Henare O’Keefe was raised in a “tin shack, with dirt floors and no power” in the remote East Coast settlement of Ruatoria.
Video / NZ Herald
Hawke’s Bay has been through the wringer says its newly minted business leader of the year but “there’s no surrender here... it’s unbelievable”. His own story is also incredible. Shayne Currie reports.
Henare O’Keefe was raised in a “tin shack, with dirt floors and no power” in the remote East Coast settlement of Ruatōria.
On Friday night, he was toasted by champagne-sipping guests as Hawke’s Bay’s business leader of the year for an astounding legacy of work in his community, not least of all in his innovative role as Ambassador of Hastings over the past seven years.
When you think of New Zealand cities there might be a handful of names who jump out as champions of their patch - once upon a time, perhaps, the Wizard of Christchurch, West Auckland’s (later Invercargill’s) Sir Tim Shadbolt, or any one of a number of other high-profile mayors.
But O’Keefe’s role - he was a councillor for 15 years and has been in the ambassador role for seven years - is truly on the front line and goes far beyond public relations (although, he’s on the speaking circuit and equally talented in that area).
He has a rich history of helping disadvantaged families and youth - he and his late, beloved wife Pam fostered more than 200 children - and he was influential in introducing a range of community initiatives in Flaxmere to help rebuild a struggling community.
“Driven by a strong resolve to address and reverse negative social trends, Henare O’Keefe has mentored youth, championed family violence prevention and supported the reintegration of former prisoners,” said the judges of the Pan Pac Hawke’s Bay Business Awards.
“His role as Hastings Ambassador is marked by his vibrant presence, cultural pride and unwavering support for the community.”
Henare O'Keefe was also a popular councillor during his time on Hastings Council. He is pictured at Flaxmere Park. Photo / Paul Taylor
“It was unexpected,” says O’Keefe, who was given a standing ovation and with his daughters present. “A very humbling and amazing evening.”
Where does that empathy for his community come from?
“I would suggest it came out of a two-bedroom tin shack with dirt floors and no power in the back blocks of Ruatōria, Ngāti Porou,” he says.
“I had a mum and dad who had very little in the way of material things, but in terms of love, compassion, empathy and integrity, it was first garnered by them. I will be forever grateful. We may not have had much, but by golly, at the same time, we had a heck of a lot.”
His philosophy behind helping at-risk families, youth and the broader community is simple. “I have always said there’s no such thing as a bad baby. They weren’t born like that, we need to get to the heart of it.”
O’Keefe praises former Hastings Mayor Lawrence Yule, and the now-Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst for coming up with, and retaining, the ambassador role.
He thinks other towns and cities should seriously consider a true local champion in an ambassadorial role.
“In order for a community to grow, you’ve got to find those champions. Nine times out of 10, they’re not governed by KPIs and outputs. You cannot legislate that.
“Just find those champions because therein lies the longevity, therein lies the solutions. Give them a go.”
He receives a koha for the job, the tasks of which are varied - one day he might be MCing a citizenship ceremony, and the next he’s out meeting the community on different issues.
“It’s being a face, being a presence and, if you put it in my words, spreading the love.”
Last week, he was inspecting some of the highways and bridges that are being rebuilt as part of the more than $650 million Transport Rebuild East Coast project - the huge body of work to repair the region’s roads torn apart in the devastation of Cyclone Gabrielle.
He says the community is as resilient as ever in the aftermath of Gabrielle.
“Whakatu freezing works was closed in 86. Tomoana was shut in 94. We had the hailstorm, we had Cyclone Bola, then we had Gabrielle.
“All of this came in almost quick succession and I’ll tell you what, there’s no surrender here, there’s no surrender.”
There was still a lot of work to be done and people were hurting “but we’ve decided that we’re not going to bleed into the future anymore”.
“We’re not going to play the victim anymore. We’ll grieve, we’ll get mad, we’ll get angry. But then sooner or later you’ve got to embrace it and face it and that’s what we’ve done here.
“It’s unbelievable, unbelievable.”
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor.
