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HERO HELPS KAIMAHI FIGHT MENTAL ILLNESS
An inspirational leader shared his story of living with mental illness and trauma with farm managers and Taranaki youth in a hui organised by Parininihi ki Waitotara (PKW).
Bill Henry ‘Willie’ Apiata, a child of Ngāpuhi and a son of Te Whānauā-Apanui, was awarded the Victoria Cross for New Zealand for bravery during the war in Afghanistan in 2004.
The act saw the father and former corporal in the New Zealand Special Air Service carry a gravely wounded comrade across a battlefield, under fire, to safety.
Above: Willie’s medal’s, which include the Victoria Cross, attest to his bravery on the battlefield.
And while Willie has now lowered his guard, he is helping to carry his fellow citizens across their own battlefields by talking about how he deals with the stress and trauma caused by his experiences.
The ‘reluctant hero’ spoke to kaimahi from PKW’s 23 farms at Aotearoa Marae in Ōkaiawa before meeting with rangatahi from New Plymouth high schools at the incorporation’s office at New Plymouth in June.
Stress and trauma can be very real issues for farmers, especially in times of low pay-out, disease and unpredictable weather patterns. Mental well-being can also be an issue for youth as they endure the ups and downs of their journey into adulthood.
Above (l-r): Waitara High School students, Kingston Simpson and Paddy O’Carroll-Haami, enjoy the opportunity to connect with a true hero.
“We were fortunate to be offered the chance to host Willie who has been a Westpac Ambassador since 2014,” says Mitchell Ritai, General Manager Shareholder Engagement. “It provided us with the perfect opportunity to connect our farmers and rangatahi with someone of this calibre.”
“Events like that impact production which in turn creates financial stress for our farmers and their families,” says Mitchell. “Farmers aren’t traditionally the kind of people who talk about their feelings; so many of them appreciated hearing Willie tell them it was okay to open up.”
Mitchell felt that many whānau, who had a father or grandfather return from war, would have empathised with Willie’s message not to internalise their stress.
“Willie spoke to us about the ongoing challenge of dealing with a mental illness and said he has his good days and his bad days. But having someone to talk to and listen has been the biggest help for him.”
Mitchell added that while Willie had been portrayed as a ‘hard man’, he showed another, more vulnerable and personal side while speaking at the two gatherings.
“You could see the emotion in him. He can still see, feel, smell and hear everything that happened and when he talks about it you can see a tear in his eye and hear a quiver in his voice.”
“Even something as simple as a song can trigger memories of what happened in 2004.”
“We found him to be a very humble man especially when he talked about his children and how spending time with them in the bush, hunting, horse riding and enjoying the outdoors, brings him peace.”
Around 14 students from local high schools and six students from Te Kura o Ngā Ruahine Rangi benefitted from the chance to hear Willie speak.
“Waitara High School is very grateful our students were given the opportunity to stand shoulder-toshoulder with a real-life hero,” said Waitara High School principal Daryl Warburton.
“His kōrero inspired them and they were buzzing afterwards. We say a huge thank you to Mr Apiata and Parininihi ki Waitotara for this opportunity.”
