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Auckland police officer Cameron Macdonald will challenge his endurance on a four-day trek from Waipū to New Lynn (Auckland) next month, in support of Te Kiwi Māia, a charity that assists first responders and defence force personnel with mental health issues.
Cam will shoulder the literal burden of a 20kg pack on the 200km march, which he hopes to complete in four days. He will be accompanied by constables Aaron Rom (North Shore) and Lane Holloran (Mt Wellington).
As well as raising money for Te Kiwi Māia, the team will be spreading the message: “It’s OK to not be OK.”
Cameron, who has served at the North Shore Policing Centre for the past six years, comes from a family of emergency service workers – his father and brother are firefighters, his sister works for Hato Hone St John’s and his fiancée is also a police officer.
“I’m lucky to have people who understand what I’ve been through and who I can talk to,” he says.
“There are other people who don’t have that luxury. They might come home after an absolutely traumatic shift and their partner or parents are, like, ‘Why aren’t you doing the dishes, why aren’t you doing this or that’. The last thing they need is to be yelled at or be treated like there is nothing wrong. Even people with the thickest skins need help.”
Cameron says Te Kiwi Māia was the obvious choice for the fundraiser.
“My hope for this charity walk is not just raising awareness about Te Kiwi Māia, but to get people to look at themselves and realise they may not actually be doing OK, and also to check on others, to start a conversation. If I can get people talking to each other and checking in on themselves, I will feel like I’ve achieved something.”
This will be Cameron’s second fundraising campaign, after completing a 1000-kilometre charity bike ride in 2022.
Since the end of last year, he has been training regularly for the upcoming trek with pack marches.
The team will stay at campsites and houses along the route, and will be accompanied by a Hato Hone St John’s employee, and several other people are expected to join the hikers during the walk. “Waipū to New Lynn is the length of the Waitemata District, where I’ve built my policing career,” Cam said.
The full journey will start in Waipū on April 13 and follow the Te Araroa Trail south to Albany, before heading inland along State Highway 18 through West Auckland, finishing at the New Lynn Police Station.
Those wishing to support Cameron and the team can follow their entire journey on their Instagram page, Mental Health March.
