Her grandmother Awhi Ropiha, a fifth dan black belt in Shidokan, fought out of the now closed Putanga Gym in Hastings. She also has a background in Muay Thai, kickboxing and boxing.
"I am extremely proud that Rhya is representing New Zealand as a martial artist within the beautiful realm of Muay Thai," says her grandmother.
"As one very proud 'Nan' it is an honour to have this 11-year-old carry forward a family heritage."
She only began training in the sport of fighting in April will be fighting three one minute rounds in Thailand.
She is a keen skateboarder and has competed at a national level for around five years. Her mother Chareese Henare says in this field she learned to persevere and push through pain.
She'll be fighting in the 43kg weight range and has been training hard for Thailand.
"At the moment, she trains five days a week for at least a couple of hours a day."
"She's been running daily, she's been doing that for the last three weeks, either a 2km or a 4km jog in the morning building her up to a 6km easily."
"She's just moved into intensive training with her coach between 60-90 minutes full on, one-to-one. That's what she's been doing every day of the school holidays."
She trains out of the Rhythm of Combat gym in Taupo with her coach Justin McDermott.
He says her development in the last six weeks and especially the last two fights has been really consistent.
"She's strong in all her areas but she's got a good clinch, strong posture, good punches and fast powerful kicks," explains McDermott.
"She's developing a second phase of attack, we're working on that and sharpening all those areas up now."
The best amateur fighters from more than 100 different countries are expected to be there, providing an opportunity of a lifetime for Rhya to fight against the top athletes in her weight division.