Real Life

Weekly people: From baker to builder

This super-gran proves she’s as tough as nails.
Tuakana Wichman

While others her age are slowing down and relaxing into retirement, 82-year-old Tuakana Wichman has her hands full helping others at home and abroad. From assisting at her local church and building homes for the impoverished, to running a food bank from her garage, the great-grandmother is committed to those in need on an everyday basis.

Later this year, she will make yet another overseas trip to build homes for disadvantaged families in Nepal, joining up with 150 other New Zealand volunteers to construct 100 homes in just six days.

Working 12 hours a day on the building site, she’ll erect fences and lay foundations, all of which keep the South Aucklander young.

“People ask, ‘What exactly will you do over there?'” tells Tuakana. “‘Will you do the sweeping?’ I say, ‘No, I’ll carry bricks, climb ladders and hammer nails!'”

This will be Tuakana’s third self-funded trip to assist the housing charity Habitat for Humanity.

This will be Tuakana’s third self-funded trip to assist the housing charity Habitat for Humanity. She first became involved with the charity in 1995 through her volunteer work at the Christian station Radio Rhema.

“I would bake cakes and take them to the building sites in Otara,” says the mum of two. “Now I bake donuts and sell them to fund my overseas trips.”

This altruistic woman, who originally hails from the Cook Islands, travelled to Bangladesh in 2012 and Vietnam in 2013 with Habitat for Humanity. She also runs a food bank from her garage, allocating donated food from Auckland City Mission to deserving families in her neighbourhood.

As Habitat for Humanity’s oldest volunteer, Tuakana is a huge inspiration, says spokesperson Conrad LaPointe. “When you are tired and see her with six bricks in her hands, you can’t really sit down! She just gets on with it and keeps going.”

Travelling to Nepal involves a 20-hour flight, and after the project – “The Everest Build”, which runs from November 15 to 23 – she’ll take part in a scenic trek.

“Some people ask, ‘Will you climb Everest?’ I tell them I will,” she jokes. “I wish I could continue to do this, but it will depend on whether my body can keep up. So far, it’s good! People often say, ‘Sit down and have a rest,’ but I can’t! I’ve always been a busy person.”

Anyone wishing to join Habitat for Humanity in Nepal can call (09) 271 3357 or email [email protected] for more information.

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