The tireless volunteer has been the backbone of the South Otago branch of the Otago Touch Association (OTA), lending a hand in every possible area.
Puna became involved in the sport about 11 years ago through her children and things ‘‘snowballed’’ from there.
After helping out managing South Otago and Otago representative teams, Puna quickly joined the South Otago junior touch committee and was then moved into the convener role.
South Otago has about 800 junior players and 300 senior players and Puna helps run two modules in term one, based on participation, and in term four, based on competition.
‘‘I'm super passionate about it,’’ Puna said.
‘‘We have a very small, hardworking committee who just all band together and do it for the love of it and do it for the kids.
‘‘I really love that grassroots stuff and making sure that our little communities down here have just as many opportunities as our big communities and our big centres around New Zealand.
‘‘Making sure that they have a place to go and play quality touch, and then learn ... and have pathways for those that want to go further and for those that don’t, that they can just go out there and learn how to play the game, have fun and make friends.’’
About seven years ago, Puna headed along to an OTA board meeting to ask a couple of questions and landed herself a seat at the table — where she still sits — as the South Otago representative.
‘‘I’m just the voice of South Otago — pitch in where I can.’’
The Balclutha woman has helped manage South Otago age-group and Otago age-group representative teams, and also helped manage the Otago open women’s team.
She had big aspirations to follow in the footsteps of Otago life member Toni Wall, who has been a long-serving Touch Blacks manager.
‘‘She’s a wonderful Otago lady ... I always looked up to her and thought ‘oh, how cool would that be?.’’
Puna, who was recently named one of five Home Ground Heroes in New Zealand for her services to the sport, is one step closer to that dream.
She managed the national under-20 mixed team at the Asia Pacific Youth Touch Cup last year and will head to Japan in October with the national masters, over-30s mixed team.
‘‘I’m really excited about that.’’
