Water & Wellbeing

Water & Wellbeing drew upon Woven Kinship’s unique methodology of working with groups through creative mindful movement and professional fine art photography, originally developed by Rhiana Laws and Huia Takau.

Participants in the project could self-refer, or were referred by partner organisations such as Borders in Recovery and Health in Mind.

Participants had the opportunity to get into the water each session if they wished, though there was no pressure for them to do so, and participants were encouraged, respected and celebrated in making their own choices. In the end, 8 of 10 participants opted to enter the water, with support from Woven Kinship team members and peer support from volunteers.

Borders-based photographer Kat Gollock joined the team to document the project. Kat took part in activities and discussion meaning that she documented the process from within the group, building trust before taking any photographs, and so creating a relaxed environment and an honest account of the sessions. Participants each received a collection of photographs to take home with them to keep.

The project aimed to be accessible to a wide range of people, with this being taken into account during design and planning stages. Locations for entering the river were selected with consideration for proximity to vehicular access points, and where there was a beach rather than a steep step down into the water. The project also provided participants with equipment such as water shoes and poncho towels, to help reduce barriers to access.

An open community event, free for anyone to attend, provided a relaxed opportunity to explore the river with support from the Woven Kinship team.

A new professional partnership between Woven Kinship’s Rhiana Laws and outdoor therapist Rich Tildesley, created during this project, resulted in a co-facilitated approach which was an effective blend of verbal and metaphorical exploration underpinned by a somatic approach. Rhiana also undertook further water safety training to enhance her practice.

Woven Kinship CIC was founded by Rhiana Laws, Huia Takau and Verity Harvey-Brosnan to serve the waters, lands and communities they are part of.

Huia Takau passed away in the winter of 2025. Water & Wellbeing realised Rhiana and Huia’s final co-created vision.