When I was around 12 or 13 years old, I discovered that I had an older sister in Aotearoa (New Zealand). And a niece. And cousins, aunts and uncles. I also learned we are Māori.
Over the last 15+ years, we have formed a connection via long video chats, text messages, photographs and three in-person visits. We made this image together during our third visit while on a sibling roadtrip in 2023.
“Where We Meet” is an ongoing therapeutic project exploring reconnection to my whánau, my other home, and my māori identity. It is also a story of estrangement, mental health challenges, generational trauma and long-distance familial love with an unbreakable sibling bond.
During my brother’s first visit to Aotearoa in 2023, we continuously felt everything - literally. Our connection to the land was immediate, and is something we both yearn for since returning to Canada.
December 24 2017.
My father sitting next to me in his shed in Peterborough, Canada talking about the past few weeks and months in which he has struggled with his mental health. He left New Zealand over 30 years ago, moved to Canada, and has not returned since. My younger brother sat across from us listening.
April 26 2017 / December 2 2016.
A contrasting image of the different landscapes my father is now accustomed to between New Zealand and Canada. One of the things he misses most is the landscapes of New Zealand; the mountains, hills, winding roads and oceans. At the top, Mt Ruapehu is viewed from the Rangipo Desert on the side of State Highway 1, also known as Desert Road, New Zealand. This is one of the natural landmarks my father wanted me to see while visiting New Zealand. At the bottom is a common view for myself from a gas station on the side of Highway 115, Ontario, Canada. I pass this view every time I visit my father in Peterborough, Ontario.
textures of Aotearoa, 2023.
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
April 14 2017.
My father standing infront of his girlfriend's home in Peterborough, Ontario. He lived here for 5 years after losing his job and while dealing with his declining health. During this time, my father and I spoke occasionally and visited rarely. Through the gradual increase of photographs, I began to understand him differently, while also developing more questions, and a yearning to visit where he was born.
April 25, 2017
My Uncle Murray candidly leaning on our family’s Marae while conversing with my cousins and sister.
A Marae is the “meeting grounds” for the community. These centres host various celebrations and follow traditional practice. Located 3km east of Te Puke, New Zealand, on State Highway 2, the Moko Marae is ancestral to us. This visit was a first for the entire family, and was monumental in beginning our joint journey of tracing our whakapapa / māori lineage.
May 6 2017.
My cousin Vincent (Vinny) climbing out of the secluded pool of Kitekite Falls near Piha Beach, New Zealand. With us were various members of our family and Vinny's dog, Blue. To get to this part of the falls, we hiked freely through brush and rocks. Vinny reminds the family of my father at his age in his curly hair and shy yet kind personality. This day continues to be a memory of deeper connection to both my whánau and the land.
May 4 2017 / November 18 2016.
Water has always been spiritual and connective for my siblings and I, as well as for my father. At the top of the North Island of New Zealand, the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean meet and crash and repeat. This meeting place is called Cape Reinga. In Maori beliefs, this is where the dead depart for their journey after death. Located at 100 km north of Kaitaia, Cape Reigna remains to be a busy tourist location.
Months prior to my trip to New Zealand, I visited my father after his emergency surgery to put a pacemaker in. We shared sushi at a local restaurant in Peterborough, Canada with his girlfrend and my brother. My fathers eyes are incredibly blue, and have always reminded me of oceanatic colours.
August 2023.
My cousin Travis looks out while on a ferry boat, during our journey to my Uncle’s new home up North. When I had first met Trav in 2017, he was still a teenager. This time, we were both young adults in our 20’s and Travis and my brother got to meet and connect. It felt like suddenly my little cousin had grown up, and was taking care of my brother and I as he drove us across the country. We spent several days travelling together by sprinter van, sharing music, stories and a lot of laughs.
April 25 2017 / August 2023.
My two younger cousins, Jackson and Travis, sat in their family's living room, surrounded by family portraits on the walls.
When revisiting, my Uncle had just moved up North. Travis showed me one of the family portraits that had once hung on the wall, from a moving box.
April 27 2017
A framed photo of my Nana sits in her brother’s home amongst knickknacks in Martin, New Zealand.
Having never met my Nana in person, I only ever knew the stories of her from my father, and the short, poorly-connected skype chats we attempted to have in my elementary years. After her death, the family began to disconnect from each other. Fortunately, while visiting New Zealand, I was able to meet all of my Nana’s brothers who remained alive.
June 13 2017 / May 7 2017.
Before I left for New Zealand, my father's anxiety increased significantly and he provided me with a pile of hand-written notes outlining aspects of his life in New Zealand, the family, the land, etc. On this specific page, my father breaks down the family tree alongside causes of death. Paired with these notes is a portrait of my Uncle Graham, my father’s estranged brother. When meeting and interacting with some of my uncles, I noticed various similarities both in physical appearance and character between them and my father. I took this portrait in the short 20 minute visit we shared.
May 7 2017 / August 19 2023.
In Auckland, Aotearoa, my Great Uncle Ken sat on the porch of my second cousin’s home, about to light a cigarette. Only a short while after my visit, he passed away on November 29 2017. As one of the few siblings of my Nana that was alive, I feel privileged to have met him during my short time there and gain a sense of her in person.
Out of frame, my Uncle Murray and cousin Lynn sit talking about my father and sharing stories about times they had spent with him. My Great Uncle Ken sat for a portrait as he asked me about school.
Years later, I revisited the same house with my Uncle Murray, brother and cousins, and made a portrait of an empty chair in place of where my Great Uncle once sat.
My grandfather was laid to rest one month before I was born. In 2023, his grave site finally got a plaque that honours his service in the 28th Māori Battalion. I have visited him multiple times on each trip to Aotearoa.
January 16 2016 / August 9 2023.
My sister visited Canada in 2015 and gave my brother a greenstone pendant representing "man of the house". My brother proudly wore and continues to wear his pounamu. I photographed my brother wearing this piece inside my dorm room on a weekend visit in my first year of college.
During my brother and I’s visit to Aotearoa in 2023, he wore his pounamu throughout the whole trip. I photographed it resting on his chest once again, after he and my sister had just climbed out of a waterfall.
July 27 2018.
My brother Ben, held our newest baby brother in a field behind my father's home amongst golden light and warmth.
