Editorial: Iron Maori deserving of support

Tamariki IronMaori competitors make their way to the swim start point. Photo / File

As a journalist, I am privileged to hear many stories.

There are heart-warming stories of goodwill and generosity, troubled tales of woe and hardship, and some that fill you with admiration.

So it was with a touch of awe that I wrote about a woman attempting to swim 2km, bike 90km and run 21.1km for the first time at the annual Iron Maori event.

Her whanau had talked her into doing the bike leg of the race back in 2010. She was unfit and overweight at the time. A friend lent her a bike and a helmet, and she started training. The weight just fell off her.

Spurred on by her cycle leg, she tackled the full race the following year.

In the process she lost 60kg, had kept it off and was living a healthier lifestyle.

Iron Maori was created for people like her.

According to a new report, Hawke's Bay Maori are more than two-and-a-half times more likely than non-Maori to die of treatable illnesses. That's 115 more deaths per 100,000.

Dire Maori health statistics are nothing new - but they show whatever we are doing is just not working.

MP for Ikaroa-Rawhiti Meka Whaitiri is calling for more acceptance and funding of alternative approaches that focus on the whole whanau.

This is where Iron Maori has been so successful. All it takes is one person to get the triathlon bug and soon they're encouraging their whanau and friends to join them for a bike ride or a swim.

Writing about the event also inspired me to enter the race. The positive atmosphere was the perfect place to give the sport a go - and now I'm hooked. We need to support events such as this that can give back so much to the community.