Kōrero Pono

Honest stories of Kiwis affected by incarceration.

Prison doesn’t just affect the incarcerated. Families are left without a parent, a child, or a sibling. Communities are left with a hole where a person once was.

Kōrero Pono, a multimedia exhibition created by JustSpeak, is travelling the country, giving a voice to those with lived experience of the justice system.

The exhibition features the intimate stories of sixteen Kiwis who have been affected by incarceration. The stories run alongside portraits by a number of Kiwi artists including Marianne Muggeridge, Xoë Hall and John Crawford, and share the importance of investing in solutions that resolve harm, rather than believing that punishment will provide accountability.

The stories, and accompanied artworks, come together as a powerful exhibition that speaks to the long term consequences of prison on family members and job prospects, and our collective failure to address the complex drivers of harm such as family violence, drug and alcohol addiction, and mental distress.

The exhibition challenges the stigma faced by people who have been affected by the criminal justice system. The project seeks to build awareness of the collateral consequences of imprisonment on people, whānau and communities.

H D Skinner Annex.