health For the
of a nation
The 2021 Ryman Healthcare Senior and University of Canterbury Young New Zealanders of the year spend their days working toward a physically and mentally healthier Aotearoa. An octogenarian, Dr Doug Wilson works tirelessly to elevate the health and wellbeing of his contemporaries. As Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year, he’s shining a light on the value his generation brings to society. And with a cheeky laugh, he suggests that we should all “create yourself a fantastic life, not a crummy one”. Mental health advocate Jazz Thornton is University of Canterbury Young New Zealander of the Year. She’s “proud that New Zealand is choosing to take mental health seriously”. When Jazz realised that she was only surviving, she shifted her focus to fighting for herself and others. She co-founded Voices of Hope and uses her lived experience to provide hope and instigate change for mental health in Aotearoa. 4 | Kõwhai
Photo credit: Maddie Graeme
Jazz Thornton
A 26-YEAR-OLD CRUSADER FOR MENTAL HEALTH, JAZZ HAS CHANNELLED HER LIVED EXPERIENCE INTO HELPING OTHERS CONQUER THEIR MENTAL HEALTH DEMONS.
After years of childhood abuse, depression, hospital stays, and multiple suicide attempts, Jazz decided to “stop surviving and start fighting”. She enrolled in film school to learn how to tell the stories of others like her. She’s the award-winning director of Jessica’s Tree, The Girl on the Bridge, and author of the aptly named Stop Surviving Start Fighting, and the guided journal My Journey Starts Here. In 2014, Jazz and Genevieve Mora co-founded Voices of Hope, a suicide prevention organisation. “We felt the need to use our past experiences with mental illness to provide hope to those struggling.” Through Voices of Hope, the pair are combining advocacy,
e felt the need “ W to use our past
experiences with mental illness to provide hope to those struggling.
”
campaigning, and storytelling to create – and implement – change for mental health. “I put up a (Facebook) status about a friend of mine I had lost to suicide and Gen reached out to me and said ‘we have to do something about this’. We were 18 and hadn’t met in person yet.” Moving forward, Jazz is strategic. “I’ve really started to understand the global impact of what is going on so I’m now working on a new project on the global story of mental health alongside some incredible campaigners in 15 countries.” People often ask how to identify someone who needs help. Too often, people are in crisis situations
