"It breaks my heart 'cause my son doesn't know me" - three women rebuild their lives after jail in new MĀORI+ documentary
In the intimate two-part series Motuhaketanga, three women navigate the realities of life after lock-up, including probation check-ins, job hunting, broken trust, child reunifications, and quiet moments of doubt and pride.
When drug addiction or incarceration separates a mother from her crucial role, her whānau feels the ripple effects for generations, says Kathleen Mantel, producer/director of Motuhaketanga .
The documentary's three subjects were not locked up because they are "bad" people, she tells Saturday Morning.
"They were imprisoned because they're part of a system that works against them."
"It breaks my heart 'cause he doesn't know me" - Arohatonu reconnects with her son after leaving prison in the MĀORI+ documentary Motuhaketanga.
Black Iris Productions
"Mothers are like the hull of a canoe, they are the heart of the family" is a Māori whakataukī (proverb) that rings true watching Motuhaketanga , Mantel says.
Incarcerated women who are mothers have a very different experience behind bars from men, she says.
"Women do not leave their children, and if they do, there's a massive reason for that, and it also takes from the family in this generation and the next generation."
The three women in Motuhaketanga are all daughters of mothers who themselves struggled and were "taken" in one way or another, she says.
For these Māori women, it's confronting to see how "normal" going in and out of jail is.
"[The prison system] is this revolving door. It's hard to get out of that life."
Tristin is reunited with her daughter after being released from prison in the MĀORI+ documentary Motuhaketanga.
Black Iris Productions
The negative impact of colonisation on Māori women's health outcomes, opportunities for education, and self-esteem is a big contributor to the cycle, too, Mantel says.
"The shame of being Māori has infected generations, and is still infecting us today.
"Sometimes you can't even put your finger on what it is, but it does come back to shame, self-esteem, loss of mana."
"Going to jail is easy.... dealing with emotions, rejection, judgment, that's the hard stuff" - Leslie in the MĀORI+ documentary Motuhaketanga.
Black Iris Productions
Motuhaketanga was a three-year project for Mantel, who filmed Arohatonu, Tristin, and Lesley over one year.
Although she became friendly with the women and sometimes felt like advising them on their life choices, Mantel says she was also committed to respecting their motuhaketanga (self-determination).
"They're grown women, so the whole process is about them coming to a place in their world where they feel that they are in control."
In some sense, Arohatonu, Tristin, and Lesley have been controlled all their lives, Mantel says - by their parents, by partners, sometimes by drug addiction and then by the state.
While filming Motuhaketanga, it was essential to her that their mana was upheld and their safety protected.
The women themselves "took ownership" of the project, too - and saw the value in sharing the hardest aspects of their lives on camera.
"They understood that what they were saying would be listened to by other women and other mothers going through similar experiences.
"They also hadn't seen themselves reflected [on screen] and they hadn't heard stories that they could identify with. They wanted to be those voices. They wanted to do that."
Kathleen Mantel (Ngāti Kahungunu) directed the MĀORI+ documentary series Te Hokinga Mai: The Return and the RNZ video seriesWhānau 2021.
Tūmanako Productions
