King said the clinic would be staffed by two male clinicians who would work with children, youth and adults who displayed or had displayed harmful sexual behaviour.
“Having two males doing that work is quite unique.
“In our sector, the services are mainly delivered by women but that’s an incongruity because most of the sexual offending is done by men.”
He said WellStop aimed to strengthen relationships with mana whenua to allow Kimiora Trust to develop alongside mainstream organisations.
“We’re asking Māori to lead us in how we deliver our services.”
The need for work in the space did not appear to be decreasing as sexual violence trends had remained consistent, King said.
“The current economic climate and the cost of living has meant our referrals have remained steady, there’s a lot of stress and pressure on people out there.”
Kimiora Trust founder Kiritahi Firmin said it was important to encourage regenerative healing from trauma through the natural environment.
“We want to help people heal through the whenua and WellStop has joined this rhythm of counselling.”
Firmin said she aimed to take families affected by sexual violence back to the land.
“It’s about helping people to not feel so encumbered by the trauma they didn’t deserve.
“We want to let people unfold and unpack that trauma, and let it flow down the river and out to sea.”
It was also important to teach people skills in growing kai, she said.
“A lot of harm happens because of not having kai or choices, so trying to teach people to do that is fundamental.”
Eva de Jong is a reporter for the Whanganui Chronicle covering health stories and general news. She began as a reporter in 2023.
