Mea Motu (Te Rarawa) has wasted no time giving back to her community after winning the IBO super bantamweight world title just one week ago.
Motu recently visited Glenn Eden Intermediate School where she provided basic boxing training to a group of rangatahi. However, Motu stressed that her efforts go beyond boxing.
Motu's main goal is to change the narrative that perpetuates a never-ending cycle of problems in her community. She believes that the only way to break this cycle is by starting with the children.
"I want to let kids know that I can support and help them by giving them a voice. That's the biggest lesson I want to teach," said Motu.
For Rochelle Johnson, a teacher at Glenn Eden Intermediate School, having role models like Motu come into the school is an honour and privilege, especially for young girls.
"It's really important, especially for our young girls, to have someone positive like Mea - someone they can relate to and who accepts them for who they are. It's great to have someone to look up to and work on from the inside," said Johnson.
As a mother of five, Motu understands the importance of initiatives like this and is planning to do many more in the near future.
Motu is also setting her sights on more titles, including the WBA, WBC, IBF, IBO and Ring Magazine belts.