Prioritise your health, you're worth it.

With Women's Health Week, I want to remind you how important it is that we look after ourselves.

There's a lot of stigma around our Polynesian and Māori communities. Please know your value, know your worth, and know just how beautiful you are.

Reflecting on my own experiences and the painful loss of my beautiful mum to cervical cancer, I encourage you to please go get your mammograms and cervical screenings done if you're due, they're easy ways to prevent breast and cervical cancer.

Had the new HPV testing been available at the time, perhaps my mum could have been with us today, who knows. Technology and medical advancements have come a long way, and we owe it to ourselves to make use of these resources.

Get those essential tests done. It's a gesture of love towards yourself. And to those experiencing heavy or painful periods, please go and see your GP, it is definitely not normal.

You don't have to suffer in silence, there are wonderful people out there who can help you. Your friends, your family, your healthcare team.

This world is hard and is full of challenges, but one thing that we do have control over is our health. And if we look after ourselves, we can be the best versions of ourselves for our family and friends around us.

So please, if you need to see a doctor, please make an appointment as soon as possible to see your local GP and get yourself sorted because you are worth it.