Meet Kevin Hollingsworth
Founder - Chief Executive - Kaiwhakahaere Matua
From Meth Addiction to PhD Researcher and Kaupapa Leader
Kevin Hollingsworth shares his journey from surviving addiction to building a space of hope.
Ko Ruapekapeka te Maunga
Ko Taumarere te Awa
Ko Akerama te Marae
Ko Ngāti Hine te Hapū
Ko Ngāpuhi te Iwi
Ko Ngātokimatawhaorua te Waka
Kei Rotorua ahau e noho ana I tupu ake au I reira.
Ko Kevin Wiremu Hollingsworth ahau.
Although my whakapapa is from the North, I was raised in Rotorua among the Te Arawa Iwi, where I call home.
“My mother didn’t enable me – she gave me love, food, and a bed.
That gave me the strength to change.”
It is with sadness and love that we acknowledge the passing of Hinepare Patricia Hollingsworth on 26 February 2025. Hinepare (Patricia), aged 84, was a cherished kuia (elder) to the wider
Mana Enhancing STOP whānau. A pillar of strength and wisdom, she strongly believed in our kaupapa and always lent us her support and encouragement over the years.
Mana Enhancing STOP exists because of Hinepare’s unconditional love and support for Kevin in his darkest hours. Kevin had a long history of addiction dating back to his first puff of marijuana at age six. By his early twenties, Kevin was a full-blown meth addict, who would blindly risk his life for the next hit.
In 2017, Kevin won best entry in the Cutting-Edge poster competition. His poster is based on the Monopoly board format illustrating addiction and the cycle of change. It was exhibited at Te Papa at the time.
It took a near-death experience in-front of his mother for him to finally wake up, and he hasn’t looked back since. Today, Kevin is proud to say that he has been clean for over 15 years.
In 2017, Kevin founded the Tu Taua harm reduction programme, which is a whānau, hapū, and iwi approach working in collaboration with other providers, the kōeke, Police and Corrections facilitating wānanga educational training, and Marae wānanga for the broader communities.
Kevin’s vision to educate, and support whānau has evolved into Mana Enhancing STOP which continues to grow from strength to strength (see Our Services)
Kevin believes that continuous education is a key his success. He is now a fully qualified addiction counsellor and a registered clinician, with a master’s degree in professional practice with distinction. He has embarked on his PhD focusing on the harmful effects of methamphetamine on our tangata and hāpori and how a digital platform could be used as an intervention. He sits on numerous boards, teaches a course in addiction counselling, and provides clinical supervision to other counsellors.
Kevin’s dream was to become a beacon of hope and possibility for others, to grow a community of ‘Citizens in Recovery’ and Matatini Ora (many faces of wellbeing) and to let whānau know that they are not alone.
"My passion is to provide a safe space for whānau, clinically and culturally kanohi ki te kanohi, and community rōpū sessions, where both Māori and non-Māori are supported. This is where I feel most privileged to be working for Mana Enhancing, a Kaupapa Māori setting that creates positive changes." Kevin Hollingsworth