World of Difference | He Ao Whakatoihara kore is a lived experience education and research programme
Our programme is fully led and delivered by those with lived experience of mental distress.
Our work is recognised both nationally and internationally.
He Ao Whakatoihara kore
A world without stigma – A world of differenceGifted from Keri Opai and Jeremy Tumoana
Our legacy
Our programme was founded in 2011 by Associate Professor Sarah Gordon, who remains an affiliated member of our programme.
“We live in a world where we are treated differently – disabled by prejudice, discrimination and social exclusion in response to our experiences of mental distress. Our ultimate goal is to contribute to creating a different world – one where our experiences of mental distress are recognised and respected as an element of natural human difference and diversity, and are no barrier to us being able to experience recovery, inclusion, and to exercise our human rights on an equal basis with all others: a World of Difference that will make the World of Difference to those of us who experience mental distress.”
Associate Professor Sarah Gordon
FInd out more about our affiliate members
Our current World of Difference members
Dr Snita Ahir-Knight
Snita (she/her) is our Programme Lead. She has been a visiting research scholar in philosophy and a teaching fellow in ethics at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Snita is a trained child and adolescent therapist, and social worker. She has more than 15 years’ experience working in the not-for-profit, community, and mental health sectors in New Zealand and the UK. Snita’s main lens is philosophy; however, her not-for-profit, community, and mental health work background alongside her lived experience are important components of how she approaches her teaching and research.
Snita welcomes you contacting her with collaborative opportunities, community partnership ideas, media enquiries and postgraduate supervision requests.
View Snita Ahir-Knight's profile page
Email snita.ahir-knight@otago.ac.nz
Dr Alex Walker
Alex (he/him) is our Programme Coordinator. His academic and professional background is rooted in the lived experience sector. Alex’s doctoral thesis investigated how lived experience epistemologies within Aotearoa’s mental health system are at risk of facing structural and interpersonal epistemic injustice. This topic emerged from his own experiences working as a peer supporter within the Wellington region.
Alex is also a passionate teacher, having worked as a tutor and teaching fellow at Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington.
View Alex Walker's profile page
Email alex.walker@otago.ac.nz
Our educators
We also have a team of educators that deliver our service user-led education programme.
Find out more about our educators
Our research registrars and students
Snita supervises our research registrars and students who are either a member of the lived experience community or an ally.
Find out more about our research registrars and students
Our education programme
We offer a unique service user-led education programme developed from the latest evidence-based research on reducing discrimination and promoting recovery, inclusion, and respect for people who experience mental distress. Our programme provides medical students with workshops and service user-led placements, complemented by reflective assessments that encourage critical engagement with recovery-oriented practice. We also deliver workshops for psychiatric registrars as part of their professional training.
We collaborate with healthcare providers and tertiary institutions to support learning and culture change across a range of settings. Our previous partnerships have included work with the New Zealand Police.
“I gained a lot from the World of Difference workshop. It helped me confront and challenge biases I didn’t even realise I held.” 5th-year medical student.
“Overall, World of Difference taught me that human rights are fundamental to effective mental health practice.” Trainee Intern, 6th-year medical student.
“After the World of Difference workshop, I found that I have become more acutely aware of both the language used by myself and others surrounding the mental health space.” 5th-year medical student.
Visit our research collection
Visit our World of Difference research collection
Breaking the silence series
In a four-part series written for Changing Minds, Snita reflects on her evolving journey of openness about her lived experience. Through these reflections, she challenges societal stigma, embraces complexity, and advocates for compassionate, inclusive ways of understanding.
Each piece offers a unique perspective on the process of becoming open. These writings are not only about one person's story; they are an invitation to consider the collective power of lived experiences in shaping change.
- Breaking the silence: Opening up about Lived Experience
Snita begins by sharing what led her to be open about her lived experience and the impact of embracing storytelling as a tool for healing and empowerment. - Breaking the silence: Making a difference through action, not words
Here, she reflects on the years she chose not to share her lived experience in professional settings, and how meaningful change can still happen through advocacy, leadership, and integrity, even without disclosure. - Breaking the silence: Finding meaning in words
Language is powerful. In this piece, Snita explores the terms she uses to describe her experience and why respecting the diversity of language in the lived experience community matters. - Breaking the silence: Honouring the quiet and sharing with care
The final reflection speaks to the responsibility of openness. That is, how to listen, hold silence, and care for ourselves and others in the process.
Awards and recognition
World of Difference gains Australasian award
The MHS award
Making a world of difference
Woman of Influence nominee
Support our work
If you would like to support our work, please donate via our funding page.