Leukaemia: Tauranga man climbs Mauao 50 times and Sky Tower to honour late mother

Tauranga's Pieter van der Put climbed Mauao more than 50 times as training to climb Auckland's Sky Tower.

Tauranga business owner Pieter van der Put was “only a little fella” when he lost his mother to leukaemia.

A plumber by trade, the 38-year-old and his four older siblings were raised by their father after their mother, Hendrina van der Put, died when he was 2.

The loss of his mother prompted Van der Put to do the Step Up Challenge - a fundraising event organised by Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand where participants climbed Auckland’s Sky Tower on Sunday.

The national charity supports and advocatespatients and their families, funds research into blood cancer, and raises awareness.

Van der Put said he hoped one day a cure for leukaemia would be found.

“If someone does get diagnosed with it, that there is a cure and they don’t have to go through the same as what I’ve had to, I guess.

“For example … so they don’t lose their mum and they can actually grow up with a full family.”

‘There was a big gap there’

Van der Put said his mother was diagnosed with leukaemia while pregnant with him.

“I was only a little fella so I grew up without a mother.

“Obviously, I was way too little to remember any of that kind of stuff.”

Growing up without his mum “was all normal to me because I didn’t know any better”.

Pieter van der Put climbed the Sky Tower in 9 minutes and 50 seconds.

“But I guess now that I’m older, I look back and realise that there was a big gap there. It’s kind of hard to explain. Looking back [it] is more noticeable than while I was actually growing up.”

Van der Put said his family were from the Wairarapa. He and his wife moved to Tauranga in 2014.

A plumber by trade, Van der Put owns a bathroom renovation company.

Getting ‘match-fit’

Van der Put signed up for the charitable challenge in April, which involved climbing 51 flights of stairs and 1103 steps at the Sky Tower.

He climbed Mauao more than 50 times for his training since the end of April.

“That’s kind of how I got match-fit, I guess,” he said with a laugh.

More than 350 people participated in the “pretty tough” challenge.

Pieter van der Put climbed Auckland's Sky Tower in memory of his mother who died from leukaemia when he was aged 2.

He completed it in 9 minutes and 50 seconds.

“You kind of have to pace yourself ... I did run parts of it but I didn’t have the stamina to [run] the whole thing.”

Van der Put raised about $4700 for the charity. People can still donate to his profile on its website.

Leukaemia and Blood Cancer New Zealand head of fundraising Faye Holahan said it was “incredibly inspired by Pieter’s monumental effort” in climbing Mauao to honour his mother and to raise funds.

“His dedication, along with the generous donations from his family and community, will help us to support those affected by blood cancer.”

Every day, eight Kiwis are diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma or a related blood condition.

The charity provides individualised support to patients, runs support programmes, facilitates education sessions, and provides emergency financial assistance.

It is supported through voluntary donations from supporters, sponsors and fundraisers, and grant and funding applications.

Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.