Valiant Vonda!

Kia Ora Whanau and Friends,

This “Give a little page'' has been a humbling experience and I (Vonda Nepia) want to thank my very close friend and colleague Maewa Pohatu and my brother Clint Nepia for initiating this kaupapa - raising funds towards my son’s (Tamati) educational future as he moves onto High School next year. This will allow him to secure a placement in a good school, and a chance at a prosperous and successful future.

Maewa and Clint pledged to shave their much loved dreadlocks for the kaupapa.

I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on the 13th August 2020 and started an aggressive yet necessary treatment plan. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is loss of hair and so on Father’s Day, our dad (Sam Nepia) & brother (Clint Nepia) decided to walk alongside me during this emotional experience. As mentioned earlier, it was timely to share this hair cutting ceremony with my son, Tamati’s school fundraiser “Wig Wednesday '' where he led the school in raising approx $421.90 for the Cancer Kids Foundation.

Whanau, I would now like to humbly thank you for your kind and generous donations. The Give A Little Page will remain open until the end of October.

For those of you who know me, know how passionate I am about education and being strong and proud about who you are and where you come from.

This fund is going to allow Tamati to continue to build on these principles. It takes a village to raise a child!