Our History
The first Hōhepa community was founded at Poraiti in Hawke’s Bay in 1957, by the joint initiative of Marjorie Allan MBE and Sir Lew Harris. The name Hōhepa is Te Reo Māori for Joseph and is named for Sir Lew’s father.
Hōhepa has well established services in Hawke’s Bay which inspired the vision to develop a Hōhepa service in the Greater Wellington region. From discussions with local funders and families, and analysis of the disability sector, it was recognised there is strong demand for high-quality support services for intellectually disabled people across the region.
Hōhepa Wellington took seed when land was purchased in 2015 at Otaihanga on the Kāpiti Coast.
Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay provided initial leadership in Hōhepa Wellington’s development, and a Hōhepa Hawke’s Bay/Wellington Regional Board (HHBW) was stood up. The HHBW approved the establishment of a Transition Governance Group (TGG) for Hōhepa Wellington, who took the lead on ownership of governance and, in time, established Wellington as a standalone region with full delegations from the Hōhepa Homes Trust Board.
Since Hōhepa Wellington’s beginning we have invested significant effort and resource into establishing a service with purpose-built facilities, expanding our ability to support more individuals. With an initial focus on completing the necessary infrastructure and first homes, we continue to build towards growing our service and enhancing our whenua at Otaihanga.
The Hōhepa Wellington site history
The original landscape of Otaihanga is thought to have largely consisted of wetland areas, with areas of lowland forest. This series of wetlands was contained by coastal dunes and were fed largely by the Waikanae River. The coastal dunes have led to the rolling/mounded topography of the site today.
European settlers transformed the landscape into a pastoral area and, eventually, the urban setting known today.
The Waikanae Estuary is a significant site for Māori, cherished both as a vital landscape for sustenance and as a sacred place (wahi tapu). The earliest known habitation close to our site was at Kaiwharehou Pa, a settlement and cultivation area situated on the southern bank of the Waikanae River. This pa held significant importance for the Ati awa community, with records indicating its occupation by various hapu groups over the years. Enoka Hōhepa, among others, resided there in 1890, with his name appearing on the original land title encompassing most of the properties on the west side of the Hōhepa Wellington site, potentially extending up to the eastern boundary.