Lady Kuia Morrison will celebrate her 72nd birthday by walking the New York Marathon.
The feisty grandmother, wife of the late Sir Howard Morrison, will join a group of five friends and walk the New York Marathon on October 28, which happens to be her birthday.
Lady Kuia said the trip had
been planned prior to her husband's death on September 24 and it won't be her first marathon. In fact, she has lost count of how many she has done.
She said she was a strong advocate for a healthier style of living.
"I have encouraged other women to be healthy and to exercise," Lady Kuia said. "You don't have to do a marathon, but just get out and about and do something."
Lady Kuia said the trip to the United States wasn't just about completing the marathon but about adopting a healthy lifestyle for all Maori women.
"We hope to make a positive contribution to improving the health of Maori wahine (women) and reversing the statistics that currently apply to Maori women."
Health statistics show Maori girls under 15 are more likely than non-Maori girls to be admitted to hospital for meningococcal disease, acute respiratory infections and asthma. They are also more at risk of homicide and injury inflicted by others.
Lady Kuia said exercise had played an important role in her life.
"I've played squash and golf and I walk every day. I get toey if I stay in the house."
The other women who will be joining Lady Kuia are Ally Gibbons, Diane Grant, Violet Pelham, Ngaroma Tahana and Olivia Gibbons.
The objective of the group was to acknowledge women who had died from illness, share their experiences of leading healthy lifestyles with other women and celebrate the successes of healthy wahine Maori, Lady Kuia said.
