Pink Shirt Day – reflections from a care experienced perspective.

Pink Shirt Day is a reminder for us all that bullying is not something that should be tolerated. It’s a reminder to us all of the importance of kindness, diversity and inclusion – all things that are also important reminders for how those in care deserve to be treated. This year for Pink Shirt Day, our Care Experienced Advisor, Cameron has written about her thoughts on Pink Shirt Day, from her perspective.

This Pink Shirt Day, I’m reflecting on the ways bullying has impacted me.

As a neurodivergent queer kid, navigating school was tough. Difference wasn’t celebrated. A lot of people struggle to accept what they don’t understand — and sometimes that makes them mean.

It took me a long time to realise that how bullies treated me was their problem, not mine. Being in whānau-care made it even harder. Without the traditional family setup, I had little support around me, and I became an easy target.

The impact of bullying on care-experienced young people can be immense and even irreparable. For me, finding my people wasn’t easy, and for so long, I felt alone. Thankfully, as time went on and my understanding of bullying grew, I was able to develop a sense of security within myself. It never made me immune to bullying, but it helped me stop taking on so much of other people’s opinions or expectations of how I should be.

We all want to be accepted for who we are. We all want to belong somewhere. Ultimately, the connections I fostered saved me. Being supported to be myself changed my life.

This experience has made me a staunch advocate for safe spaces — places where there’s a culture of acceptance and where diversity is celebrated. Everyone deserves to be accepted for who they are, in their entirety. Our differences are what make us. Diversity makes us strong.

I’m proud to be who I am, and no one can take that away

Promise Three: Learning

Education as a gateway to dreams, rangatahi are supported to achieve aspirations.

Promise One: Care

Every tamaiti receives nurturing, protection, and provision, as any good parent would offer.

Promise Five: Voice

Tamariki and rangatahi are involved in decisions that affect them, and their voices are honoured.

Promise Four: Wellbeing

Timely, accessible, and culturally conscious health and mental health services are available to all taiohi.

Promise Two: Stability

Young people in care experience consistency, safety, and a sense of belonging.

Whānau care is where a child is being raised by someone in their whānau or extended family. Often it means a child living with their grandparents – but could also be another family member like an aunt, uncle or older sibling. Whāngai is the traditional Māori practice of whānau care.