This year, R&P turned five.
This year, R&P turned five.
To celebrate, we launched our Five Years of Fierce campaign—a chance to reflect on the people, partnerships and lessons that have shaped R&P, while celebrating the incredible community that has backed us along the way.
As part of the campaign, we ran a giveaway asking people to tell us about something brave they would love to do.
Among the entries was Awhina’s lifelong goal of completing a bungy jump. But behind that goal was a much bigger story about motherhood, mental health and learning to back herself again.
Starting Small
At the beginning of last year, Awhina was preparing to return to work after having her third child. She was experiencing postnatal depression and, in her own words, felt like a shell of herself.
“I didn’t recognise who I was. I felt really overwhelmed and had no idea where to start.”
So, she started small.
Awhina reconnected with her PT and focused on simply moving her body and doing something for herself. She also reached out for mental-health support, began regular counselling and took part in wellbeing programmes that she continues to attend today.
There was no dramatic overnight change. Just small decisions, repeated consistently, that slowly helped her rebuild her physical health, confidence and sense of self.
Doing the Things She Never Thought She Could
In her Five Years of Fierce giveaway entry, Awhina told us:
“I would love to go and do a bungy jump. After losing 35kg in the last year and really focusing on my mental and physical health, I would love to tick this off my bucket list.
“I did the unthinkable and completed my first HYROX event and marathon this year. I’d love to just back myself and complete this lifelong goal I never thought would be within my reach.”
Since submitting that entry, Awhina has continued to make incredible progress. She has now lost more than 46kg, moving from 134.3kg to 88.2kg.
Before beginning, she was living with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and prediabetes. Today, those health markers are back within normal ranges, and she has officially received the thumbs-up from her doctor.
But the numbers only tell a small part of her story.
In January, Awhina completed HYROX. In February, she took on Run the Bays, followed by Christchurch City to Surf in March and a 10km event in April.
After realising she had completed an event every month, she set herself a new goal: to collect 12 finishing medals or badges across the year.
“I’m doing all the things I said I would never do because I thought they were too hard,” she says. “Now I’m on a mission to do the hard stuff and prove to myself that I can get through it.”
Every physical challenge has become something she can draw on when life feels mentally difficult. A reminder that she is capable of more than she once believed.
Why a Bungy Jump?
For a long time, a bungy jump felt physically out of reach for Awhina.
“I was in that mindset of being a bigger person and thinking, ‘That’s not going to be for me. It’s just going to be a dream.’”
But as she reached each new milestone, that lifelong goal began to feel possible.
“I thought, okay, this is becoming more and more attainable. I think I could actually do it.”
When she saw the Five Years of Fierce giveaway, she decided to back herself and enter. Now, with R&P helping make it happen as part of our fifth birthday celebrations, that “maybe one day” goal is about to become very real.
The bungy isn’t about proving anything to anyone else. It’s a celebration of the work Awhina has already done and the person she has found along the way.
The Wins That Matter Most
Awhina can now run around with her children and keep up with her energetic eight-year-old. She has discovered that she genuinely enjoys running, found a supportive community and started trying things that once sat well outside her comfort zone.
She also feels more comfortable in herself than she ever has before.
Most meaningfully, several of Awhina’s friends have started their own health journeys after being inspired by her.
“That means more to me than my own physical achievements. It’s real proof that I’ve inspired somebody to do something for themselves.”
Her changing health may also affect her insurance. With clear records from her PT and significant improvements to her health markers, the R&P team can help Awhina request a review of her existing insurance loadings to see whether they can be reassessed.
Because when life changes, your insurance deserves another look too.
Our Five Years of Fierce campaign was created to celebrate courage in all its forms. Awhina’s story captures exactly what that means.
She asked for help. She started before she felt ready. She kept showing up. She tried things she never believed were meant for her, and, somewhere along the way, found herself again.
The bungy is simply her next opportunity to back herself.
We cannot wait to see our Five Years of Fierce winner take the leap.
