Community leaders farewelled
Kayren and Hartley Hatherell moved to Hastings in 1986 after “God called us to open a church and support the community”.
The couple were farewelled at the March 19 Hastings District Council meeting.
Flaxmere ambassador and Hastings District councillor Henare O’Keefe said the couple are “going to leave a huge void in Flaxmere”.
“I’ve lost count of the children you’ve ministered to. When God made you, you [Kayren] and Harley, he broke the mould.
“Thank you for your loyal and relentless service to the people of flaxmere and beyond,” Henare said to the couple.
Henare recognised the pair’s influence in his own life, the life of his grandchildren and the wider Flaxmere community.
Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst told the couple “our community is all the richer for having you in it”.
“Today is the day we thank you for making our community richer, making our community happier and bringing us to a great place,” she said.
They were given a Hastings coat of arms and flowers.
After opening The Way Church the pair, supported by a team of others, has gone on to give back to the community in a myriad of ways touching on the lives of many people in the process.
They supported workers and their families who were affected by the closure of the Whakatu and Tomoana freezing works and helped wha¯ nau with issues such as family violence, stress and family finances.
They also started working with Matua Whangai based at Kimi Ora School which connected to Social Welfare aimed at helping whanau and also whanau mahi.
In 1990 they established Purena Koa Rehua (PKR) Youth Services, which had a wha¯ nau focus, and through which they established a network for providers of wha¯ nau care. They started running programmes to reduce family harm and provide wraparound support. A breakfast club was introduced that entire wha¯ nau would attend, and holiday programmes at Kimi Ora School attracted up to 100 children each day.
Hartley also managed the Open Home Foundation and then the Genesis Trust supporting the unemployed, and he was an original director of Habitat for Humanity.
In 1997, PKR was approached by the then Prime Minister’s Office (Jenny Shipley) to run a Safer Streets project in Flaxmere
West — a three-year contract centred on 12 streets and the wha¯ nau living there.
At the time there were no playgrounds in the area, so the project assisted with establishing Nanny Kona and Len Harlen playgrounds.
PKR has had a number of contracts with Hastings District Council including mentoring and leadership programmes. Most recently they completed a programme that transitioned Year 8 students from intermediate to secondary schools.
Kayren has also delivered child protection training to HDC staff as well as groups contracted to council.
Currently PKR runs Oscar after-school and holiday programme care and continues to provide social services to the community including family harm and child protection training to the faith-based communities.
Kayren says the drive to support and protect children and their wha¯ nau is a guiding force.
“My greatest passion is our tamariki and rangatahi and I see our work being about helping them build the resilience to be able to keep themselves safe.”
She says the main support we can give our tamariki is to be there for them.
“Wherever they are we need to be there with unconditional love, whether it’s a breakfast club, school, or playing in the park.
The couple are returning to their home of North Canterbury to support their wha¯ nau.