Sir Kim Workman to address Kāpiti Historical Society

Sir Kim Workman.

Sir Kim Workman is Kāpiti Historical Society's first guest speaker since the Covid-19 health crisis restriction.

Sir Kim, who was knighted for his services to prisoner welfare and the justice sector, will be speaking about his Māori and Scottish heritage as well as growing up in Kāpiti.

The meeting takes place on Tuesday, June 30 in the Kāpiti Uniting Parish, 10 Weka Rd, Raumati Beach, from 7.30pm.

All are welcome and entry is by gold coin koha.

A light supper will be served following the talk.

"Sir Kim has had a long and distinguished career in the justice system," the society's Roger Childs said.

"He has been a strong advocate for prisoners' welfare and for reform in the criminal justice process.

"Helping youth at risk, being a Families Commissioner and setting up groups to work on improving how the law affects offenders, have also featured in his involvement with justice.

"His topic is about his Kāpiti roots but no doubt there will be questions about his contribution to improving the justice sector."

Sir Kim said, "I would talk about my connections with the Kāpiti Coast, through firstly my Ngai Tara whakapapa, the earliest iwi to live in the Kāpiti area, and secondly through my great-great-grandfather, Scottish whaler John Stanton Workman, who first arrived in Aotearoa in 1834, and whaled at Tokomāpuna Island from 1840.

"I would then share the experience of growing up in a mixed descent whānau, with a Māori father and a Pākehā mother, and the influence of my tipuna, on my life."

Speakers are booked for the remainder of the year, at the same venue, with topics including:

· The1800-1840 Musket Wars and their impact on the Kāpiti area.

· Sevenoaks, the first retirement village in Paraparaumu.

· The former Otaki Health Camp and its historical buildings.

· Growing up as a Māori in the Kāpiti district.

· A history of the Wellington to Manawatu Railway with particular reference to the impact on Kāpiti.

· A Hadfield topic.

For more info contact Roger Childs: pamandroger.childs@gmail.com or John Robinson: jlrwaikanae@gmail.com