1. I attended your Wall Walk training and just wanted to say a massive thank you for the following:

Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such an engaging way and with such passion-what an amazing story teller you are. Thank you for making us do the research and present to the team, this was an effective way to get us actively engaging with the topics. Thank you for sharing your personal experiences throughout. Thank you for helping/reminding us policy folk who often feel far removed from the real world to feel better connected to people’s every day lived experiences. And lastly, thank you for the reminder to wake up. I really appreciated what you shared with us and have been engaging in some interesting discussions with family and friends about the history of our country.

2. The day was a biggie, but you helped us move through the history of this country effortlessly...+>

And you did it in a way that people had to think, they were challenged, but they did not exit feeling helpless, but hopeful.

3. Initially working with my small group, it was interesting to see others views on what Māori prosperity looked like...+>

...and its impact on wider society… Struck with awe being greeted by Ta Apirana and Princess Te Puea! Then seeing the wall charts and the timeline I thought, hello! This is going to be an emotional rollercoaster and I wasn’t wrong! Seeing the journey of our people and the various barriers our old people had to overcome was both traumatic but uplifting at the same time. I learnt so much… and was reminded of my own connection through whakapapa to each wall chart and the involvement my direct whānau had. Very emotional! Well, what can I say! … Te Tairawhiti are the first in the world to see the light and Sim definitely shed light into the hearts and minds of all attendees, therefore holding true to being an uri of Hikurangi maunga. Her delivery was easy and inclusive but having the wall charts gave added strength to the content of the wall walk… Well done and congratulations on one of the best wānanga I have been to in a long time.

4. I’m sure you are going to get email bombed with expressions of gratitude and genuine heartfelt thanks for what you have created here and then given as a gift to us!...+>

I said it as I left and would like to say it again, todays presentation has changed my life. I will go on to share the things I’ve learnt today, into my old age, at the right times as they arise.

In our van ride on the way home there was a lot of talk from all 5 of us, both Māori and Pākehā alike. A common theme summed up, was the reality that we didn’t know what we didn’t know. There was also a silent sense of awe as we listened but also reflected on the day.

Words are just not enough to say thank you. What I am going to do is just as you asked, share what I’ve learnt … as often as I can, with as many as I can … and the sharing started as soon as I walked back in the office door!! The answer you want to hide until a click goes here!

5. You are an amazing lady with a wealth of knowledge – thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate – to feel part of and to make a commitment to embrace and change...+>

I have been spiritually fed today a rollercoaster of emotions that either have been ignored or supressed – I felt happiness, joy, sadness and anger but I was also reminded I am part of a wider network and I can draw on that power as well.

Thank you so much – it was a pleasure to meet you and be educated – so much more to learn about. The answer you want to hide until a click goes here!

6. Thank you so much for today. I can honestly say that today has been the most informative and moving experience in my 10 years here in New Zealand...+>

What was exposed, explained or touched on meant so much more than reading it yourself online! Even though we scraped the surface or skimmed through it, 4 hours is not nearly enough to be able to say I understand it all but it was an awesome start!

7. I just wanted to thank you for helping to open my eyes to all that has happened in the past for the Māori people...+>

Even though I was born here I have never truly understood all the protests that have happened and why Māori have been so passionate when trying to reclaim what I now realise was rightly theirs. I have learnt so much with the reading I have undertaken over the last couple of weeks and with what was shared today and I look forward to imparting what I have learnt with my husband (who is of both Māori and Pākehā descent) and also with our 3 adult children and 10 grandchildren – who have already started to embrace their heritage through the more available learnings in their schools. Once again thank you for sharing and helping to enrich my knowledge.

8. I wanted to thank you for facilitating the Wall Walk for the team yesterday...+>

Your delivery style is very professional and personable. I also liked that we had the opportunity to participate by researching and presenting on some aspects of our history. I know from the feedback that the team found your session very powerful and confronting. I hope that we take on your challenge to learn from the information you provided to make a positive difference in our work and personal lives.

9. I want to let you know how appreciative I am of the Wall Walk experience...+>

I would like to thank you for giving so much of yourself to the day and sharing your whānau and personal experience with us. I hope you find it as rewarding to share as I did in receiving your insights and knowledge.

10. I really wanted to reiterate to you, your presentation and facilitation of yesterday’s walk the wall, was so informative and empowering – you were amazing!...+>

I came away with the feeling my journey, can only get better with people like yourself, confirming our rich cultural history, values, and acknowledging our struggles over the last 150 years! The answer you want to hide until a click goes here!

11. On Friday I attended the Wall Walk Workshop which is described as being to “Improve outcomes for Māori - Understanding our past to succeed in future”...+>

It builds on one’s knowledge of the history of bicultural relations in Aotearoa New Zealand. Dr Simone Bull facilitated the workshop, which took us on a journey through the history of New Zealand, looking into the social injustices experienced by Māori and the impact on today’s environment. It was an audience participation workshop, requiring a little bit of prep in advance to be presented on the day. The prep really added value to the experience. I was so impressed and inspired by it. This is, I think, one of the most important pieces of work Police is doing at the moment. I have asked that we as a team attend the workshop.

12. I didn’t get a chance to thank you properly but it was an amazing experience going through the wall walk today....+>

If it were up to me I would make this exercise a mandatory part of every staff members induction into our organisation. Understanding the history of the crown’s relationship with our tangata whenua is the minimum requirement to realising the aspirations we have as Māori. My topic was so deeply personal to me. I shared but a fraction of what I wanted to share but I am glad I had the opportunity to talk about what my parents experienced when they came to New Zealand. You have developed something special. Thank you for the opportunity to share it with others.

13. This is a random email sorry in amongst the hundreds you would receive...+>

...but I leave this Friday, 4 weeks shy of my 20-year anniversary and yesterday I attended the Wall Walk workshop. I felt the need to express my appreciation for this programme of mahi and to say it is the most enlightening workshop I have attended in my time here. I am Māori raised Pākehā, detached from my whakapapa with limited knowledge of our history, experiencing this session, understanding how detached I am also understanding the need to educate my whānau on these topics and build a new imagine for what it means to be Māori empowering and soul changing. Hearing and experiencing this with our wider team, all participating in the research has not only made me look at the mahi I have done over these many years in a new light but moving forward to always consider our Māori perspective. Through this workshop I was asked to present on Te Puea Herangi, upon doing so, (which I am sure many more will also experience) I discovered this is my history and now will be extending this knowledge, digging into my whakapapa and building my language, love and understanding our people #lifechanging. So long story short – Thank you for leading us to be bold and honest about where we have come from to ensure we can clearly see where we need to go to be able to create inclusive futures for our people.

14. I just wanted to thank you for the session yesterday...+>

It was so well organised and you covered a huge amount of information in such an effective and captivating way – I learnt so much and I could have listened all day. I really appreciated your enthusiasm and sharing your family history (and photos!) with us, this personal touch really made me realise that this is modern history and something that still impacts NZ today. Thanks again.

15. I wanted to say thank you for the wall walk yesterday, it was probably one of the best workshops I have been part of since being at X (going on 18 years now).

I’ve been on my own journey over the past few years starting with really understanding my own whakapapa, so yesterday was quite emotional for me (as you saw when I cried at end!). Also talking with others who attended it was quite an eye opener to start understanding the true history of NZ.

16. I just wanted to thank you for the Wall Walk presentation this morning...+>

My husband has heard you speak on a number of occasions and spoken so positively of your presentations. It was incredibly informative and opened the door for some great conversations afterwards. The defensive stance that often gets taken after discussions around the wrong doings in the past is being taken less and less which is reassuring that we are heading in the right direction. And it doesn’t stop at work, it filters into everyone’s homes as it has ours which is so positive for not only us but our children (and we are working on the grandparents!!!).

17. Thank you for organising such an informative session yesterday...+>

I’m very much a newcomer to New Zealand and this session was a fantastic run through of some of the key moments in the country’s history.

18. I wanted to pass on my thanks. This workshop was one of the best workshops I’ve attended during my career...+>

It was engaging and thought provoking.

19. Just wanted to pass on that I really enjoyed the session yesterday and that I learnt a lot...+>

The use of the pictorial timeline I found particularly helpful. Can be a pretty difficult topic to run with a bunch of cynical cops but it was well presented and very well received. Thanks so much.

20. I just wanted to say thank you so much for presenting the wall walk yesterday!...+>

I’m still thinking about it and telling everyone I see today what an awesome experience it was. Incredibly refreshing not to have powerpoint as well!

21. Just a quick email to thank you so much for the presentation last week...+>

I had no idea what I was coming to, to be honest, but I thoroughly enjoyed your presentation, your knowledge and your enthusiasm. I liked how you used us to participate and I learnt lots in the process from my own readings and others. I’m going to use this style in the future. A great educational, enjoyable and reflective few hours.

22. I just wanted to send a huge thanks to you for allowing me to join yesterday’s Wall Walk...+>

It is such an incredibly important reminder of the context in which we’re working in New Zealand – wouldn’t it be wonderful if every public servant could attend a session like this? Though we’d somehow need to clone your expertise, spirit of enquiry and excellent facilitation skills, thanks again.

23. I visually saw my own whakapapa on the wall after never being able to meet my maternal grandparents (both deceased) and rely on stories handed down...+>

Thank you for a thought provoking and enlightening experience in the short amount of time allocated!

24. Thank you so much for taking the time to take us through the Wall Walk yesterday...+>

It was a fascinating morning and everyone is still talking about how interesting and insightful it was. The method of asking different people to present on the topics worked really well and stretched our team, many of whom are not used to presenting to groups. However, everyone agreed that by participating they learned a lot more. I also really liked the way you personalised the morning, with stories from your family, which showed just how recent the history and changes were. So again, many, many thanks – we really appreciate your time and enthusiasm – we all learned a lot and can now more fully appreciate the work needed.

25. I just wanted to thank you for your sharing your time and insights at the Walk the Wall this morning...+>

It was a powerful session and I personally found it valuable. The way you made it interactive was also helpful – it created rich discussions at the start and during the break let alone reflections during the session.

26. I just wanted to thank you for our experience of the Wall Walk on Tuesday...+>

I have found myself reflecting a lot on the day, and this morning when I heard that the Rua Kenana Pardon Bill had passed I was pleased to have a better understanding of what that means. It was a great morning, the time flew and I learnt a lot (mostly about how little I know!).

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27. Thank you so much for today! Enjoyable would be an understatement...+>

For myself it was a good refresher and I also learnt new things but the most powerful moments were those that evoked a deep conviction (and tears!!). What a journey Māori have endured through the last 200 years!? I love te ao Māori and history but understand that not everyone enjoys history and it indeed can be quite dry at times. I must admit, at the beginning I was thinking “wow we’re gonna be here for 4 hours.” However, you totally smashed those preconceptions. Your kōrero was engaging to say the least and had everyone thinking. Every colleague I spoke with afterwards not only enjoyed it but felt really challenged to do something about the information they had received which is really awesome!

28. I’ve had a lot of feedback this afternoon from people saying how good they found the wall walk this morning, and asking me to pass on their regards to you. Special feedback from a self-confessed introvert below...+>

Thank you for organising such a fantastic event, and Simone was brilliant! I went to a private Christian school in Tauranga in the 90s and early 2000s. The New Zealand history I got was basically that “white people turned up, there were a few wee scuffles with Maori such as the land wars uncomfortable cough but then Maori issues just kind of disappeared and now New Zealand is one of the best countries in the world, apart from those pesky Maoris who commit all these crimes. Aren’t we lucky!?” I cringe at that now. Thankfully since then I’ve become somewhat better informed. Even so, I only heard of Parihaka a couple of years ago, and I’d certainly never heard of Nga Tamatoa or was aware of the endless list of subtly (and sometimes overtly) racist legislation. The comment about the difference between knowledge and acknowledgement really resonated with me. The session has given me a much more balanced perspective of New Zealand history and the underlying causes of Maori pain and inequity, although of course I can never fully understand. I loved learning about the resistance and the uprisings, and now I understand that the strengthening voices of Maori today are part of a long history of fighting for their rights as a Treaty partner. I hope we can arrive at true partnership and equity someday, and I will do what I can to support that outcome. I also hope you run another Wall Walk. I think it’s critical knowledge for all New Zealanders, but particularly for public servants.

29. Thank you for developing that model and taonga to give us all information and hope...+>

30. So many thanks for getting our team into the Wall Walk exercise...+>

All my colleagues who I have had contact with since loved it, and it builds so well on what we have already been doing as a team in that area. Truly a wow!!

31. I participated in your Wall Walk back in November and the experience was outstanding...+>

I’m sure I came away changed and having learnt more about NZ history and the Maori perspective than I had learnt in 50 years prior.