“My Menstruation Journey in Sports was lonely and sad”: The menstruation experiences of Pacific Sportswomen in Aotearoa New Zealand

Pacific Islanders have used sports as a platform to gain visibility and respect in the Aotearoa, New Zealand (hereafter referred to as Aotearoa, the indigenous name of New Zealand). Today, Pacific islanders dominate Aotearoa’s most loved sports, rugby and netball. Many Aotearoa-born Pacific sportswomen like Ruby Tui (rugby), Dame Valerie Adams (shot put), Dame Beatrice Faumuina (discuss), Shiray Kaka (rugby), and Vilimaina Davu (netball) are well known for their athletic excellence and celebration of their cultural identities. Yet to date, very little research has focused on the experiences of Pacific sportswomen in Aotearoa. Guided by Masi methodology—a Pacific methodology that centers the voices of Pacific women—we draw upon interviews with 16 Aotearoa-born Pacific sportswomen across various sports to understand an important aspect of their sport performance and health experiences: menstruation. In so doing, we reveal the challenges they experience, including menstrual poverty, lack of menstrual and reproductive health education, and a historical lack of support in elite sport. However, our research also highlights signs of change, with Pacific sportswomen demonstrating their agency in accessing and sharing menstrual health information in ways that feel appropriate to them. Research on menstruation in sports is growing rapidly, yet very little focuses on how athletes from non-White and non-Western backgrounds experience menstruation in sporting contexts. Recognizing such gaps, some scholars (Zipp, & Hyde, 2024; Thorpe, Brice, and Rolleston, 2020; Mkumbuzi et. al., 2023; Mkumbuzi, 2024) have called for more research examining the intersections of menstruation and cultural knowledge, and medical practices and sporting cultures that respect sports women's different ways of understanding menstrual health and wellbeing as shaped by various beliefs, cultural narratives, and perceptions. This paper builds upon and extends this literature by focusing on the menstruation experiences of Pacific sports women living in Aotearoa. Ultimately, we call for more research that amplifies the voices and experiences of Pacific women who participate in sports. It is crucial to build a supportive and culturally safe environment where they receive the social support and medical care needed to be healthy and successful athletes, and for Pacific sportswomen’s cultural and embodied knowledge to be recognized and valued.