Bullying victim Raybane Hume-Kinzett has won a rare rugby honour and boost to his recovery since trying to kill himself at school earlier this year.
The Carterton School pupil, 11, suffers acute and chronic eczema and at 1.56m-tall weighed about 80kg in March when he tried to strangle himself with a skipping rope in an attempt to escape schoolyard torment about his eczema and size.
His mother Sharlee Hume told the Wairarapa Times-Age shocked classmates wrestled the rope from her son, who later the same day collapsed and was taken to a nearby medical centre by ambulance.
His plight had since featured in a two-page spread in a national magazine and numerous friends and fellow bullying victims and eczema sufferers had pledged their support and concern for him.
One of his supporters was Greytown family friend Christine Ammunson, Ms Hume said, who nominated Raybane for a draw to run on the ball at the All Black v Australia Bledisloe Cup match on August 24 at Westpac Stadium in Wellington.
Raybane, who had played rugby with Mrs Ammunson's son, Luani, was announced as winner of the draw a fortnight ago and the timing of his win could not be better, Ms Hume told the Times-Age.
She is to accompany Raybane to the game, where the Carterton Rugby Club U13 forward will run on the ball wearing a full junior All Black strip, which he gets to keep. Raybane, who is playing No 8 this season, is keen to one day play as an All Black and said his competition win was "pretty cool" and a fine consolation while he waits for his call-up to the big time.
"I get to sit on the bench during the game and the best bit is just to meet the All Blacks. That will be really cool,"
Raybane said as a baby he had once been taken to an All Black game when his family were living in Melbourne and he admitted he was "a little bit nervous" about his duties as a Bledisloe Cup ball runner.
Ms Hume said Raybane had proved himself a battler since his bullying and was training at rugby and attending Scouts.
His confidence had grown through sessions and time spent with his teacher, counsellor, family and friends and he had lost 5kg and was aiming to shed the same again before his starring role.
Ms Hume said messages of support had been sent to Raybane from across the region and the world, including a voucher from a woman called Barbara in Featherston and a card from an eczema sufferer in Britain.
"I'm so glad Raybane has been accepted for who he is and not what he looks like. And winning the ball runner contest has helped him no end.
"There are so many people to thank and he's feeling really good about himself and is right where he deserves to be," Mrs Hume said.