Swimming Te Ara a Kiwa for sharks

An enormous thank you to the Eastern Suburbs Sports Trust for generously sponsoring my swim with $1000! The Eastern Suburbs Sports Trust is an absolutely incredible initiative which helps so many athletes in the Eastern Suburbs community. In fact, when my friends and I were 16 they helped sponsor us to go to World Championships for Waterpolo in Spain! Going into the supermarket to get the sponsorship photo felt like revisiting an old and really special part of my life. Especially because I have been training so hard the past few months and have been making times that I haven’t done since I was around that age - 10 years ago now! Madi has already got to work decorating these Eastern Suburbs Sports Trust drink bottles with shark stickers so it’s ready for my Te Ara a Kiwa swim 🥹I truly could not do this swim without the help of my communities, and I am so grateful to say that the Eastern Suburbs Sports Trust is now another one of those communities - and that includes everyone who shops at Eastern Suburbs supermarkets ❤️Thank you !

Thank you to everyone who came to the second Ocean Safety Session 🌊With our two sessions combined there are now almost 70 more people in the Te Whanganui-a-Tara swimming community who are more confident in preventing and responding to emergencies in the ocean. Together we have also raised over ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS for the ! If you haven’t been there I highly recommend checking it out. Organisations like this, (along with , , and many more) help to connect people to the precious Taputeranga Marine Reserve, which is so important. A big shout out again to for being such an incredible surf club and giving us a space to pass on ocean safety knowledge! If anyone would like me to remove any photos feel free to message me 🥰

I've heard lots of people say that they feel helpless when it comes to the genocide happening in Palestine. Action is the antidote to despair, so here's a list of things you can do to help. Most of these are easy things that just take a few clicks and/or copying and pasting.

​Protests:
Go to protests. See https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064134091562&sk=events for updates on when and where protests and actions of solidarity are.

Sign petitions:
Action Station Petition for NZ to live up to its international legal obligations:
https://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/genocide-in-gaza-call-for-new-zealand-to-live-up-to-its-international-legal-obligations?fbclid=PAAaaxCjirtpv9MUWlRG73I0RrBp6Rd-txBOdewa9cmqk08q7ROqxrzDb8yK4_aem_ARrSBvqTJP_oMLkl-CnGwFONcsM6oe8Iwwe4wfO7Zto_sd7_hpPyxppDFEmmL0bBkqs
PSNA petition to close the Israeli embassy:
https://www.psna.nz/petition

Write letters:
Write to MPs + Christopher Luxon about supporting South Africa's genocide case at the Court of International Justice: https://www.psna.nz/letter-to-pm-luxon
Whatsapp group: (they send templates for you to email MPs)
https://tr.ee/n1I69gU7AE (open on your phone)
Write to NZ news agencies:
Link to a resource about media coverage and advice:
https://tr.ee/-JBmRmRK5R (open on your phone)
Follow this page and write letters to people's companies/employers: https://www.instagram.com/stopzionisthate/

​Boycott:
​Boycott businesses donating and supporting Israel:
Big ones:
- Starbucks
- Mcdonald’s, KFC, Subway
- Coca-Cola, Fanta, etc
- Disney Plus
- Nestle

​Download this app to scan and see if the product is supporting Israel:
Halal Kiwi
​You can also support Palestinian-owned businesses

Put up posters:
https://againstapartheid.art/wheatpaste

​Educate yourself:
​Learn more about Palestine:
https://decolonizepalestine.com/
​https://www.psna.nz/pamphlets-books

​Donate:
​There are many places you can donate to for Palestine. Here are a few:
https://www.psna.nz/where-to-donate-for-palestine
https://www.psna.nz/donate
https://www.palestinercs.org/en
You can also donate SIM cards to Journalists on the ground. Found out how here: https://www.gazaesims.com/

Other, random things you can do:
If you have an iPhone, open the maps app and shake your phone to report an issue, report that Palestine is not on the map​ but it should be

Engage with Palestinian content:
If on Instagram, follow these people:
Click on this link then go to the “resources” highlighted story, and you’ll see a list of Palestinians to follow. If you click the post their tagged accounts will come up
https://www.instagram.com/sbeih.jpg?igsh=MWlndGVtMGJ4N2VwcA==
Go to Shaneel's highlighted story "Pal to Follow"
https://www.instagram.com/shaneellall?igsh=MXQ1NmN6cGNnMDJqdA==
https://www.instagram.com/eye.on.palestine/
Like, comment, and share posts to increase engagement. Lots of content is getting shadow-banned so click on the actual profiles. See Shannel's Highlight "Gaz Insta Tips"

Aotearoa support and rally pages with resources and protest dates/updates:
https://www.instagram.com/just4pal/
https://www.instagram.com/saf_te_pia/
https://www.instagram.com/organiseaotearoa/
https://www.instagram.com/ponekeantifa/
https://www.instagram.com/palestinian.id/
https://www.instagram.com/palestinian.youth.aotearoa/
https://www.instagram.com/aotearoaliberationleague/
These are all Instagram links but you can follow them on Facebook too :D

Shop:
https://preservedidentity.com/shop-products/?fbclid=PAAaaaRyY06qZmse3gOwGxgCneysvTYWjm2nbhOgzIa0-2f2ezn8ksmLL5q8k_aem_ARp7_3YuGhyRpwKlIY0lrJyPpYFpEsxM8CV4kilGs2OHf8wMlUC1UDYeuR95DPs4WhA
​
If you have any additional things you can do please comment below :) Keep fighting for a better world... Injustice anywhere is still injustice everywhere.

The countdown is on for Te Ara a Kiwa 🌊Every week my watch tan line gets clearer, my hair more damaged, my skin more sunburnt/tan and i get a little bit stronger and fitter 🫁🫀Speaking of time, did you know that sharks have been around for 90 million years before trees? And similar to trees, scientists age sharks by the number of rings on their vertebrate 🦴Hope everyone has had a good holidays. Keep advocating for our oceans, environment, the freedom of indigenous people, community wellbeing and decolonisation- it is all connected. Aroha atu, aroha mai ❤️🖤❤️🇵🇸🌊🦈(and shout out to for getting me this cute shirt!)

As part of this campaign I’m running an Ocean Safety Session teaching people how to be safe in the sea and look after others 🌊All money raised goes to to help the awesome mahi they do with marine conservation 🦈See the event on facebook to register, limited spots left.

As part of the Swimming Foveaux For The Sharks Campaign, I'm running an ocean swimming safety session to raise funds for the Island Bay Marine Education Centre.
This event is for anyone who is interested in learning how to not just be a safe swimmer, but someone who is a good person to swim with! All speeds and abilities are welcome. To register for this event, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XMS7ZL8
Date: 9th December, 2023 10am - 12.30pm
Location: TBC based on weather and venue hire
Cost: $15 each, free for students + anyone being paid less than wgtn living wage
All money goes towards the Island Bay Marine Education Centre ❤
Some of the content covered in this session includes:
- Information on hypothermia and cold water immersion
- Specific place-based safety tips
- Ways to help prevent accidents and emergencies
- How to identify when someone is in trouble
- Defensive techniques
- Rescue tows for conscious and unconscious patients
HMU if ya have any questions 🤟
https://fb.me/e/h0vNgSFyo

🏳️‍⚧️🦈🏳️‍⚧️🦈🏳️‍⚧️

Happy Trans Awareness Week.

Pretty inspiring to see all the passion and excitement that Miramar Central students have for sharks ❤️They even taught me something new - that the Greenland shark is born blind! Ka mau te wehi tiny ocean protectors 🌊🦈🐟

New blog entry 🥰
Photo Credit to Mark Jones

Ode to the Wellington Leopard Seal A few days ago Wellington had a unique visitor - all the way from Antarctica. A leopard seal dragged its way up the beach and lay down. For...

This proposal is an absolute game changer for protecting sharks but it needs submissions to be fully effective! At the moment it doesn't include making the catching and killing of sharks by fishing crews illegal, which is a crucial part of shark protection that is missing. It's super easy to make a submission, see the link below. Every submission counts and makes a difference towards protecting our sharks and therefore protecting our moana!

Support national action for sharks in New Zealand Have your say on a new national plan to protect and conserve sharks found in New Zealand's waters. Submissions close on 13 September 2022.

Seeing the ocean is enough to improve our mental health, but we’re not sure why Summer is here and heading to the beach is a big part of that. Research shows it’s also good for us to see the ocean, and other beautiful blue spaces, regularly.

We need the ocean. It provides the oxygen we breathe, the kaimoana we eat, and it gives us a place to be restful, wild, excited, challenged, and at peace. The ocean is not just about salt water, it is about all of the life that exists within and around it. When one species is depleted, it causes a butterfly effect for the whole food chain, which directly impacts us. When we protect the ocean, we are really protecting ourselves - both physically and spiritually❤️ Photo credit to , check out their amazing mahi xx

Kia ora koutou! After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to postpone the swim for this summer. It’s not a decision I’ve taken lightly, but I need to look after my own mental health first and do what’s right for me. In the meantime however, sharks don’t get to choose to have a break - as can be seen below with the new shark culling policy in New Caledonia. It’s more important than ever that we protect all the life in our moana - especially keystone predators like sharks. This campaign will continue until after the swim, so if you know of any schools that would like a free shark presentation next year please message me. The give a little page will also remain open until february and when I start training for the swim again I will set up another fundraising page. All funds are going to Shark Allies, who do awesome shark conservation work and i highly recommend checking them out! I’ll also continue posting interesting shark content and actions you can do to help, so stay tuned ❤️
Ko au te moana
Ko te moana ko au 🌊🌊🌊
https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/454700/kanaks-dismayed-at-changed-new-caledonia-shark-policy

Kanaks dismayed at changed New Caledonia shark policy New Caledonia's customary Senate has denounced last week's government decision to remove bull sharks and tiger sharks from the list of protected species.

We can all learn more about our special local places ❤️

Over the past few weeks, our information streams have been awash with hollow climate pledges, outpourings of justified rage and frenetic assessments of tech solutions that only delay the confronting self-reflection required to see what we are doing to the living world.

But amidst the turbulent bit currents, it is easy to neglect one of the most important actions we can all take in this moment. An action that will be required if we are to pull off the monumental task ahead of us, and also required if something more cataclysmic awaits.

In both cases, we will need to develop the skills to regenerate. To regenerate ourselves and our ecosystems. And by regenerating, I mean putting life and connection at the centre of our governance and our actions. Prioritising life and connection over capital.

But regeneration can only begin when we understand the life and connections of our own place.

There are many of us who care deeply for this planet and worry about our children’s future, yet cannot name the trees in our neighbourhood or in our local park. Many cannot identify the bird song that rouses them each morning, and a large majority have no understanding of the land their house was built on before European arrival. The songs, the significance, the ceremony of that land.

How can we really expect to save the planet when most of us remain disconnected to the tiny piece of it we inhabit?

There has never been a better time to introduce yourself.

If you don’t already, perhaps learn the names of at least 5 tree species in your area, enquire about the animals that play and rely on those trees, and discover the land that existed before our arrival. Share this experience with your children.

But above all else: sit, be still and listen to your place.

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” - Epictetus

Listen to the wisdom sailing on its winds, the guidance in its blossoms or the hidden messages in the rhythms of its insects.
Perhaps by listening and then embracing the new meaning that will come to your place, you will be driven further into action.

Becoming the custodian of your precious place can empower you with a strength you never knew you had. Fears and doubts can subside because you are representing billions of years of miraculous, interconnected relationships that have culminated into you being there in your place, in this moment.

Nature has determined that it is your responsibility to carry the torch from here. Hold it high and shine a blazing trail for others to follow.

To paraphrase Albert Schweitzer - “You are life that wills to live, amidst life that wills to live”

Some discoveries about my place:

Coolamon trees (which flower on their branches)
Finger lime trees (great bush tucker)
Lemon Aspen tree (a ‘bush lolly’)
Bangalow Palm
Paperbarks

Animals:
Richmond Birdwing butterfly
Southern hemisphere humpback whales
Black striped wallaby
Brush tailed wallaby
25 unique frog species

I live on the lands of the Bundjulung nation, an area known as ‘the land of the three rivers’. I am only at the beginning of my learning journey and have already been humbled by the knowledge. The people of the Bundjulung have four gender categories and one is ‘arbor’ (trees).

An awesome chat with burnside school this morning - such passionate kids with so much knowledge about sharks! 🦈 🌊 🦈

Some essential shark knowledge for you this money, courtesy of and

Just 9 more days let to go in to win this epic Stewart island package for two! Tag your friends to get them to enter/donate as well (maybe with a subtle hint that if they win they should take you?) Everyone who donates (even just $5!) before the 18th of August goes in the draw to win a return Stewart Island Ferry & Ulva Island Explorer Tour for two which is valued at $514! Here's more info on the experience: https://www.stewartislandexperience.co.nz/.../ulva.../ https://gofund.me/d7e8c6cb Massive thanks to for the voucher to go towards the cause! https://www.gofundme.com/f/swimming-foveaux-for-sharks?member=10696137&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

What is ghost fishing? Swipe to find out! Credit to - check out their awesome work!

My fundraiser for Shark Allies is in the link in my bio. Everyone who donates (even just $5!) before the 18th of August goes in the draw to win a return Stewart Island Ferry & Ulva Island Explorer Tour for two which is valued at $514! So far there are 12 people who have donated and are in to win, so you have some good odds! Here's more info on the experience: https://www.stewartislandexperience.co.nz/.../ulva.../ https://gofund.me/d7e8c6cb Massive thanks to for the voucher to go towards the cause!
Lots of exciting updates to come soon.... Stay tuned!

My fundraiser for Shark Allies is in the link below. Everyone who donates before the 18th of August goes in the draw to win a return Stewart Island Ferry & Ulva Island Explorer Tour for two which is valued at $514! So far there are 12 people who have donated and are in to win, so you have a high chance of winning if you donate (even if its just $5!). Here's more info on the experience: https://www.stewartislandexperience.co.nz/.../ulva.../ https://gofund.me/d7e8c6cb
Lots of exciting updates to come soon.... Stay tuned!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/swimming-foveaux-for-sharks?utm_medium=social&utm_source=messenger&utm_campaign=p_lico+share-sheet&fbclid=IwAR39Q-2cGDgGKTDdRkCBIGF4MPn175KSKsLZAZ3VYryhl-MTl7e5MJBzKMc

Bre Swimming Foveaux For Shark Allies, organized by Breanna Ward In the summer of 2021/2022 I hope to swim across Te Ara A Kiwa, (or “Foveaux Strai… Breanna Ward needs your support for Bre Swimming Foveaux For Shark Allies

Calling all schools in Ōtautahi (Christchurch)! I’m ramping up my school talks and presentations. If you’re part of a school in the Christchurch region or you know anyone who is, and you’re keen for an exciting presentation about sharks, please let me know! I can cater the presentations to any ages and they are all free. Its all about raising awareness for the threats shark face, and the role sharks play in interconnected ecosystems. A big part of these presentations are about inspiring curiosity and passion for these awesome creatures, as people are much more motivated to protect the things that they love 💕 A big mihi again to for the awesome content. Aroha mai, aroha atu! Hit me up people!

Another reminder for the last few days of shark week on how to avoid shark products ✅And your shark of the day - a cow shark!!! Thanks for your mahi ❤️

Another shivering day at Cass Bay! Ice mile season approaches 🥶🌊🦈

How many of these species do you recognise? 🦈🌊❤️ Image credit: