen and Tee-Kanga founder Te Mahara Tamehana are sending a single clear message. Taipa Area School student Te Mahara Tamehana, founder of Young Enterprise (YES) business Tee-Kanga, and Tiakina a¯ Ta¯tou Tamariki (TTT) have joined forces to create a line of T-shirts promoting zerotolerance for the sexual abuse of children.
“I’ve always had a strong stance against the abuse of our tamariki,” Te Mahara said.
“Every child deserves to feel safe and comfortable in their environment, no matter who. So when I was offered the opportunity to make our first line (of T-shirts) alongside Tiakina a¯ Ta¯tou Tamariki, I immediately took it.”
TTT co-founder Rukuwai Allen was equally enthusiastic.
“We are proud of this collaboration, working with a young, rising talent to share a message that resonates with so many of our people,” she said, while Te Mahara said the decision had been a very easy one to make.
“One of Tee-Kanga’s primary objectives has always been to bring light to issues so many Ma¯ori people are met with daily, and by collaborating with the TTT movement I hope we are bringing that kind of impact.”
With almost 300,000 children believed to be affected by family and sexual violence, Rukuwai said there was a lot of work to do to bring awareness. “Our children are being harmed in homes across the motu, and it is our responsibility to create safe spaces so they can speak, share, and most of all be heard. That is what TTT stands for, breaking the ‘sweep it under the carpet’ cycle.”