I was born and raised in Matamata, a small dairy farming town in the North Island of New Zealand. Matamata has a population of about 7,000 people, so everyone actually knows everyone. I come from a family of five; my mum is Japanese and my dad is Kiwi. I have an older brother who lives between Australia and NZ for work, and a younger sister who is boarding at St. Hilda’s here on the Coast. Sport, and particularly swimming, has always been a big part of my personality. My parents encouraged us to be involved in a variety of sports growing up as it was a good way to make friends and stay healthy.
After going to school in Matamata for the first 8 years, my parents gave us the opportunity to attend a private school for high school. Our school offered endless co-curriculars – I think I did over 15 different sports as well as playing numerous instruments, even though it wasn’t “cool”. I wanted to do EVERYTHING. In my final years of school, training demands increased, so I decided to commit to soccer and swimming.
Living 40 minutes away from school meant 4:15am wakeups became the norm. After having such long days for so many years, I moved into the boarding houses so I could spend less time on the road, and more time sleeping and studying. I made a lot of great friends and memories while boarding and I am so grateful for the experience.
I have spent every summer since I was born at Whangamata, a beach on the East Coast of NZ. Being with my extended family during summer is something I really treasure. I got into surf lifesaving at Whanga, starting nippers when I was eight years old. I am a proud Whangamata Clubbie and have met people really important to me because of surf. I also got my first job in Whanga when I was 13, this gave me an early understanding of responsibility and independence. We spent a lot of time in the South Island for school holidays, working on the farm down there as well as skiing in Queenstown or Christchurch in winter.
I love the routine and process of swimming. Being able to share the experience with my younger sister is really awesome. I have trained next to my sister for as long as I can remember, often getting split up when we were younger because we would be laughing too much. My siblings and I are really close, we’re competitive but they are also my biggest inspirations.
In NZ, swimming is a minority sport, there are not a lot of resources or people to actually swim with, I knew that if I really wanted to be a swimmer I had to move away from home. I spent a lot of time training in Aus in 2023, this was my last year of school. I was on a pathway to head to the States to swim and study at College but part of me knew that I might not reach my full potential in the US. I then decided if I wanted to give a swimming career my best shot, Australia would be the best place to move.So after my last summer of fun at Whangamata in 2023, I officially moved across the ditch in February 2024.
Aside from swimming I am studying a Bachelor of Accountancy through Massey University (NZ), I enjoy going to the beach, cooking, baking scones, surfing, and catching up with friends over a good coffee.
I started coming to My GC Physio in May last year. Rick prepared me for my first junior NZ teams; Jr Pan Pacs Swimming Champs and the Life Saving World Champs, thank you Rick! Britt now keeps my shoulder in check so I can maintain my training load. She also prepared me for this year’s World Champs (swimming), my first open NZ team, thank you Britt!
