Upper Hutt, a city of many different cultures
Home, the new exhibition at Whirinaki Whare Taonga tells the stories of 10 families who have travelled from all over the world, to make Upper Hutt their home. They share their personal journeys, their challenges, and their triumphs, and what it is like to leave one home behind, to create a new one.
Mayor Wayne Guppy, who opened the exhibition, says it is inspiring and one not to be missed.
“It shows the real diversity and change that have occurred in society and in the city of Upper Hutt.”
The written stories about how they ended up in Upper Hutt also impressed the mayor.
“The thing that stood out is how different everyone’s experiences were in getting here.”
Whilst some chose to live in Upper Hutt, others came as refugees and had little choice.
Through their stories visitors hear insights into why they left, how they got here, and what brought them to Upper Hutt. Their stories are diverse, and their experiences are all very different.
Vickus and Annelize van Zyl moved from South Africa, motivated by the desire to find a place where their children would be safe playing in a park, Vickus said.
“It is so much harder than you might initially think. Because you have your whole life set up already. We were well settled. We've got jobs and a house and all sorts of things, and you say OK, I'm giving all this stuff up ... going to another country and hoping for the best!”
Marnie Anderson fell in love with a Kiwi lad and found herself living in Upper Hutt almost by accident.
“I have lived in a number of countries. I found the transition to living in Zealand was harder than anywhere else ... because, as an English-speaking country, you expect it to be easy. It was a huge transition for me and 16 years on, some days are still hard”.
Some of the stories are hard hitting, such as Margaret Abee John, a refugee who ran for her life from rebels in South Sudan and who watched her family members die. She had never heard of New Zealand, let alone Upper Hutt.
With nothing but the clothes they were wearing, Margaret and her children walked more than 2000km to a refugee camp in Kenya. It was a long and treacherous journey, sleeping in the jungle, surviving on jungle fruits, and hiding from the rebel army.
“First, we ran to Uganda. In Uganda we saw a lot of fighting with the rebels, then we ran to Kenya. From Kenya we went to live in the desert, no trees, no water, no nothing, at the border. At that time, a lot of my friends died. Some people death by the guns, some by hunger, some people die by thirst, some by the wild animals. So, I hide with my children. I held my kids when the guns are shooting.”
Home was developed by Whirinaki Whare Taonga with the hope that it fosters empathy and cultural understanding. Feedback to the exhibition has been overwhelming, director Leanne Wickham says.
Wickham says she was pleased a large number of school children had seen it, with more than 1000 students having already visited the education programme.
As well as Zimbabwe and Iran, Home includes stories from China, South Africa, Philippines, Malaysia, Yugoslavia, China, Samoa and America.
– Home: One City Many Cultures, runs until May 2025.