The MASSIVE hikoi walking the talk against sexual violence stopped to share its fibre with Bream Bay College students on its march north yesterday.
The college at Ruakaka was the first of several Northland secondary schools and community venues that will be visited by hikoi being led by Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis.
"We've had enough of sexual violence, of any kind of violence. We are done with it," Mr Davis told the students.
At each school and at a ceremony planned at Cape Reinga, where the hikoi will end in two weeks, the group will plant a flax and make presentations highlighting that message. At Bream Bay College, head boy Lucas Hargreaves and other student leaders helped plant the flax at the school's entrance.
In Maori tradition flax, or harakeke, was symbolic of family bonds, safety and relationships, Mr Davis said. The hikoi's banner MASSIVE stands for Men Against Sexual Violence, plus "speak out, intervene and educate".
"Silence is the greatest enabler so we're encouraging people to speak out," Mr Davis said.
"This is really about men taking the lead. Women have carried the burden for centuries, or thousands of years, probably. Men need to get behind the message for victims, bystanders, perpetrators of sexual violence or people who have harmful sexual thoughts ... talk to someone, get help, raise the alarm.
"If you know something is wrong don't stand by and let it happen, whether it is in a home or it's something like seeing a man hitting on a woman inappropriately or plying drinks into a woman in a pub."
Mr Davis said the hikoi that started in Auckland last Friday - and had seen him and other walkers pound 140km of pavement so far - would walk on to Cape Reinga. Among the core group are Russell Smith and Joy te Wiata, founders of Korowai Tumanako, a Maori service supporting iwi, hapu and whanau who have been affected by sexual violence.
Bream Bay College acting principal Alison Dalgleish said she was pleased the MASSIVE hikoi had stopped by.
The hikoi will also visit Whangarei Girls' High School, Bay of Islands College, Northland College and Okaihau College.