Whakapunaki te maunga

Waiau te awa

Takitimu te waka

Whetumarama te marae

Ngāti Raukawa, Ngāti Kahungungu, Ngāti Pahauwera, Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu, Ngai Tūhoe ngā iwi

Ko Kararaina Herewini tēnei

 

​​Caroline Herewini is the Kaiwhakahaere (Chief Executive) of Te Whare Tiaki Wāhine Refuge Charitable Trust.

 

She is a human rights and social justice advocate committed to ending all forms of violence against women and children in Aotearoa.

 

Caroline has worked tirelessly on this kaupapa for more than 20 years and she has been the driving force behind the birth and the on-going operation of Te Whare Tiaki whose point of difference, from non-indigenous refuge services in Aotearoa, lays in it being underpinned by Te Tiriti o Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) principles of protection, participation and partnership.

 

The principles of Tiriti set the foundation for the work of Te Whare Tiaki and the obligations, roles and responsibilities it has in regards to all women, children, families, visitors and guests in our land of Aotearoa.

 

Caroline has represented Women’s Refuge New Zealand at numerous national and international events in Mexico, Washington DC, New York, Canada and Australia where she has incorporated the perspectives of indigenous women into her presentations.

 

In the Pacific, Caroline has also been selected to be part of the annual Pacific Watch New Zealand delegations to the United Nations Convention Status of Women from 2013-2019. She is also a member of Breaking Silent Codes – a movement of indigenous women trying to stop violence against indigenous women across Aotearoa, Australia and the Pacific Islands.

 

On the international front, she is a member of The Every Woman, Everywhere Coalition which works globally to advance a grassroots-driven international treaty to end all forms of violence. She is also a delegate and founding member of International Network to End Violence Against Women and Girls. This network aims to build voice, create space and ensure representation of women from particularly developing countries and to use this to advocate for the full eradication of all forms of gender based violence.

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If you require a Māori woman's perspective, particularly on matters of family violence and women, at your wānanga, hui or conference, Caroline may be able to help you so contact us