Help Whanganui Para-climbing Mum come back from surgery to represent Aotearoa again!!
Representing NZ in Para-climbing gives me a voice. The outdoors & recreation is for every body type, and is a powerful wellbeing tool.
Manawatu / Whanganui
My name is Rachel and I am a Whanganui wahine, mother and a below the knee amputee.
Please help me share the message that with a little self belief we can push through the day to day struggle of physical disability, pain and mental health challenges and create the future we deserve.
Representing New Zealand in Para-climbing gives me a voice to share this message.
I love being able to model to our rangatahi and tamariki living with disabilities that being active and getting outside is for every body type and is a powerful tool in our kete of wellbeing strategies. With a little love and support from those around us, everyone deserves to access outdoors and recreation.
Climbing has been added to the LA 2028 Paralympic schedule and I begin these next four years as a Paralympic hopeful! Your koha, and every share of this page, means the absolute world. There is no koha too small. Every little bit helps!
In May, I compete in the first World Cup of 2025, in Salt Lake City, USA. I am struggling with the pressure of climbing being a self funded sport with no support from High Performance Sport New Zealand and no sponsors.
Much much love.
Rachel.
Use of funds
My immediate need is a little support to get to nationals in Rotorua THIS weekend. Any remaining funds will be used for 2025 training plans, nutrition, physio, travel to competitions, and petrol to train within NZ (there is no climbing wall in my city).
Latest update
It's go time! And I need your help! Mere weeks left until the first World Cup and I do not have the funding. 17 April 2025
Please help me role model that the outdoors and sport is for every body type and is a powerful tool in our wellbeing kete. Representing Aotearoa gives me a voice to share this message and the first world cup of the year is coming up fast!
I don't have even half the funds needed for this and the pressure is on.
Asking for help, and for money, is really awkward and really hard. I feel embarrassed by it often!
But to keep parasports visible for our rangatahi and tamariki living with disabilities is something I will continue to be resilient in. And to do this I really need my community behind me.
An army of little koha's would get me there and back... a little koha really does go a long way.
So far I have not found any sponsorship (if you're a business that would like to help out please reach out!) and there is no support from Climbing NZ or High Performance sport New Zealand.
You can also help by sharing this link to your social media pages. Even better, if you have friends in your community that might resonate with the message of accessibility to the outdoors being important for every New Zealander and for our mental health and sense of belonging (no matter our 'abilities'), please consider sharing this link as a personal message to them. It really helps too!
As always, you have my love and gratitude.
Ngā mihi.
Rachel.
Latest donations
Who's involved?
Page Q&A
Ask a question hereAny concerns?
Report this pageThank the donor
Your message will be displayed on the page and emailed to the donor.
Your new message will also be emailed to the donor.
Saving a blank entry will delete the current comment.