Portia Woodman getting ready to be brought on to Ngawha Marae on Saturday afternoon accompanied by her great-aunts Ann Evans and Bertha Te Tuhi. Photo / Debbie Beadle
Portia Woodman getting ready to be brought on to Ngawha Marae on Saturday afternoon accompanied by her great-aunts Ann Evans and Bertha Te Tuhi. Photo / Debbie Beadle
Returning to the marae where she used to throw a rugby ball around with her cousins as a nipper, Portia Woodman was officially presented with an Olympic pin from the Far North District Council in recognition of her silver medal winning performance at the Rio Olympics with the Black FernsSevens rugby side.
It had initially been intended to present the pin to Portia at the Far North sports awards in Paihia last month - which she was expected to attend alongside fellow Olympian Blair Tuke and Paralympian Chris Sharp.
However she had instead gone to England to attend the world rugby awards where she had again been nominated for women's player of the year.
The next plan was to present the pin at the FNDC chambers in Kaikohe. However, upon consulting with the Woodman whanau, mayor John Carter decided it would be more fitting to have Portia's family there to celebrate her achievements.
Thus the presentation of the pin by FNDC representative Cheryl Smith (nee Waaka, herself a former Black Fern) duly took place at Ngawha Marae on Saturday afternoon.
It was pinned to Portia's blouse by one aunty while another gifted her a taonga of greenstone earrings.
Portia's uncle Richard Woodman noted that despite being scattered around New Zealand, many of Portia's extended whanau had made a special effort to attend.
Her cousin Josh Woodman performed the powhiri and wero to bring Portia on to the marae, where father Kawhena noted it was a huge honour for the family to have Ngati Rangi represented on the world stage.
The Black Fern didn't stay long, heading south to Cambridge the following day to help her Counties Manukau side take out the women's division at the regional sevens tournament.
