Makaia Carr - Keeping it Real: Love your body, love your life

I was born in December 1979 in Hawera Hospital in Taranaki and grew up nearby in the small rural town of Manaia. With a population of just under a thousand, its surrounded by some of the countrys best dairying land, but the towns biggest claim to fame is Yarrows the Bakers; Manaia prides itself on being the bread capital of New Zealand! Taihapes got its giant gumboot, Ohakunes got its giant carrot, and Manaias got its giant loaf of bread. Yep, its small-town New Zealand.

Into this community my parents, Jeanette and John, brought five daughters; I was the eldest of these. There was a two-year gap between me and Rikki and then another two years to Casey, then a four-year gap before Tamiya was born, and another three years before Siborne came along. We also have two half-siblings Amanda and Scott from my dads first marriage. For a time, they lived with us, too, meaning we had seven kids under the one roof.

My early childhood years were pretty textbook-happy really: a stable home life, lots of siblings and cousins to have fun with, and an active lifestyle. By all accounts I was a chatty, smiley, sociable kid so it was a perfect environment for me.

I always disliked my name growing up because nobody especially teachers, it seemed could pronounce it. As a kid all you want is to fit in, and I felt that my name made me stand out; in a class full of Staceys, I was the only Makaia. Later in life I grew to love it I appreciate the fact its unique and that its a name thats been passed down through my whnau, which makes it special. My mum named me after one of her great-aunties, a woman who was a strong leader among her community.

My dad is Pkeh and my mum Mori; our family name is Manuirirangi and our iwi Ngti Ruahine. I learnt the basics of te reo growing up and really enjoyed time at the marae whenever we went to tangi or other family events, but I didnt learn a lot about my Mori side. Its not that Mum wasnt proud of her culture, but for her generation, and before that, speaking te reo was actively discouraged in schools its hard to believe these days but children were punished for it. By the time my two youngest sisters were in school, Mum decided to send them to kura kaupapa Mori, a Mori-language schooling system that was fairly new at that time, where they were taught in an environment that recognised and cherished a Mori world-view, with the aim of revitalising the language and culture. They had quite a different upbringing to me, and both speak fluent Mori. As an adult Im doing what I can to learn.

I knew that Mum and Dad worked hard to provide for us kids. Mum was a nurse and Dad ran a successful drainage business. We were always made aware that everything we had the food, the house, the clothes was the result of hard work. Mum worked long shifts as well as being constantly busy around the house it seemed as though she never rested and she would often fall asleep doing something like knitting or folding the washing. It was as though she just worked and worked and worked until she fell asleep on the spot. Mum and Dad also put a lot of thought into Dads business, which they were really proud of having built together. Theyd often have long discussions at the kitchen table about finances and how to grow the business. Nothing was ever taken for granted, and they made sure us kids knew the value of a dollar.

Welcome to the world, Makaia.

Holding my new baby sister, Casey.

Me (left) with my sister Rikki.

My mum and dad with my half-sister Amanda (top right), me (front right), Casey and Rikki (far left).

My cousin Devon and me. He was always like a brother to us girls.

We were never given money for nothing by our parents if we wanted something we had to work damn hard for it. We collected cans, delivered papers, mowed neighbours lawns, did jobs for our aunties. Growing up in that environment instilled in me the idea that if you had a goal, if you made a plan and stuck to it, you could succeed and be rewarded. It also showed me that there were options and choices available. My parents were never great verbal communicators (just a sign of the times, perhaps) but through their own actions, through leading by example, they taught me that with hard work and dedication, you could build a pretty good lifestyle for yourself and your family.