Tēnā koutou katoa, ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Ko Rātāroa te maunga

Ko Pūkorokoro te awa

Ko Tainui te waka

Ko Ngāti Paoa te iwi

Ko Makomako te marae

Ko Karen Cherry tēnei.

As a mother, grandmother and a survivor of childhood abuse and family violence. Karen is passionate about whānau wellbeing. Karen has a long career in social work practice, with a belief in ensuring the right of tino rangatiratanga for tamariki, rangatahi and whānau Māori. When we stand strong in te ao Māori, we live a life that is built on aroha, free from violence.

Karen is a registered social worker, an educator and a kaitiaki. Karen has ten year’s experience working in social work education and is passionate about supporting people to understand their rights and obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi. Karen has joined the ECLIPSE team and contributes to the family violence workforce by sharing knowledge on building cultural capability and competency.