Nau mai, haere mai, Welcome

​It can be really difficult to know who to turn to for help when you don’t know who will accept you. We know that this is especially painful if you are in the LGBTQIA+ community, who face, every day, the effects on their health of marginalisation and rejection. Whether it is because of the stigma that surrounds this community, not feeling safe around prejudiced family or friends, the difficulty of having to hide your identity, or the trials that come with transitioning, we want to help you. In some ways, the world is changing, in regard to supporting, accepting, and loving this community, but we still have such a long way to go.

 We want to work towards a future where LGBTQIA+ youth especially are safe and free to express who they are, and together, BE the change we want to see.
If you are reaching out for a stay, please don’t feel that you need to keep your sexuality or gender identity a secret, and if you have a romantic partner you want to stay with you, please don’t hesitate to tell us.

“As a lesbian woman I have always felt an outsider, uncomfortable with the culture I was born into, a culture in which I felt I was an interloper. This has led me to live and work amongst cultures which overtly identified me as an outsider, to reinforce the feelings I felt inside. Much of my life I have struggled to live and work and just BE. I have had a cocktail of chronic depression and anxiety for as long as I can remember. These mental health struggles have at times needed acute intervention, and whatever the causes, feeling judged and like an outsider have not helped my mental wellbeing.

As a volunteer who worked at the retreat I am struck not just by the wonderful relaxing setting but by how everyone is so accepted for who they are as a person; regardless of sexuality, gender, race or whatever may mark you apart. This is so essential for providing a healthy environment for self care, acceptance, and self celebration of who you are, enabling you to embrace and work towards a hopeful way forward.”

It is incredibly trying when the world judges you for who you are.

When you have to carry the double-burden of bearing a disability AND being discriminated against for it. Even in this day and age, you will know the realities of prejudice against those one in four of us who live with a disability. With so many public places being virtually inaccessible – not only by wheelchair, but allowing for those of us who struggle to hear to be accommodated, for example. And then, there’s how people stare, how they judge, how they act in a patronising manner as if you’re not quite a person; or even worse, how they act as if you don’t have the right to be there. Everyone has the right to be there. And just because we are dealing with a disability – which makes life that much harder to navigate anyway – does not mean being patonised helps.

At the Retreat, we are well aware of how difficult life can be when you are disabled – how exhausting it is to be constantly fighting to be treated as an equal, and we want to help. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have a disability; we are fully wheelchair accessible, and will do everything that we can to accomodate whatever you may need. We are no strangers to the fact that disabled people are more at-risk of mental illness – and we really want to change this, and while we’re at it, do all that we can to counter ableism.

At the Retreat, we work with a model for wellbeing called “Te Whare Tapa Whā” – you can read more about it here. The thinking is that our wellness depends on four dimensions of being human – our physical, spiritual, mental and whānau health. We acknowledge and celebrate a wholstic view of what makes us the amazing complex creatures that we are. Karakia is offered at our shared kai by one of our Team; and the Retreat has a Chapel space in which Spirituality is recognised and respected.

Our Team of Staff and Volunteers is composed of people with all kinds of faith (including those who don’t hold a faith in a Higher Being). We want you to know that this is our framework, and it’s one in which your own personal spirituality will be welcomed. We also know that it can be very painful for those who are mocked or shamed for their beliefs, or where you are treated with fear because of the actions of extremists or others acting in the name of a faith, but not encompassing its true values. Our environment is one in which differing beliefs and spiritualities are respected and not imposed (if you come to stay – we ask that you please respect other Guests’ spiritualities/faiths and refrain from being in any way pushy with your own!) We will never turn people away due to their faith, so please don’t refrain from letting us know if this is something important to you. ​

“I’m a recent Guest at Taranaki Retreat. I don’t believe in a ‘Higher Power’ as such, but the Chapel at the Retreat is so peaceful, and turned out to be where I spent a lot of my time. I felt so restful there – it helped to deal with my anxiety. The mountain view over the fields helped too, and just knowing the mountain was there, even when it was raining. I knew I could get spiritual support if I needed it, but it came to me all on its own.”

Finding your feet in an unfamiliar place and a different culture brings its share of challenges, as well as delights. But when you also find yourself alone, especially when you’re in need of support, things can be really difficult – especially if your family are overseas; the friendships are not yet built up; perhaps you’re not sure where to look for help; and life suddenly seems all too much.

At the Retreat, we completely understand this, and would be more than happy to help you out in finding the right supports and groups to grow your networks and walk alongside you on this new journey.