The newly crowned FPC Champions and Paris Olympians shared their wisdom with a full house at Ninja Valley.

Be a good human, and don’t be afraid to put in the work.

Our Ninja Valley International Girls Day event came off the back of the mighty Waikato Women’s Rugby team lifting the FPC Cup as champions. A few short months before that, Shaane Fulton was standing on the 2024 Olympic Podium with a silver medal being placed around her neck. World champion mountain biker Sammie Maxwell was also representing New Zealand at the Paris Olympics against the best of the best.

And yet, despite the overwhelming success these incredible athletes have achieved, they remain hardworking and humble.

Everyone deserves to play

People started arriving from 5pm and headed straight into the Ninja Arena for free play. It was fantastic to also see our athletes taking to the activities.

Olympian Shaane Fulton took to the High Ropes, while Sammie Maxwell felt right at home on the climbing towers.

Work hard. Stay humble

The heart of our International Girls Day event was a full house listening to the athletes and asking them questions. While there were so many inspirational moments from each speaker, the common themes were around working hard but staying humble. You will encounter setbacks and obstacles, so you’ve got to be determined and persevere if you want to succeed. 

Being involved in sport has so many benefits for both your physical and mental health, plus all of the great mates and memories you create for life. Finally, while you’re still young, get out there and try as many different sports and activities as you can. 

Our charity partners

We knew that hearing from these legends would be incredible. It's super important to us that this message is shared far and wide, especially with people who may not normally be able to come to Ninja Valley. So, we allocated free tickets to our charity partners at The WaterBoy, HMS Trust, and Shama Ethnic Women's Trust. 

Each of these incredible organisations seek to build communities and empower young women. Being able to support our charity partners in their endeavours is incredibly meaningful.

Meet your heroes!

Everyone loves a selfie. People were able to get up close with Shaane and her Olympic Silver Medal. The Waikato Women’s team handed out popcorn and supporter packs while fans could take their photo with the Farrah Palmer Cup!

Shaane shows her silver medal from the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Waikato tighthead prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu scored the opening try against Canterbury in the FPC Final. She shared her thoughts on coming along to the Ninja Valley International Girls Day event.

“I think it was so cool seeing all the little girls here today and inspiring the next generation. I’m just so grateful to be here. Achievements and winning is great, but it’s important to also be a good person,” she says.

Success doesn’t come easy

Olympian and world champion mountain-biker Sammie Maxwell was also thrilled to be part of this inspirational evening at Ninja Valley.

“The event was amazing. I loved having heaps of fun with the kids, and I hope they took something away from all the amazing girls who shared their stories,” she says.

Sammie has faced her own personal challenges on her journey to represent New Zealand on the world stage. She found it incredibly meaningful to share her story in front of a crowd of young women.

“I love this because female sports is growing, so to be part of that scene and that change is really important to me. And being able to use my voice to promote health at events like this that are special to me is important. Just have fun. There’s no reason you can’t be the one to hit the ball or kick a goal. People say ‘Throw like a girl’ or ‘Ride like a girl’ but I’m proud to ride like a girl, so be proud of being a girl in sport,” says Sammie Maxwell.

Stay tuned for more inspirational events

Community is, and has always been at the heart of Ninja Valley. We believe that everything starts with Play: fun and joy,  physical and mental health, relationships and connections, confidence and resilience and risk-assessment and risk-taking, 

This may have been the first inspirational evening (better name pending) but it definitely won’t be the last. I personally got such a kick out of seeing the athletes generously sharing their time with everyone, and the smiles on everyone’s faces.

The last word goes to Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu

“Especially for the girls, just know that you can do anything you put your minds to. As females, we’re often told that we can’t, when we can. The sky's the limit so reach for the stars.”

Grant “Ninja G” Beuzeval

Co-Owner

Ninja Valley