Walking to school with Hekia Parata

Walking to school with Hekia Parata

Following Hekia's inspiring speech at Walk2Work Day in Wellington the Feet First team asked her to share her memories about walking to school.

"I grew up in the small East Coast community of Ruatoria. I went to the local play centre; Manutahi Primary School and Ngata Memorial College.

"Our parents were very keen on community participation and sporting, cultural and recreational activity, so we belonged to every club that was ever set up: netball and football in winter, tennis and swimming in summer; Brownies, Girl Guides, St John Ambulance cadets (and the boys’ equivalents), Maori Club year round; A&P show competitions in baking, gardening, sewing, and rodeo; PTA fundraisers; church activities (we had Sunday School on a Friday because that worked best for the “bus kids” who lived out in the country) choir, carol singing; civic community groups, Guy Fawkes community bonfires and “Best Guy” competitions; marae working bees; tangihanga, weddings, christenings and birthdays.

"We left Ruatoria when I was going into Year 12. In all that time we never had a family car. We walked everywhere, talking and laughing and planning as we went – gaggles of us; my brothers and sisters (7 of us); cousins, friends, visitors. We walked to school, games, activities; we walked to church, meetings, sing-alongs; we walked to the shops, the pictures, the doctors; we walked to the local marae. When we moved to Gisborne, we still didn’t own a car, and although there was public transport, we walked there as well. I got the habit and the love of walking from a very early age – and that habit, with the help of my feet, has carried me around ever since. I love walking!"

Further information: Jamie Sitzia, jamie.sitzia@nzta.govt.nz.