The Arts in Corrections Network marked a milestone on Tuesday 6 August 2025 with the first hui of the Lived Experience Advisory Group, bringing together artists who have experienced incarceration and engaged with the arts while they were inside.

I was reminded of the depth of artistic talent among men and women in our prisons when I visited Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison in July. I was able to take photos of some of the works lining the prison walls and have included them in this blog.

In keeping with this year’s celebration of 30 years of Arts Access Aotearoa, the launch of this group represents a strong commitment to the future – one that places lived experience at the centre of the Arts in Corrections kaupapa.

Today, members of the group continue to create. They are writers, performers, visual artists, poets and musicians, each carrying a lived understanding of how the arts and creativity can support identity, transformation and wellbeing.

They know what it means to write from a cell, to paint towards a future, to use the arts as a way to reconnect with self, with whānau and with wairua.

Their voices and insights are helping to shape the direction of this national Network. Their creative lives during and after incarceration are evidence of the value of this kaupapa. Their presence ensures that the ongoing development of Arts in Corrections remains grounded and relevant.

The rhythm of hui

The group will meet monthly, following a simple two-part rhythm.

The first hui of each two-month cycle is informal and artist-led. It offers space to share artwork, stories and creative practice. These hui are all about whakawhanaungatanga and growing together as artists. There is no formal agenda –  just time to connect, reflect and celebrate each other’s work.

The second hui of the cycle focuses on kaupapa. I provide updates on my mahi as Arts in Corrections Advisor, including any site visits, national developments and emerging opportunities. Group members are invited to respond, offer reflections and guide the direction.

This hui also provides a space where other groups in the Network, such as the newly forming Aligned Academics Advisory Group, may present items for discussion. Academics seeking insights based on lived experience may submit questions or kaupapa for the group to consider.

These queries will be presented and discussed as part of the second hui.

One pou in place

To support the group as it finds its feet, one Wellington-based member has kindly agreed to act as chair for the first six months. This light-touch role helps coordinate the hui and hold the space as the group begins to form its own rhythm.

At the six-month mark, the group will decide how it wishes to structure itself moving forward.

The second pou, the Aligned Academics Advisory Group, meets for the first time on Wednesday 13 August 2025 and will be introduced in the next blog.

Looking ahead

The Lived Experience Advisory Group is already enriching our Arts in Corrections mahi. These artists remind us of the creative potential that exists in prisons and in the lives of those who have spent time there. They do not simply support the kaupapa: they embody it.

To the people who attended the first hui, ngā mihi nui. Your presence strengthens the foundation of the Arts in Corrections Network. Your insight helps steer the waka, and your creativity continues to open new pathways for others to follow.

The group remains open to welcoming new members with lived experience of incarceration who engaged in the arts while they were inside and who now wish to give back by participating in the group in a voluntary capacity.

If this sounds like you, you are warmly invited to join the network by completing this Survey Monkey form

Please indicate that you have lived experience in the form, and I will be in touch to welcome you into the fold.