Dame Valerie Adams champions the next wave of Pacific athletes

Retirement has not slowed Dame Valerie Adams. If anything, it has sharpened her focus.

The two-time Olympic champion says her work is no longer about medals, it is about making a difference, ensuring young Pacific athletes get the same chances she once fought for.

Fresh from her induction into the New Zealand Hall of Fame at this week’s Halberg Awards, Adams says her role in sport is entering a new phase.

“For me, it’s about continuing to utilise the platform to draw more attention to these kids, to give them more opportunity,” she told John Pulu on PMN Tonga.

“My give back is not only to New Zealand, it’s to Tonga. My heart is in Tonga and I take every opportunity I can to help wherever I can.”

The proud South Aucklander is now turning her energy towards the upcoming Polynesian Championships, to be held at Auckland’s Trusts Arena in April.

The competition, last held in Tahiti in 2016, returns after a 10-year hiatus. Adams says that gap pushed her to think about how to create more regular opportunities for Pacific athletes.

She will host a three-day development camp from 2-4 March. The camp is designed to give athletes more than just training sessions.

Dame Valerie Adams competing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. Photo/Anthony Au-Yeung/Photosport

Funding secured with support from Athletics New Zealand will help create what Adams describes as an elite learning space, covering safeguarding, mental health, mental skills, and coaching clinics.

“It’s not about what [Athletics New Zealand] can get out of it,” she said. “It’s actually an opportunity to help Polynesia because New Zealand is also part of Polynesia. And through these conversations, we were able to get some funding.”

Adams believes building strong pathways at a grassroots level is key to long-term success.

“This is not only about athletics, it’s about your community, it’s about school championships. It’s about the schools within the country. So you’re looking at Cook Islands, Tuvalu, American Sāmoa, Sāmoa, Tonga, Tahiti, and Niue.

“We’re also grateful that there are athletes that are based in New Zealand who want to compete for their island nations. And for me that’s incredible because they are proud of where they come from and who they are.”

Listen to Dame Valerie Adams' full interview below

For Adams, legacy is not just about titles. It is about visibility and belief, showing Pacific youth that global success is possible.

Her induction into the Hall of Fame places her alongside sporting names like Richie McCaw and the late Jonah Lomu, a recognition she says she does not take lightly.

“It’s actually very big and one that I’m quite privileged to be part of,” she said. “I’m actually very humbled and very taken aback by the recognition and that’s where legacies are born, right.

“I reflect about that young, shy six-foot-four girl from Māngere taking on the world and ends up in Monaco, having dinner with Prince Albert. It’s been a long journey, but a good one.”

Now, Adams says, the focus is firmly on the next generation. For Pacific athletes dreaming of global arenas, she wants the path to be clearer and stronger than ever before.