Kokiri Marae > Branches

Branches

All services are offered to whānau within the Māori community of the wider Hutt Valley region, are confidential and most are free of charge to the whānau.

Kokiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust as the keystone organisaton formed in 2010 the Tākiri Mai te Ata (Tākiri Mai) as a Whānau Ora Collective. The collective of eight whānau ora, health, homelessness prevention and budgeting, mental health and AOD, education, justice and social service providers, in the Hutt Valley with some services also reaching into the wider parts of the Wellington region. The Kokiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust branches have been based in the Hutt Valley and worked together over the past 30+ years and have been responsible for the development of several services and programmes servicing the wider Wellington region. http://www.takirimai.org.nz/

Our vision is based on our shared experiences and most importantly the development of whānau-centred services that best reflect the needs of whānau. Five of the collective providers are marae based located within the communities we work. The Whai Oranga General Practice is a community-based GP Service in Wainuiomata. Each partner organisation was established by the community in response to gaps in services that were identified by the community themselves. Collectively over the years we have established community connections and provide services based on marae, community houses and mobile services delivering to home, workplace, school and events to name a few.

KŌKIRI MARAE KERIANA OLSEN TRUST TIMELINE

1940’s - 1960’s	The premises occupied by Kōkiri Marae at 7-9 Barnes Street, Seaview was built as a U.S Army store
1960’s	Mass migration of Māori move to the cities including Keriana Olsen who move to Wainuiomata and accepted a role as a manager at the facility.
1960’s	Keriana Olsen slept on the premises to cook meals, it did not have sleeping accommodation, ablutions or cooking facilities. Gang members also slept there on straw, it was a primitive existence for all concerned.
1960’s	Violent threats and acts were still part of the gangs behaviour which was endured by Keriana Olsen.
1960’s	Keriana Olsen her own and gained respect from the gangs.
1978	With the leadership of Keriana Olsen Kōkiri began the pathway towards becoming a Marae a place for Māori to gather celebrate their culture away from their traditional lands.
1982	Kōkiri Marae becomes the first Kōkiri centre established in the country under the Tu Tangata legislation with the aim to regenerate and resurge the Māori culture.
1982 - 1989	Kōkiri Marae delivers Education and Trade Training Programmes to Māori.
1982 – 1989	Kōkiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust becomes an incorporated society and renamed to reflect the matriach Keriana.
1982	Keriana becomes part of The Kōhanga Reo movement a response to the dire state of Te Reo Māori (the Māori language). In 1913 over 90% of Māori school children could speak the language; by 1975 this figure had fallen to less than 5%. The Kōhanga Reo movement was driven by Māori, with an emphasis on a total Māori-language immersion setting and involvement by whānau. The first Kōhanga Reo opened at Wainuiomata in 1982, followed by Waiwhetu and then us here at Kokiri Marae.
1980’s	Teresea Olsen who is the current General Manager of the Kokiri Marae Health and Social Services, formalised this service in 1980 the first contract being a well women contract as a result of the Cartwright Report. Services have since grown over the years to a point where Kokiri Marae now offers a wide range of social services, counselling, smoking cessation, immunisations, violence programmes, early intervention, youth programmes, traditional māori games, diabetes, asthma and respiratory, research and health clinics to at risk Māori and their whānau.
1995 - 1996	In May 1995 the marae opened its own private kura kaupapa on site with 3 teachers and 20 children. There had been a growing community concern that the quality of Māori language training in local primary schools was not adequately meeting the needs of tamariki emerging from Te Kōhanga Reo and with that the establishment of a kura kaupapa in the Hutt Valley for 200 children was granted and Te Ara Whanui Kura Kaupapa Māori o ngā Kōhanga Reo o te Awakairangi began.
1993	Nāku Ēnei Tamariki Inc begins at Kōkiri Marae, a proactive intensive early intervention home visiting support service for young parents and their pepe. Established in 1993, NET operates three cultural units – Māori, Pacific Island and Pākehā.
1995	Tū Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust begins at Kōkiri Marae 1995 as a result of feedback from whānau and Māori providers in the Wellington region that Māori were not adequately being serviced.
1996	Keriana Olsen Passes away and is buried at her traditional lands of Tologa Bay
1997	Kokiri Marae Māori Women's Refuge is established in the mid 90's, with the support and guidance of Kōkiri Marae and the Lower Hutt Women's Refuge and has been in operation as a legal entity since March 1997.
2001	Whai Oranga o Te Iwi Health Centre was officially opened on Saturday 24 November 2001 by Trevor Mallard, Winnie Laban and Parekura Horomia at 19-21 Norfolk Street, Wainuiomata. The service was set up in the Wainuiomata to provide a wider range of low cost health care services and encourage more preventative care.
2010	In 2010, Whānau Ora was launched as an innovative whānau-centred approach to supporting whānau wellbeing and development. The development of Whānau Ora occurred after the Taskforce on Whānau-Centred Initiatives presented a report to the Government in 2009.. https://www.takirimai.org.nz/ As a result Tākiri Mai te Ata Whānau Ora Collective is established and consists of 7 providers: Kōkiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust Tū Kotahi Māori Asthma Trust Wainuiomata Marae Kōkiri Marae Māori Women’s Refuge Mana Wahine Nāku Enei Tamariki Whai Oranga te Iwi Medical Centre
2014	Health and social services providers, Kōkiri Marae and Tū Kōtahi Māori Asthma Trust have supported research and teaching at the university of Otago, Wellington, particularly helping researchers access māori communities in the Hutt Valley. The signing of a Memorandum of Agreement between Kōkiri Marae and Tū Kotahi Māori asthma Trust and the university of Otago in 2014 formalised a relationship that began more than 30 years ago.
2019	The Tākiri Mai te Ata Homelessness Prevention Service started serving the Lower Hutt community supporting whānau to sustain their tenancies in Private Rentals with their first contract with the Hutt City Council. This service has now expanded to 12 contracts that include homelessness prevention services from outreach to rough sleepers and homeless in the home through the housing continuum from emergency, transitional housing, social and community housing, private rentals and home ownership. Financial mentors providing budgets and financial education for whānau and a Mental Health and AOD service for whānau that includes Mental Health community support and education, AOD clinical counselling and a Health Psychologist for one-on-one counselling with whānau.
2020	COVID-19 – Kokiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust responded to COVID hitting the Wellington community and whānau. It was a significant collective response from its staff and services. Providing much needed community outreach and support to the homes and whānau. 26510 care sanitation packs were delivered to 31115 whānau members. 60000 Ministry of Social Development food packs were distributed to whānau. 77404 prepared meals were provided to whānau at their doorstep. Blankets and PPE equipment. Nursing support and immunizations went mobile taking firstly the influenza vaccination to whānau then when it became available the COVID vaccination. Once isolation rules reduced Wainuiomata Marae was enabled as a dedicated immunization site free to the community 7 days per week.
2022	In 2022 He Puawai Trust was formed and joined the Kokiri Marae Keriana Olsen Trust services. The organization is a whānau-led approach to community kai (food) development in Te Awa Kairangi (the Hutt Valley) https://hepuawaitrust.org/