Hineamaru Ropati

Ko Tokerau te Maunga
Ko Taumarere te Awa
Ko Ngatokimatawhaorua te Waka
Ko Ngati Hine te Iwi
Ko Hineamaru te Tupuna
Ko Miria te Marae
Ko Te Rapunga te Whare Tupuna
Ko Horama Pani Kopa raua ko Heeni Hau Paraone oku tupuna
Ko Aubrey Ropati taku hoa rangatira
Ko Kataraina, Te Ao Marama me Mana Whenua a maua kotiro
Ko Takoha o nga Atua,Te Rangatira me Tama Toa a maua tama
Ko Hineamaru taku ingoa
No reira, tena koutou, tena koutou, tena tatou katoa.

Raised in the Far North, the values of whakawhanaungatanga flowed through my veins. The importance of "uniting for a good cause" has been a foundation principle taught to me by my tupuna. This has allowed me to remain grounded as I ventured from a rural lifestyle to an urban lifestyle over 21 years ago.

My husband Aubrey (Ngati Ranginui/Samoa) and I have six very active and loving tamariki. We have lived in Mangere for the past 11 years.

ACC came into our lives in 1994 when our father had a bad car accident, that left him a tetraplegic. ACC and the medical teams looked after my whanau during this or¬deal and I am now a major supporter. Since then, my interest in injury prevention has taken me on a journey of wanting to learn more and to share this kaupapa with others.

I'm a staunch advocate of whanau getting involved at governance level within every kaupapa that may have an impact of the destiny of our tamariki and whanau. Why? Because that's where decision-making is made. I believe that the lives of our children can be moulded by the roles that we play. As my children grow up and get more involved in sport, I want to help them be as injury-free as possible.

I worked for the Manukau Urban Maori Authority for 17 years, the last 11 as the manager of its Road Safety programme. I learned that it's critical for whanau to be part of the planning, running and evaluation of all projects. I have also learned that safety of¬ten comes down to priorities. It's about choosing to replace a bald tyre with a new tyre over buying a new jacket. It's about choosing a warrant of fitness over packets of smokes.

My main role as the Safer Rohe Injury Prevention Consultant for South Auckland is to promote injury free practices so they become the norm in our homes, on the sports fields and on our roads.

I want to work collaboratively with key groups within this region as we work for our people and promote "Hikoi for Life". We need to fill our kete with as many tools as possible so that our whanau can have choices. I believe that an empowered whanau will choose to create a safer environment for our current and future tamariki mokopuna.