Coming to New Zealand to represent the Go Media Stars had more layers than just embracing a new on court challenge for defender Remi Kamo.
It was also about understanding where she comes from and the people she holds an intrinsic connection with, but had yet to meet.Kamo grew up in Australia, but has family ties to the Chatham Islands and Ngāti Mutunga iwi through her father, who spent the early years of his life on the island, before moving to Australia.
With the help of Air Chathams, Kamo was able to visit the Chatham Islands for the first time, alongside her partner Georgia and Stars captain Maia Wilson.
Q. Remi, can you describe your trip to the Chatham Islands and what you were able to experience?
“To start our trip, we had to fly from Auckland to Wellington to catch the Air Chathams flight to the island. It was a really cool beginning to our journey, as there was a tiny check in desk for Air Chathams and the person at the desk was named Helen Kamo, who funnily enough I was related to!”
“The flight was quite an experience too. It was a smaller plane to what I’m used to. The front half was full of freight as Air Chathams freights all of the food and goods for the residents on the island and on the way back we had a number of live crayfish joining us on the plane as that’s one of the main exports from the island.”
“We had a welcome at the marae when we arrived and heaps of my whānau were there and I had lots of family members also fly to the island from around New Zealand to greet me. They sung us some lovely waiata and even Maia sung me a beautiful waiata which was lovely. It was such a pleasure having her there as someone who’s really community minded and also really curious and interested about māori history which was really cool.”
“Day one we went to the island’s biggest school Te One School and delivered some netball programmes. There were three different classes and about 50 kids and they were so sweet and loved getting outdoors. You can tell they all love the outdoors, are into things like hunting and fishing and always on the land and really practical and it was cool to hear about what they do on the island and a big number were my relations which was cool. We had Kea Kids come and do some filming with us too and the kids got to be journalists and interview each other.”
“That afternoon we went to the museum where they had a whakapapa scroll from Ngāti Mutunga where I got to see all of my ancestors. I got to see my great grandad and all of his family on there which was really surreal and I was lucky to have my family connections explained and I was able to go to the urupā which was quite special and lots of tears were shed there. The museum also told stories of the history of the Moriori. I learned I am also a descendent of a Portuguese whaler, which I didn’t know! He came from the Azores, which is another remote island like the Chathams.”
The following day we went to the Kōpinga Marae, which is the Moriori marae, it’s a beautiful space on top of a hill and overlooks all the water and is a very peaceful place and I shed a lot of tears there as well, it was really special. We then did some sightseeing in the afternoon, saw the bird sanctuary and drove around the island.”
“The last day we went to Kaingaroa School which only has six students and it was raining really heavily that day, but we hung out with them and they gave us a beautiful welcome and we eventually braved the rain and played some netball with them. That afternoon we went to the basalt columns which are stone formations made from volcanic lava which were really cool and there’s only one other naturally occurring place similar on the Scottish island of Staffa. The last thing we did was went to a beach where all the prehistoric shark teeth wash up. They say the shark tooth finds you and we were all very fortunate that a shark tooth found us and our guide gave me some more shark teeth to take home since I was whānau. I’m going to make an artwork and frame it, with all of my beautiful shark teeth. Apparently, they’re like 30 million years old which is insane! The whole trip was an epic experience.”
Q. Upon reflection, how special was it to have this experience on the Chatham Islands?
“I can’t even put it into words. It’s so special and has been the highlight of my time in New Zealand. I think the connections I’ve made will continue to grow with all of the lovely people I’ve met and I’ll definitely get my family over there one day. Everyone was keen to have my dad back, he hasn’t been back since he was five. It opened the line which was really cool.”
Elizabeth Day, who is the Whānau Ora navigator for Ngāti Mutunga, was able to accompany Kamo and Wilson for the majority of their time on the island and explains how it was a beautiful experience for all involved.
"I tried my best to ensure that Remi and Maia had ample opportunities to connect with the schools and the broader community. It was super important to showcase Remi and Maia to our tamariki and explain the connection Remi had to the island. To be honest when you looked at all of the tamariki at Te One School there would have only been 2 handfuls that she wasn’t related to!"
"These netball clinics were extremely beneficial for our tamariki, especially as we have some senior tamariki who play amongst the local adult competition and to be taught by professional netballers like Remi and Maia is something that they will never forget.”
"Remi came home to trace her family's footsteps and reconnect with her whakapapa. I would dare say that when the Chatham Islands fresh air hit her lungs after stepping off the plane, she instantly felt a sense of belonging. It’s something you can’t explain… but when you know you know.”
"Remi has a big whānau here on the island and it was fitting that we called on whanaunga to help facilitate significant parts of Remis brief time home."
"I must also say when it came time to say ka kite, some of us had to swallow our emotions as we waved and she drove away. Now that's when you know the connection runs deep."
Head of Marketing and Communications Estelle Bray-Taylor shared similar sentiments and is proud Air Chathams could assist with the special trip.
"Air Chathams is all about connecting people and places, especially some of New Zealand’s most remote communities. So, when Remi Kamo, approached us with a dream to rediscover her roots on the Chatham Islands as a born and raised Aussie, we knew we had to make it happen."
"The week on the island was filled with connection, inspiration and community spirit in true ‘Chats’ fashion. The players were warmly welcomed into island life and kept busy, running netball clinics at Te One School and Kaingaroa School. Despite battling gale-force winds and heavy downpours, local students eagerly took to the court, proving that not even wild weather could dampen their enthusiasm. For the young Chatham Islanders, meeting and playing with Remi who share a connection to their home was more than just fun, it was a reminder that greatness can come from anywhere."
"These opportunities embody Air Chathams purpose: to bring communities together as your family in the sky."
