A product of Wainuiomata College, she grew up in a sporting family but never thought about becoming an Olympian. “I led a sheltered life and I did not know much existed outside Wainuiomata. The hockey community within Wainuiomata were like my other family, so it was not until I got into the reps at 11 and had to attend training in Newtown that I appreciated the big world outside the valley.”
Rob Kitchin/Stuff
Niniwa Roberts celebrates after scoring for the Black Sticks against China in 2008. When she was 17, she found herself in a New Zealand Under-18 trial with no comprehension of what was at stake.