Ko wai au? Ko Whetumatarau te maunga, ko Awatere te awa, Ko Horouta te waka, ko te Kawakawa Mai Tawhiti te whenua, ko Hinerupe te marae, ko te whānau a Hinerupe te hapū, Ko Ngatī Porou te iwi, ko Lusan taku ingoa, he tangata tarukino inu waipiro kaiwarawara ahau.

So my name is Lusan. I work here at Papa Taumata.

I was born and raised in Christchurch. Life was not easy and I became an addict for a really long time. So I came to Higher Ground and just gave it a go. It wasn't just for me, it was for my family as well. I did it for my grandchildren because someone had to do it and it, it had to be me.

I did it for my grandchildren because someone had to do it and it, it had to be me.

Like anything in life, the hard stuff is worth it in the end. So I was scared, I was angry, I was anxious. Yeah, it was just, it was a lot. But as my time here grew, um, this turned out to be the, the first safe place I've ever experienced.

There's a connection between the residents. Um, it didn't matter whether you were rich, poor. Māori, non-Māori, we all had some similarities and we all had a common goal and I think that was the thing that kept me here.

The first thing that happened to me here was being reconnected. So I've been home and climbed my maunga, swum in my awa, sat on the whenua, done all those things and started to really find out who I am as a wahine.

I was not raised with culture. In fact, when I came here, I didn't want anything to do with the Māori component of the program. It was foreign to me. Ah, so the first thing that happened to me here was being reconnected. So I've been home and climbed my maunga, swum in my awa, sat on the whenua, done all those things and started to really find out who I am as a wahine.

So we have many ceremonies, many practices that enhance the manner of everybody that comes through the doors.

In terms of getting ready for Higher Ground I really do believe higher ground is not something that you do, Higher ground is something that happens to you.

In terms of getting ready for Higher Ground I really do believe higher ground is not something that you do, Higher ground is something that happens to you. Things will happen the way that they need to happen and things will unfold the way they need to unfold - and that's the magic. My dream for myself is to just keep paddling, keep um, building my connection with myself, um, and my tupuna and just try to be a little bit better tomorrow than I was yesterday.