What’s a challenge you overcame?

Awhina | Ōpōtiki

After breaking her ankle in a rugby game, Awhina had to spend six months in hospital recovering. She leaned on her whānau, her Ringatū faith and whenua to get back on her feet.

“Four tamariki. Solo mum. Figuring out “Okay how am I going to nurture my kids on top of getting myself well?”

I shattered my ankle in a rugby game here in Ōpōtiki. I went straight into surgery because my bones were shattered, and my foot was literally turned the other way around. It was horrible.

I actually had to have seven surgeries just to be able to get my foot back into place. I was told that I would never be able to run again. But if you’re a person who masters their mindset, that’s fuel. That’s fuel for me.

So I did all the things required to heal my tinana (body). But I even did more—I had to do more. I had to go back to my awa (river) weekly in order to cleanse. I had to go back to my hāhi (church) monthly in order to give, to tuku (release), to heal from the month that had passed and to prepare for the month ahead.

I had to go into the whare hauora (gym), Ihi Kura. The name of this place is Ihi Kura—my kura, my school of tinana. I needed to tune in, to reconnect with my tinana again. That’s what basically allowed me to recover.

And then, the whānau support, knowing my tamariki were safe and well. Having a village of support is a blessing for me, and I never take my whānau for granted in that sense.

I’m running now. I’m doing marathons. My tinana is probably at its best within the last 13 years.”