What is your full name, why were you given that name and do you have a nickname?

Annie Wihongi Moynihan – I was named after my dad’s oldest sister, TeAni Wihongi Paea. I guess I got ‘Annie’ because at the time it must have been the ‘in’ thing to give the tamariki a pakeha name, ‘Annie’ being the transliteration of ‘Ani’.  In our family, it could also have been, that mum & dad ran out of Maori names – we already had Henare, Hare, Maraea, Wiremu, Moengaroa, Hoani, Heemi, Rei – & started on the names of LDS missionaries! J (Nickname: ‘Wan’ – which I am called by and PREFER  to be called by our Pipiwai & Awarua whanau; or ‘TeAni’ – but there we go!)

How many children and mokopuna [grandchildren] do you have?

4 children, 7 mokopuna (another 1 due in November, all going well.)

What are your tribal or cultural affiliations?

Ngatihine, Ngapuhi, TeUriohua

Which High School did you attend?

Northland College

Who or what gives you strength?

My family, my parents, my tupuna, my whanaunga, my God, righteous examples of family & friends give me strength.

What work [paid and unpaid] do you do?

I am retired from so-called ‘paid work’, and stay home doing whatever I can for myself, the whanau, and my church.

If you have travelled overseas, where or what was your most memorable adventure?

I’ve only ever been to Australia, USA & Samoa. As much as I would like to think that my trips overseas have held the most memorable adventures for me, if I were to be honest, I think my truly most memorable was when I left my little old home village of Awarua, as a very naive just turned 18-year-old, on 1 January 1964 with my oldest sister, her husband & children, and travelled to Auckland to begin a new life in the ‘big smoke’. The adventure that began then has continued to this day, with its many ups and downs, straights and corners, and whatever else! A holiday in Hawaii, another in Samoa, and 15 trips to the USA mainland which included LDS & American History sight tours covering in total  38 states, and being with family there, have all been memorable for this ‘bush kid’, but not THE most memorable.

Name two women you admire or remember and why?

My mum, TeAhua – for her unconditional love, like most mothers, I guess. She was such a peaceable person. She had faith in God. She was not judgemental. She seemed to love everyone. She was a hard worker. She was intelligent. She was beautiful. I can’t remember ever hearing her  complain about all the work she had to do nor the conditions under which we lived. she . She was unassuming, self-effacing and humble. I believe she was pretty firm when she wanted to be. She taught us values & principles of life, not only by word but always by example. She was always there for me and my siblings, and I guess, if the expression existed when I was in my early 20’s through to the day my mum died in 1996 when I was 50 years of age, I would say that my mum always ‘watched my back!’ I love & miss her dearly.

Many other aunts could fill the place of the second woman whose name and deeds are worth mentioning. Perhaps one I could separate from the many, is my Nanny Toti Henare. I must have only been about 4 or 5 years of age, yet I still have this memory of being given by my karani beautiful, finely crocheted doilies, and feeling to this day, that she must have loved my sister and I very much, to spend so much time on making these beautiful things and giving them to us, as little as we were. I often think of those deeds that my nanny did, and treasure those memories very much.

If you could write a book for your daughters what would it be?

I would not write an auto-biography, that’s for sure!! Yet, having said that, I think my journals that I have written over many years, although filled with too many gaps, contain enough good & not so good lessons, that I would hope my daughters will take encouragement from, and know that their mother wasn’t all that bad, or all that good; that she had flaws like everyone else; that she was, after all, just like them … normal! and to continue with their lives not forever thinking that I thought I was perfect, which I sometimes am saddened about when in conversation they imply that that is what I think I am! Kids!!!

What have you always wanted to do but never done?

To have a not-too-extreme makeover!

If you could teach children for a year, what three skills would you focus on?

1. Communication (Specifics: Effective listening & being able to apply effectively knowledge acquired.)

2. Behavioural (Specifics: Respect for self, others, environment)

3. Academic/Technical (Specifics: Life skills)

(Woven into the above would have to be values, such as: honesty, work ethic, responsibility, being positive, self-confidence, willingness to learn, etc.)

What are three adjectives which describe you?

Honest, loyal, dependable … if there was a 4^th one, it would have to be … BORING!

Who is the most “famous” person you have ever met?

“Famous” only in the LDS setting – Sister Sheri L. Dew

What is your favorite material possession?

My gold ‘ctr’ wedding rings

What do you consider your greatest achievement so far in your life?

Overcoming the many spiritual obstacles I have experienced in later life & being in the place that I find myself now.

What is the strangest and scariest thing you ever did?

Like I said in a previous answer – I’m ‘boring’, so I’m finding this a bit difficult to answer! I don’t do ‘strange’ & I certainly wouldn’t want to do ‘scary’!!! J The little ‘Rainbow’s  End’ roller-coaster was scary enough for me, although doing ‘the Simpsons’ ride last year at Universal Studios was pretty scary. Strange? Ummm … I’ll have to get back to you on that one.

If you could change the world for your grandchildren what would you do?

I’d have every country open for the missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to enter. I won’t go so far as to say that I would make sure everyone accepted the message, but I would send out the very best missionaries and after the people have been taught, I’d allow them to exercise their agency, for all the reasons I’d be happy to share, if anyone asks!! LOL!

Favourite Quote:

Can I have more than one? J The following are just some of my MANY favourites.

Artificial intelligence usually beats real stupidity.

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I would rather live my life as if there is a God,
and die to find out there isn’t, than live my life
as if there isn’t, and die to find out there is.
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There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore…and who always will. So, don’t worry about people from your past, there’s a reason why they didn’t make it to your future.
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Blessed are those that can give without remembering and receive without forgetting.

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The man is the head of the household, but the woman is the neck that turns the head.
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It’s better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you are a fool, than to open it and remove any lingering doubt!