John Puhara pictured on the Great Wall of China in 2005. With Blind Sport NZ, John visited Beijing, China to attend an International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) event.
Late last year, we asked for nominations for Blind Sport New Zealand Life Membership. During our 2020 annual general meeting, John Puhara was named as the first Blind Sport New Zealand Life Member in recognition of his outstanding individual contribution to blind and low vision sport within New Zealand. We sat down with John to learn more about his experiences in blind and low vision sport throughout the years.
Born with partial sight in 1949, John moved to Auckland from Hawke’s Bay at the age of six. He lived and attended school at the Foundation of the Blind (now Blind Low Vision New Zealand), which became his home away from home. He began working in blind workshops when he was 15 and gained valuable skills working in a timbermill, before joining the radiology department at Auckland Hospital. He later became an advocate for the vision impaired, with a particular focus on Māori. In this role, John supported government agencies through his advocacy work.
It was whilst attending school that John first got involved in blind sport, playing rugby, blind cricket, and blind hockey in the schoolyard. Sport turned competitive in his twenties, which he attributes to a Blind Low Vision NZ volunteer who organised for John and some of his peers to meet with Olympian and Commonwealth Games medalist Robin Tait. The opportunity to try shotput and discus alongside Robin inspired John to pursue athletics himself. He got involved with Parafed Auckland and went to the paraplegic nationals, where he qualified for the 1977 FESPIC games, which were held in Sydney. There he won silver and bronze medals in shot put and discus.
As well as participating in sport as a player, John has made a significant contribution to Blind Sport NZ through the years. He was involved in the formation of Blind Sport NZ in the early eighties, and is responsible for establishing blind lawn bowls and cricket in Aotearoa. John has continued to play a significant role in New Zealand blind and low vision sport, and was the Blind Sport NZ chairperson from 1999 to 2010. John is grateful for the opportunities that being a part of the blind and low vision sport community has offered him, including the chance to travel to places like Beijing, Turkey, Australia, and the Philippines. He says that these are experiences that he may never have had, if he had full sight.
When reflecting on his involvement in sport through the years, being awarded Blind Sport New Zealand Life Membership in 2020 stands out as one of John’s more memorable moments. He was the first person to become a Blind Sport NZ Life Member, in acknowledgment of all he has done for blind and low vision sport. Around the same time, John was also awarded life membership from Blind Citizens in recognition of his phenomenal contribution to the blind and low vision community throughout his lifetime.
Now aged 72, John still keeps active by running and going to the gym. Having dedicated so much of his life to sport, he feels it is important for him to keep fit and healthy by leading an active lifestyle. If he could offer one piece of advice to blind and low vision athletes, it is to keep up with their sport no matter what, because it will allow them to have a healthy lifestyle as they grow older. For those interested in taking up a sport, John suggests reaching out to local and national sport organisations who will help you get involved.