Brown Town - Where Diversity Meets Unity

Brown Town, a kaupapa that is Tangata Moana focused, stemmed from close friends Grace Colcord (Malie, Afega), Shea Wātene (Ngāpuhi, Ngā Rauru) and Devyn Baileh (Te Atiawa). The trio had all encountered racism within Ōtautahi and felt the genuine urge to create an inclusive space where all Polynesian people could find a sense of belonging.

“It all began on a green couch,” says Grace.

After meeting at a mutual friend's birthday, the trio decided to lock themselves in a room and share their dreams, desires and experiences of being brown in Ōtautahi. The common narrative shared is that Ōtautahi hasn’t always been welcoming to tangata moana. Since then, the rōpū agreed to meet monthly, aiming to flip that narrative and create a space for tangata to be “unapologetically themselves.”

Through celebration, creativity and kai, the rōpū has grown since its beginning.

“We come together to be the sisters, the cousins, the aunts so come as you are,”  Grace said.

Mihirangi Freeman (Ngāpuhi), an Ara Midwifery student and a Brown Town attendee, expressed that attending Brown Town means “everything” to her. Despite Māori making up 17.8 per cent of the population according to the 2023 census, she highlighted that “there are very few spaces like Brown Town for Māori in Ōtautahi, and even fewer for brown people overall.”

CJ Lee, a local film-maker of Samoan and Māori descent also said  “We need more of these spaces. It allows us to come together as a community”

The rōpū is committed to continuing gathering monthly -  helping Tangata Moana feel a sense of belonging in Ōtautahi.