Remembering one of my closest friends today, who sadly passed away in his sleep, leaving behind his partner , young children and many loving family members and friends. I will never forget when he invited to a Father’s Day dinner and presented with my pounamu. The most humbling experience of my life . Since arriving in Australia i have met many Maori people and i have always been given a huge amount of respect, friendship and loyalty by Maori people. Vance told me that it is because of who i am as a man and because i have “Mana” , and due to the amount of things i did for him , and how much he valued our friendship. He asked me to attend a dinner, celebrating in true Maori culture, and presented this to me with these words. “I have asked my tribal leaders for permission to present you with my Mana. Our people bestow mana only once in their lives and only on a very rare occasion to someone not of our culture. It is bestowed to people for their great words, deeds and character....