Since Covid-19, there has been a rise in anxiety and children take their cues from adults.
"It's a bit like when you have turbulence in a plane. If Mum and Dad are calm and reassuring, then [the family] will just keep going. If they're not, that creates all sorts of anxiety."
The death of his son triggered grief and depression for Pio and he says grief continues to rock his family.
"There are some things I can share to get back the sunshine."
Pio has first-hand parenting tips on dealing with depression and wonders what society would be like if we could all be better parents.
"A lot of us parent like we were parented. It's understanding the different world that kids are living in and the different challenges they have. We look at Millennials today and think 'man, these kids are so different', and they are, but we need to understand that as well as have empathy."
He says the whole world has changed since he was a child and parents lack support. His response was to start Whānau In A Minute.
"Do you remember Food In A Minute?"
Whānau In A Minute is parenting tips so they can understand their kids.
"For instance, the 15-year-old who won't talk to his mother and is being a sh*t.
"Even if you don't see someone suffering, they are still carrying the load. Just because you don't see it doesn't mean the load isn't there."
Pio says a big part of getting out of depression is being a bit selfish and taking some time for self-care. When you do climb out of the hole of depression, you need someone or something to hang onto "or you are going to fall straight back down into the hole".
"The guy at the football club is good, but it's better to choose someone who gets you and can share meaningful information."
From his work at Parenting Place, Pio sees many families suffering from generational trauma. He has high hopes this will be alleviated when Māori history is included in the school curriculum.
"Kids grow up thinking they are useless. We [Māori] have our own heroes that no one talks about so we can't celebrate them."
He directs people who are interested in taking personal responsibility for their mental wellbeing to the Te Whare Tapa Whā pillars of mental health: family, physical, mental and spiritual health.
Pio says he brings a message of wellbeing to his presentation in Tūrangi.
In 1987, Pio was presented the Rielly Comedy Award by the Variety Artists Club of New Zealand and is known for talking about painful things with humour. In the 2012 New Year's Honours, he was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to entertainment.
The Details
What: Surviving and Growing Through Grief.
Where: River of Life Church (Senior Citizens Hall), Tūrangi.
When: Sunday, June 26, starting at 10.30am.
Cost: Free with light refreshments provided.
Information: Steve Hollis 021 074 6435.
