Trust tells Hamilton the true story of women and gangs

Advocate for victims of sexual abuse, Louise Nicholas comes to Hamilton this Friday 20 November to launch a book which tells the true story of women and gangs in New Zealand.

The desire for a better future is what compelled the women of Aroha Trust to tell their stories to writer and fellow trust member Pip Desmond.

'Trust: A True Story of Women & Gangs' is told in the women's own voices and set in the late 1970s. The decade was a time of women's lib and Bob Marley and community activism, when waves of young people, particularly young Maori, were moving to the cities – leaving a social legacy that neighbourhoods, including some in Hamilton still feel the effects of today.

The book tells the story of the Aroha Trust, a work co-op set up by a unique, unruly group of girls in the gang scene that provided meaningful work, safe housing, a sense of belonging, and people who care - things that young people everywhere need, says Trust member Nayda Te Rangi.

"As young adults, my parents left their respective hapu to seek employment in the city. They left Te Ao Maori behind and arrived in a cold and unfamiliar world, like seedlings plucked from the whenua and planted in concrete. I was part of a generation that did not have the support of marae, kaumatua and kuia."

In Wellington, Trust was launched recently to a gathering hosted by Te Puni Kokiri and supported by National Women's Refuge, the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand and Wellington City Council.

As a social and political history and an educational tool, Trust is an essential book for all those working in child protection, violence prevention, schools and educational institutions.

Community Waikato representative and Aroha Trust member Jane Stevens says, "All of us want our stories to mean something. It's about the truth being able to be heard, about how you make things better. We have a driving desire to move things forward to a better place for our children and mokopuna."

'Trust: A True Story of Women & Gangs' will be launched in Hamilton at 4.30pm on Friday 20 November at the Celebrating Age Centre on Victoria Street. Cash sales of the book will be available at this time.