Running With Purpose: Jon Erick and the Spirit of Niue Athletics
On a bright summer’s day in January 2025, the Papakura Track and Field facility echoed with energy, laughter, and the sound of feet pounding the track — barefoot, shoes, spikes and even on stilts. Over 1,000 athletes and family members gathered for Niue Athletics 2025, a uniquely Pacific celebration of sport, identity, and intergenerational connection.
At the heart of it all was Jon Erick, leading the Tamaki team with passion, humility, and a vision that reaches far beyond the finish line.
“This is more than athletics,” Jon says. “It’s our culture in motion. It’s wellbeing, connection, and pride — all on display.”
Where Western Sport Meets Niue Culture
Niue Athletics is like no other sporting event. Alongside classic events like the 100m, 200m, 400m, 1500m sprints and field events, it features uniquely Niuean races — stilts, sack races, three-legged sprints, and the crowd favourite: the Niue-style ski race (whats the Niue name for this), where competitors balance on giant leaves while clutching a wooden pole dragged across grass by teammates. Laughter is guaranteed; connection is inevitable.
This year, Jon not only led but competed — running the 1500m, 400m, and 100m sprints. Under his leadership, Tamaki took home the Niue Men’s Champion of Champions title, a moment of pride for his team and community.
“Being part of Tamaki when I was younger helped develop me,” he reflects. “Bringing it back now — with our young people watching and joining in — that’s meaningful.”
A Leader in the Making — and Already Leading
Jon is more than an athlete — he is a Niue leader in the making, and arguably, already there. A long-time paediatric mental health nurse at Starship Hospital, he brings his care and commitment into every space he occupies — whether in the ward, the community, or at home with his four children.
He proudly carries the legacies of both sides of his magafaoa: from his mother’s village of Alofi, rich in leadership and culture, to his father’s home of Hakupu, known for champions, service and strength.
“My parents and ancestors walked paths of leadership and service,” he says. “I just try to honour that — and make sure our youth know they can walk proud too.”
Through his self-led journey in vagahau Niue, Jon has become a beacon for his wider family, serving as Youth Leader for Hakupu's Laumua Magafaoa and creating learning spaces for his siblings, cousins, and wider community to reconnect with language, lineage, and values.
“You can’t invest in wellbeing without investing in your identity,” he explains. “Our young people need to feel grounded in who they are — that’s how they thrive.”
Moui Olaola in Motion
Jon’s work aligns seamlessly with MSD Pasefika Proud’s Moui Olaola – Niue Wellbeing Plan, which promotes a strengths-based, culturally rooted approach to community wellbeing. Events like Niue Athletics are powerful examples of how physical health, cultural pride, and community leadership come together in motion.
“Pasefika Proud backed this kaupapa in real ways,” Jon says. “It might look like just a sports day, but it’s so much more. It’s joy. It’s legacy. It’s unity.”
Like many quiet leaders supported through Pasefika Proud’s regional efforts, Jon doesn’t seek recognition — but he deserves it.
He is a true servant leader, embodying the values of Niue through action: humility (fakaalofa), service (fakamalolo atu), strength (moui olaola), and unity (fakafetuiaga).
“I’m just doing what I was raised to do,” Jon says, smiling. “We serve, we uplift, and we run alongside each other — not ahead.”
(Story supplied by Stephanie Erick)