31/10/2026
Every path I have taken has led me back here.
Ruarakai, Ōpōtiki. My tūrangawaewae, beneath Makeo, my maunga. Our generational whānau land my Nan and Papa brought back to life, where nan and I planted natives together, and where the whānau house welcomed everyone home, muddy gumboots at the door, conversations with whānau that led into the night, cuppas on the deck watching the sun rise.
It is where I first felt connected: to my whānau, my whakapapa, my whenua.
For years I travelled far from it. Kitchens, cities, boardrooms, the world. Nan was always our reason to go back.
Being here brought me closer to nature and to my truest version of self.
Tomorrow, Girl Native begins its next chapter. Quieter. Truer. Closer to home.
1 November. Haere mai.