Chatterbox is designed to normalise chat.

In 2019, Emily lost her loving husband and fabulous dad to their two kids, Darryl Paton, to suicide.   At the time, only a few people were aware that Darryl had Bipolar and it was impacting his life. He carried a heavy burden of self-stigma, fearing that if people knew, it would lead to judgement and him being treated differently.

Although he was taking positive steps and professional support to manage his bipolar, he insisted the handful of people who knew, kept his diagnosis under wraps.

"Darryl once confided in me that sharing his bipolar disorder was terrifying, he just couldn't do it, so he chose to hide it. We must create an environment where discussing the big things, what's really going on becomes easier. Whether it's a good day or a difficult one, we need to connect, check in on one another, and have great supportive open chat," Emily explains.

Nine months after Darryl's death, Emily rallied support from her local community, amassing over 2,800 signatures in favour of a space that would encourage people to stop, to connect and have real chat. After two and a half years of dedicated effort, Emily proudly unveiled the first Chatterbox street furniture, in Point Chevalier Auckland, and doesn’t plan on stopping there.  

Emily is determined to help make it normal for us all to chat about the big things, as well as the small.  “If it’s normal to sit down in a beautiful park with friends or whānau, it should be just as normal to chat about how we’re really feeling and what’s going on when we do”.

Got the perfect spot in your community for a Chatterbox?