When did you last need help?

Aki | Ōtautahi

When we met Aki, he was navigating the grief of losing his father while trying to find a way to continue with his life and honour his father’s legacy.

“To be honest, it’s pretty daunting. Being on the other side of the world and not getting those calls any more.

Probably just recently, with the passing of my old man. I guess, going through a grieving process and stuff like that. I’m in that process where…because the past week, I had family around, all my family and extended family, so it was a lot. You’re busy, so you haven’t really processed it. It sort of came in waves, the grief.

But I’m at that stage where everything’s quietened down now and I’m trying to get back into my routine, which is important because you can easily get sidetracked and, kind of, get lost. I tend to keep busy and keep my mind off things, but at the same time, not forget him… still remember him. I’m at that process where I’m just trying to carry on through life.

As a professional rugby player, I could have easily been caught up in the lifestyle, the fame and everything. Thinking because I was young back then, I was unstoppable but my old man always kept me grounded and humble.

I was named after my old man. I like to think he was proud and I think he was happy hearing his name on television and stuff like that. So, I’m pretty pleased with that.”

Our question for kaikōrero this month was “when did you last need help?” We learned about the diverse demands on the lives of New Zealanders and the incredible support networks they rely on.