Hi, my name is Harlow Apiata and I have a huge love and passion for rugby.  I have been playing since I was 5 years old and from the age of 11 have represented my region.  I have also captained 5 of these teams.  When I was 13, I missed out on representative rugby and this gave me a huge push to focus on what I love and enjoy doing. I started using my out of school time to train hard physically and worked on my psychological game.  Over time my hard work paid off as I was approached in Year 10 and asked if I would like to train for the 1st fifteen development squad.  This has lead to me also being 1 of only 44 young men to be selected for a 1 month rugby development tour in the United Kingdom this year.  This trip is a huge accomplishment for a Year 10 to get this invitation.  This would be a dream come true for me to attend as I believe the experience I can gain and the skills I will learn will be invaluable for my rugby career.  I am the oldest child of 4 and even though my mum and dad put their everything into both our education and sporting endeavours,  we struggle to meet these costs.  My dad works full time in the Army but has recently had a job change and a reduction in his earnings.  This has been very difficult for my family so I am trying to help out by applying for funding where I can, working any odd jobs for family members and doing fundraising through school.  I know we can not achieve this on our own and I am hugely grateful for any koha/donation.  Whatever I learn from this experience I intend to come back home and share with the youth in my community and my whanau to ensure a longer, happier and healthier future for them.