Kōrero Pono

Kōrero Pono is a multi-media art exhibition including haka, interviews, videos, written text and photography. The first exhibition will run from 16-26 October 2018 at Potocki Paterson, Dixon Street, Wellington. This project aims to provide a platform for those affected by Aotearoa's criminal justice system to tell their stories in an ethical and authentic way. It is an accessible, educational exhibition, which aims to challenge or change perceptions about the criminal justice system in line with evidence-based policy shifts. Users of the Kōrero Pono app can aim the camera at the portraits in the exhibition to listen to select audio quotes from interviews with the portrait subjects. In addition, users of the Kōrero Pono app are able to browse an exhibition catalogue for information on participating artists, sponsors, and the exhibition itself. The Kōrero Pono project is the first of its kind to be created within a New Zealand context and is designed to generate new and refreshing narratives concerning the criminal justice system. These stories will function to challenge the beliefs and prejudices that many New Zealanders hold regarding individuals who have been caught up in the system, and will provide a valuable, experience-based resource for the public. The primary goal of the exhibition is to reduce stigma, create new narratives about criminal justice, challenge public perceptions and highlight experiences from those who have been incarcerated and their whanau. The exhibition could also help those with lived experience heal by telling their stories, which could help others who have been affected by the criminal justice system in some way. Kōrero Pono presents a new form of qualitative evidence regarding what happens within the justice system and the collateral consequences of this. In many cases participants speak from the heart expressing their truth, which we hope will help the public understand the reality of incarceration.