Riwhi Kenny

Riwhi (he/him/ia) is a takatāpui irawhiti person, who has whakapapa to Ngāi Tahu and Te Ātiawa on his mothers side, and to Greece on his fathers side. As a kid, he moved all over the world before settling back in Te Whanganui-a-Tara just before he reached double digits.

Before joining the Blueprint team, Riwhi worked in rainbow community spaces since he was 15, first as a volunteer, then as a kaimahi. He also has a strong background and belief in the power of peer support. Riwhi has worked on a range of roles from the lived experience perspective.

Riwhi has a passion for facilitation, and his favourite part of it is that moment when you see something click about what you’re sharing. His facilitation has ranged from education about rainbow communities at InsideOUT Kōaro, to educating medical students from a lived experience of mental distress through the World of Difference programme at Otago University. Riwhi is also studying Cultural Anthropology and Kaitiakitanga (Māori Resource Management) at Te Herenga Waka.

When he’s not working or studying, Riwhi can be found hoarding rulebooks for TTRPGs, playing them, or writing his own! He also loves wetlands, reading, and is a keen crocheter, lino printer, and calligrapher.