Finding purpose in pain NIKKI'S PATH TO HEALING

How the brave mum has found her way through unimaginable heartbreak

- Fleur Guthrie

After her 16-year-old daughter Natasha drowned trying to escape a swollen river while on a school canyoning trip, mum Nikki Bray felt like every day was going to be a life sentence. 

Natasha was one of the six students – along with their teacher from East Auckland’s Elim Christian College – who were swept to their death in the flooded Mangatepopo Canyon. It was an unthinkable tragedy that should never have happened.

At the time, husband Andy unintentionally became the media spokesperson on behalf of the bereaved parents, as the whole nation sympathised with them all. Then a decade on, Nikki’s “second worst nightmare” happened. 

Although her husband’s health had always been precarious, Andy, 62, suffered a heart attack on the operating table and passed away a few hours later. (He had lost all kidney function in his early twenties, had three kidney transplants and was believed to be one of the longest-living dialysis patients in New Zealand.)

Nine months before Andy’s death, his mum died. Six months later, another blow came – his dad also passed. Both parents lived next door. 

In the face of profound grief, but strengthened by her Christian faith, Nikki wanted to find “purpose in the pain” and help others to navigate loss in even the most impossible circumstances. After retraining as a certified

coach, the mum-of-three has poured her personal experiences and insight into a book, From Here to There, which is released this month. 

While it’s easy to think “this was not supposed to be my story”, she wanted to remind Kiwis that through times of immense darkness there is still light.