Tamati almost wasn't there

ALL things being equal, Tamati Paul should not have been on the stage in the Rangitikei College assembly hall yesterday morning.
All things being equal, he should have died at the roadside in 1998, in the mangled wreckage of his car.
But for Tamati Paul, being equal is not what life's about.
It's about being the best you can be and about keeping faith with yourself, your whanau, your culture and about making the right choices.
That was just one of the messages Mr Paul delivered to students at Rangitikei College yesterday in a powerful, often emotional presentation about his fight for survival after being smashed up by a drunk driver.
He was just 24 years old when his bright future ? as a New Zealand Olympic representative in kayaking with gold medal potential and a promising career in the police force ? was snatched from him in a split second.
The young man from Gisborne was heading up the highway toward Tolaga Bay when a drunk coming the opposite way at 165kph, smashed head-on into Mr Paul's car.
The resulting injuries were horrific: brain damage; abdominal and chest injuries; a collapsed lung; loss of full eyesight; nearly every bone in the right side of his body smashed; injuries to his hips, arms and legs.
He bled for 90 minutes and his first operation lasted 16 hours. He was placed in a medically induced coma for four weeks. His body was totally reconstructed and put into a full body cast; he spent five months in hospital.
Four years of memory prior to the crash have also been wiped out.
Despite all that, and being told he would never walk or talk again, within a relatively short time he had ditched his wheelchair and was walking, talking and striving to regain his independence.
Just three years after the crash he was ready to embark on a new project ? travelling the country talking to students, giving them the message about life's realities and the absolute importance of making the right choices.
And that's where he is at today.
While Mr Paul has no hatred of the man who almost killed him, he told the students that what happened to him was no accident.
It was something that could have been foreseen. It was the other man's choice to drink and drive.
The offending driver had a 15-year history of drunk driving. He had been convicted three times for that and at the time of the crash was a disqualified driver and was three times over the legal breath alcohol limit. He died.
Mr Paul said that while making the long journey to recovery he had no energy for hatred. All his energy was focused on healing himself.
He also told the students that being "healthy, active, fit and clean" had made a huge difference to his survival and fight back.
Whanau and aroha were also major factors. They had always been a significant part of his life before the crash and remained so.
"Love and respect for whanau ? that's number one ? all the time," he said.
"Always be proud of who you are. And remember choice is our responsibility, each and every one of us. So don't let what happened to me happen to you ? or anyone else."