MMA fighter Janay Harding joins RNZ's TAHI podcast Photo: RNZ
Mixed martial arts athlete Janay Harding has signed up to join RNZ's rangatahi platform TAHI, co-hosting the podcast from next month.
Although, she told new co-host So'omālō Iteni Schwalger, some people know her better from her brief stint onThe Traitors NZ.
Harding's MMA career kicked off when she was 18, so she's used to being on the other side of the mic with people shooting questions at her, she says. But she's also done plenty of side gigs - commentating, interviewing and "little fun stuff" that she wanted to do more of, landing her the TAHI gig.
"I'm a yapper ... might as well make that my job," Harding says.
"I intended to transition into media after my career as an athlete. In fact, I graduated high school with an acceptance to university for a communications degree but decided to pursue fighting instead and ended up on the other end of the mic for over a decade."
Born in Christchurch, Harding moved to Australia at 10 and got herself a hint of an Australian accent, before moving overseas for her sport. She came back to Aotearoa about two years ago.
"Growing up in Aussie and having my Pākehā mum raise me, as much as she tried to push me into my culture, it just takes a bit for a young kid to adapt to it, because you weren't connected to it and because my dad wasn't always around, it was had to find my connection with Māori.
"...It was a bit of an ardious relationship with it," she admits.
"I'm too white for the brown people and too brown for the white people. I know a lot of people deal with that. I am so grateful to have come back and relating to a lot of people who are in the same boat."
Harding has started embracing her te reo Māori journey, learning the language and digging deep into her identity.
"The more I'm on this journey, the more I'm like 'that's why I am like this'.
"TAHI aligns perfectly with my current priorities. This opportunity allows me to connect to our rangatahi and culture, fulfilling the intentions that bought me back home."
The TAHI podcast launched in April 2023, showcasing more than 100 young musicians, creatives and newsmakers, with a new episode released on podcast, streaming and social media platforms every Tuesday and Thursday.
