Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Kiwi walking Te Araroa Trail for PNG women's refuge

Sue Dudman
By Sue Dudman
News director - Whanganui Chronicle·Whanganui Chronicle·
13 Oct, 2017 07:09 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Finn Egan is taking a couple of rest days - and a chance to swap his worn-out boots - at his grandmother's home in Whanganui.

Finn Egan is taking a couple of rest days - and a chance to swap his worn-out boots - at his grandmother's home in Whanganui.

A 23-year-old New Zealander is walking the length of the country to support women and children in Papua New Guinea.

Finn Egan, who has family ties to Whanganui, is doing the Te Araroa Trail to help fund a women's refuge in Kokopo. His journey, '2000 Miles for PNG Women', started on August 19 and he hopes to finish by Christmas, averaging about 30km per day.

"I volunteered in PNG for 18 months with Volunteer Service Abroad and after I came back to New Zealand I had about six months before I start my post-graduate studies," Egan said.

"I had been tossing up doing the Te Araroa Trail so I thought 'right, let's just do it'. One of the other volunteers in PNG was raising money for the women's refuge and I thought the walk was a good platform to raise awareness and find connections in New Zealand who could help them out in the long term.

"Violence, particularly against women and children, is prevalent in PNG. About 70 per cent of women will experience some form of violence in their lifetime. I could see some parallels with New Zealand but in PNG the violence is often in public, not hidden as it often is in New Zealand."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

While he's walking, Egan does a lot of thinking - that's when he's not being stopped by motorists who want to know what he's doing.

"I'm planning to do my master's in development studies so I think about thesis ideas. I'm often thinking about connections and how I can share my connections to the benefit of the refuge. But sometimes I'm not thinking about anything; I'm just concentrating on the walk and am in the zone.

"I'm surprised how many people stop on the road and ask me what's going on and see if I want a ride. I often get offers of places to stay. It's awesome support."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Photo/Bevan Conley
Photo/Bevan Conley

Plans have been developed to establish the Kokopo women's refuge but funds are needed so construction can begin.

The money Egan raises will go toward the initial setup of the refuge, including construction and furnishing of the facilities, as well as care packages for women and children. He is funding his own journey so all money raised will go to the refuge project.

Egan is posting Facebook updates about his 3200km journey at '2000 Miles for PNG Women'. Donations can be made via his Givealittle page at https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/2000milesforpngwomen and his progress can be tracked via his GPS at http://pngwomen.trackme.kiwi

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

Whanganui Chronicle

How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Whanganui Chronicle

Rangitīkei fencer regains Golden Pliers title

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Sport

Athletics: Early training years bring lessons in preparation

02 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Whanganui Chronicle

How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

How a white picket fence symbolises a significant Whanganui family

02 Jul 06:00 PM

'In many ways the Duncan family has imprinted itself on Whanganui.'

Rangitīkei fencer regains Golden Pliers title

Rangitīkei fencer regains Golden Pliers title

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Athletics: Early training years bring lessons in preparation

Athletics: Early training years bring lessons in preparation

02 Jul 06:00 PM
Nominations open for local government elections

Nominations open for local government elections

02 Jul 01:22 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP