Counter Narratives is Live

It started in the kitchen. Cos that’s where all good things start (and some bad ones).

Crumbs on the bench. Pot bubbling over. Garlic smell hanging around for days. Someone laughing while they stir. Someone else setting out the plates that don’t match because when do they ever.

That’s where this project comes from. Counter Narratives is me turning up to people’s kitchens, cooking with them, listening to their stories, taking photos of the chaos and the beauty, and making sure the recipes get written down so they don’t disappear.

Because food isn’t just food. It’s memory, survival, belonging. It’s the way migration sneaks into a recipe when you swap out one ingredient for another. It’s the thing that still ties us to home when everything else changes.

To get this rolling I’ve set up a Boosted Ōtautahi campaign. Every dollar gets doubled. $20 becomes $40. $50 becomes $100. It’s like alchemy, except the potion is spreadsheets and community funding.

If you can’t donate, kei te pai. Sharing the link, telling your mates, or just following along makes a massive difference.

So here we are — Counter Narratives is finally live. First meals, first stories, first photos, all about to happen. I’d love you with me on this.

👉 Donate here: https://www.thearts.co.nz/boosted/projects/counter-narratives
👉 Share it with your people
👉 Stick around for the first story

Because the way we gather, or don’t, is what shapes the histories we carry forward.

About the author
Hayley Walmsley (Ngāti Kawau, Ngāti Tautahi, Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Porou) is a Māori artist, writer, and curator based in Ōtautahi. She works with photography and text to explore food, memory, and belonging. Counter Narratives is her latest kaupapa-based project, gathering stories in kitchens and at tables in Ōtautahi.

Photo by Hayley Walmsley