ABOUT US
Ōkiwa is a maritime services business.
Our name brings to mind the great navigation history of the seas around Aotearoa New Zealand.
Te Moananui a Kiwa (Kiwa's great ocean) is a Polynesian name for the Pacific Ocean. Kiwa is a guardian of the ocean in the Māori world (te ao Māori). At another level, tribal narratives from the East Coast recall the leading figure Kiwa of the Takitimu waka (an ancestral seagoing canoe) after whom places such as Turanganui a Kiwa (Gisborne and Poverty Bay) have been named.
Our modern maritime practices stretch back to the great heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand's foundation from the arrival of ancestral waka onwards. The Waitangi Tribunal has remarked how there were two major seafaring peoples involved in the settlement of New Zealand: Kupe's people and, later, Cook's people.
At Ōkiwa we help seafarers, shipping companies, government agencies and maritime training providers navigate the maritime industry in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. We specialise in maritime educational services and advice, evaluations and review projects for industry and government and assisting maritime businesses to operate safely and efficiently.
At Ōkiwa we work with:
• Local and international seafarers
• Shipping operators and industry companies
• Maritime training providers and ITOs
• Government departments and agencies responsible for regulatory and maritime qualifications issues
Te Moananui a Kiwa (Kiwa's great ocean) is a Polynesian name for the Pacific Ocean. Kiwa is a guardian of the ocean in the Māori world (te ao Māori). At another level, tribal narratives from the East Coast recall the leading figure Kiwa of the Takitimu waka (an ancestral seagoing canoe) after whom places such as Turanganui a Kiwa (Gisborne and Poverty Bay) have been named.
Our modern maritime practices stretch back to the great heritage of Aotearoa New Zealand's foundation from the arrival of ancestral waka onwards. The Waitangi Tribunal has remarked how there were two major seafaring peoples involved in the settlement of New Zealand: Kupe's people and, later, Cook's people.
At Ōkiwa we help seafarers, shipping companies, government agencies and maritime training providers navigate the maritime industry in Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally. We specialise in maritime educational services and advice, evaluations and review projects for industry and government and assisting maritime businesses to operate safely and efficiently.
At Ōkiwa we work with:
• Local and international seafarers
• Shipping operators and industry companies
• Maritime training providers and ITOs
• Government departments and agencies responsible for regulatory and maritime qualifications issues
Katherine Walker, Director
Katherine Walker is a Master Mariner with more than 30 years of experience working in the maritime industry in Aotearoa New Zealand and abroad.
Specialist experience:
Katherine brings
Qualifications:
• Class 1 Unlimited (Master Foreign Going) Certificate of Competency
• Diploma in Management
• Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
• Certificate in Adult Teaching
• Associate Fellow Nautical Institute
• Approved examiner for Maritime NZ
Experience:
Katherine spent ten years in the Merchant Navy and attained the rank of Chief Officer. She has navigated and operated bulk carriers, container ship, tankers, research vessels, refrigerated cargo vessels and roll-on roll-off vessels around the world.
Katherine worked as a Dry Cargo Ship Broker for Allen Chartering Limited in London in the UK for four years.
On returning home to Aotearoa, she managed Tangaroa Ararau, the International Maritime Institute of New Zealand, in Nelson from 2008-2016. In this role, she was involved in the 2012-2015 review of maritime qualifications, and subsequently developed new programmes of study leading to the new NZ maritime licences. This experience gives her a deep understanding of NZ’s maritime training industry, tertiary education and adult learning and interfaces with regulators.
From 2016 to the present Katherine has, among other projects, developed educational programmes, worked with Maritime New Zealand on regulatory compliance and seafarer certification projects (STCW obligations and evaluations), worked with all New Zealand training providers of maritime education and has continued to examine candidates for Maritime New Zealand issued licences. She has also worked with maritime operators of both small and large SOLAS vessels who wish to review their safety management systems, training, drills and safety equipment.
Specialist experience:
Katherine brings
- hands-on experience operating vessels and conducting reviews and evaluations
- expertise in maritime training and programme development and the place of maritime qualifications in New Zealand's tertiary education sector
- knowledge of New Zealand and international maritime regulatory and operational requirements
Qualifications:
• Class 1 Unlimited (Master Foreign Going) Certificate of Competency
• Diploma in Management
• Member of the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers
• Certificate in Adult Teaching
• Associate Fellow Nautical Institute
• Approved examiner for Maritime NZ
Experience:
Katherine spent ten years in the Merchant Navy and attained the rank of Chief Officer. She has navigated and operated bulk carriers, container ship, tankers, research vessels, refrigerated cargo vessels and roll-on roll-off vessels around the world.
Katherine worked as a Dry Cargo Ship Broker for Allen Chartering Limited in London in the UK for four years.
On returning home to Aotearoa, she managed Tangaroa Ararau, the International Maritime Institute of New Zealand, in Nelson from 2008-2016. In this role, she was involved in the 2012-2015 review of maritime qualifications, and subsequently developed new programmes of study leading to the new NZ maritime licences. This experience gives her a deep understanding of NZ’s maritime training industry, tertiary education and adult learning and interfaces with regulators.
From 2016 to the present Katherine has, among other projects, developed educational programmes, worked with Maritime New Zealand on regulatory compliance and seafarer certification projects (STCW obligations and evaluations), worked with all New Zealand training providers of maritime education and has continued to examine candidates for Maritime New Zealand issued licences. She has also worked with maritime operators of both small and large SOLAS vessels who wish to review their safety management systems, training, drills and safety equipment.