I'm Maia, a 13 year old gymnast from Auckland. Travelling to Hawaii with NZ team to compete in gymnastics

Hi, Kia ora, my name is Maia Fishwick.

I am 13 years old and live in Auckland.

I am a gymnast training at Eastern Suburbs Gymnastics Club. I train up to 24 hours per week, training 6 days a week.

I competed at the National Championships this year which was fantastic. My Auckland Team competed really well and came 1st and I came 2nd in the individual All Around. It was such an amazing experience to share with my team mates. It was made even better when I was named in the NZ Gymsports Team. We will be representing New Zealand in two international competitions in Hawaii in January 2016. This has been a dream come true!

I have been doing gymnastics since I was 6 years old. I am a hard working gymnast that loves gymnastics a lot. I persevere when it’s hard and treat every competition like it’s my last.

This year I have either won the competition or come second.

As a young Maori woman I feel very honoured to not only be representing NZ but also to be representing my culture. There are not many Maori competing at a New Zealand level in gymnastics, I hope I can inspire more young people to consider it as a sport.

In January 2016 I will be travelling to Hawaii to compete at the Aloha GymFest and at the Gymnastics in Paradise (GIP) Invitational. I will be travelling with other gymnasts from throughout NZ.

Unfortunately gymnasts representing NZ don't get any funding so we are having to fundraise.

The cost of the trip is around $7000 including flights, accommodation, uniforms and fees. I have put on a movie night at my gym and are planning to do some busking over summer to help fund this opportunity.

I really hope that you are able to help in to fulfil my dream, to represent NZ in January 2016.

Thank you very much,

Nga mihi nui

Maia Fishwick