The Journeys That Shaped Us: A Matariki Reflection from the senior CFA Team
- City First Aid
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Matariki is a time to look back at the journeys that brought us here, the places that shaped us, the traditions we carry, and what we have come to love about calling Aotearoa | New Zealand home.
This is the first of two posts introducing you to the journeys that have shaped the CFA team. Today, our senior team. Next week, our newest voices.
Each person was asked three questions and invited to share a photo from somewhere special to them.
Vicky | 8 years as co-owner and managing director of CFA
A place that shaped me
Oxford, North Canterbury, was the true beginning of my travelling and culture journey. I committed three months to learning about God, myself, and my values, to understand my faith journey of growing, healing, and saying yes. Part of this was meeting so many different people from around the world, their culture, their history. Saying yes and embracing the differences.
A tradition that stayed
I was in Bangladesh over Christmas and the New Year. This was the first time I had seen or tasted a pomegranate. Wow. Taste explosion, fresh, bright, delicious. I try to use pomegranate during the festive season now, as it transports me back to the ladies in their beautiful saris, the colour, the smells, the laughter, and love.
What I love about New Zealand
New Zealand is my home, my foundation. To see the Alps and the sea, to move freely, and to be safe. Everywhere I have been around the world, and that's many places, everyone I meet would love to come to NZ or return. We are truly grateful.
A photo that means something
This photo was taken in Ephesus on a hot, dry day. We walked around this ancient spiritual ruin, and for me, it is one of my faith foundation photos. The stone pavements and the walls of the city are all history and powerful testimony.
Brian | 8 years as co-owner and director of CFA
A place that shaped me
Being involved with a group helping people in an organisation called youth with a mission. This was a group of international students and I was one of the oldest at the age of 30. I learned so much about myself, who I am as a Christian and also working with other people on a six month school which involved being in a group with confined areas including; vans and planes and accommodation, this included Fiji village bures on a dirt floor, with coconut palms leaves on the walls and roof.
I also enjoyed experiencing all the different areas of our remote island and traveling around villages and meeting local people. We had a short concert, with songs and a drama that we shared. We learnt more about in the Fijian people, way of life, and culture, and food.
A tradition that stayed
The tradition I remember very clearly, was my first Christmas and New Year in Fiji, where they celebrate with cooking their food above ground on rocks and have lots of amazing fresh fish. I learnt how to cook fish wrapped in leaves or tinfoil if it was available. I loved the beautiful pineapple pie and coconuts and so many other fresh food. They have water fights at midnight which I thoroughly loved, and if you didn’t have a water pistol you would have a bucket or just threw them in the river or the ocean and have lots of fun.
What I love about New Zealand
New Zealand has some of the most exciting scenery and outdoor adventurous places that I’ve ever seen in my world travels, I can’t underestimate the mountains, the grandeur of the lakes and rivers, especially in the South Island ,but some great places in the north as well it’s truly one of the wonders of the world.
A photo that means something
BBQ salmon they way I was taught in Fiji with out leaves and his family had passed down the technique over many years.
Yvonne | 15 years with CFA
A place that shaped me
After completing my nursing and theatre nursing degrees, I went to Curaçao, a small island in the Caribbean just off the coast of Venezuela, to work in the hospital as a theatre nurse. I went there all by myself and had to sort my own stuff out, far away from home.
A tradition that stayed
I loved Christmas time there. It is still hot, around 30 degrees, but it gets dark around 7 pm every night. Decorating the outside with fairy lights was an art form, with palm trees, buildings, and bridges. It was beautiful. On New Year's Eve, businesses used to chase the bad spirits away with fireworks. That was unbelievable, and I still can't believe our dogs didn't get scared.
What I love about New Zealand
Living in NZ is so relaxed compared with the rat race in other places in the world. Our children got a lot more opportunities than they ever would have had if we had stayed in the Netherlands. We also got involved in volunteer work as a family, which gives us great fulfilment. Stuff we never would have imagined when living in the Netherlands.
A photo that means something
Gail | 26 years with CFA (with international time off in the middle)
A place that shaped me
We moved from California to Bologna in 2007 for my husband's work, expecting all the effortless romance of Italy in the movies, and beautiful food, of course. The beautiful food was there, but the effortless part wasn't. It was one of the hardest chapters of my life. It wasn't Italy's fault, just a season of hard at the time.
To survive, I forced myself to journal one thing to be grateful for every single day: my one gorgeous moment. Nineteen years later, that single habit has seen me through many hard chapters in life.
A tradition that stayed
Thanksgiving in the United States has stayed with me. I love the intentionality of it. Despite its complex historical layers, the act of gathering around a table simply to practice collective gratitude mirrors a universal truth: no matter where we are in the world, we all share the same fundamental need for community and belonging.
What I love about New Zealand
I love that people know my stories; I don't have to explain my history, my whānau, or my sarcastic sense of humour. I love that people don't misinterpret my accent when I talk about having a beautiful night on the deck.
But most of all, I appreciate our culture of looking out for one another. We are still a country of people who will pull over to help a stranger on the roadside.
A photo that means something
This is me kayaking in Ha Long Bay in Vietnam, taken by my sister from our cruise ship. At this time in our lives, we were constantly braced for impact, just waiting for the next tragedy. Being alone on that water was the exact moment I finally felt safe enough to stop holding my breath.
This image is a permanent reminder to me to breathe. It captures something I couldn't see at the time. If we only focus on the current hard thing, we don't see the enormity of life around us. 'Hard' is just snapshots in the overall landscape of life. Not the life itself.
Just as Matariki honours both remembrance and renewal, City First Aid continues to grow. The stories of our senior team form the roots of who we are, while our newest team members represent the fresh shoots and new beginnings that will help shape our future.
Next week, meet Claire, Jodie, and Nick as we continue our journey through the stories that make up the City First Aid whānau.