Growing up in a broken home, never learning right from wrong and not knowing love, Matiu Rota turned to gangs at a young age and, at the age of 15, received his first criminal conviction, marking the beginning of what would be years of crime and several prison sentences.
At 26 years old, Matiu found himself homeless and a drug addict, squatting in a derelict Auckland house and contemplating suicide, when a chance meeting with a pair of Christians would set his life on a new trajectory.
Fast forward to present day and you will find a transformed man of God. Matiu has enjoyed an impressive and inspiring life of ministry, most notably with “The Peacemakers” ministry he founded in 2008 to connect with others from a similar background to him, acting as a light and a place of belonging to those who may feel judged or not welcome in many Churches.
Wearing gang looking insignia and with full face tattoos, Matiu understands all too well the judgement of others, but if you look closely at the badges on his leather vest or his tattoos, you will read things like “Child of God”, or “Jesus Christ for life”.
As Matiu points out, God looks at the heart, and we should be doing the same, looking further than just skin deep, and understanding that we are all human. He doesn’t believe in Church being confined to a building, but rather it being wherever a Christian is, and living it day to day. A true inspiration, Matiu’s good work continues on currently through his Nelson based counselling practice Akoako Counselling.
