More than 275 people came together at the Plymouth International in New Plymouth on Thursday night for what proved to be a remarkable evening with Willie Apiata VC.
From the outset, Willie showed an extraordinary ability to tell a yarn. There was no polished corporate presentation or carefully packaged leadership speech. Instead, he simply took the room on a journey through his life, weaving humour, hardship, service and some incredibly raw moments together in a way that had more than 275 people completely enthralled.
We had promoted the evening as an opportunity for conversation, reflection and inspiration, particularly around leadership, resilience, service, courage and looking after the people around us. What Willie delivered went well beyond that.
He spoke about his early life and some of the challenges of his childhood, his journey into the New Zealand Special Air Service, and the experiences that would ultimately lead to him receiving the Victoria Cross.
But some of the most powerful parts of the evening came afterwards.
Willie spoke openly about his mental health and the challenge of coming to terms with life after receiving the VC. At times it was incredibly raw.
The evening was an emotional roller coaster. One moment the room was chuckling along as Willie recalled his hitchhiking exploits on the East Coast; not long afterwards, you could have heard a pin drop as he shared some of the toughest periods of his life.
It is hard to remember another occasion where more than 275 people remained so quiet for so long.
That ability to move effortlessly between humour and vulnerability, without ever making the story feel rehearsed, was what made the evening so powerful. Willie wasn’t lecturing the room about resilience or wellbeing. He was telling his story and allowing people to take from it what they needed.
The evening would not have happened without the vision and organisational ability of Building Wellness Taranaki. Their work to create opportunities for honest conversations about wellbeing, particularly across industries such as construction, engineering, transport, logistics and the trades, was central to bringing the event together. Those were also the sectors the event was originally intended to reach.
Symons Group was proud to underwrite the event and help make that vision a reality.
As a family-owned Taranaki business, we are highly invested in the community and region we operate in. Supporting an event like this isn’t about putting our name on something. It’s about helping bring people together and supporting conversations that matter to our people, their families and the wider community.
The Plymouth International proved to be a fantastic venue, and seeing a room of more than 250 people so completely engaged was something pretty special.
A huge thank you to Building Wellness Taranaki for making the evening happen, to everyone who came along, and, of course, to Willie Apiata VC for his generosity, honesty and willingness to share his story.
It was one of those nights that will stick with people for a long time.
