Krystal Murray (Te Rarawa) has been given a hero's welcome home in the Far North this afternoon with a street parade in Kaitāia.
The Black Ferns prop, who scored a second-half try in the Rugby World Cup Final, before holding on to the ball for dear life in the dying seconds of the game travelled the main street of the town on the back of a truck, where she shed tears as her hometown acknowledged its latest world champion.
She then gave an emotional speech to the crowd of hundreds who gathered in the rain at Jaycee Park.
"If it wasn't for this town, I would not be where I am today.
"I wanted to show the world, the country, everyone that there are good things that come out of small towns. There are good things that come out of Kaitāia and we as a collective are driving our rangatahi, our people to bigger things."
You can't take Kaitāia out of Krystal Murray.
Born and raised in Kaitāia, Murray told the crowd she has refused to move away just for the sake of advancing her career prospects. The Northland Kauri Farah Palmer Cup player says she is the only member of the 32-strong squad who doesn't live near high-performance facilities.
"I didn't know how much it would effect it would have but if did just inspire just one or two or three people, then it was worth it for me.
"I refused to move away from Kaitaia. I said I'm not going to move towards the resources. If I stay and if I'm good enough they're going to bring the resources to me. Not only myself but others will benefit from those resources.
"This town keeps me grounded because these are my people, this is my whenua and I've played the best that I've ever played because of this town."
The 29-year-old hopes to have inspired the next generation and urged her community to continue to help nurture the rangatahi.
"It's going to be one of these young ones in front of us. What are we doing to make sure it happens?
"To our rangatahi, don't forget who you's are when you go through life. I want you to remember where you're from, and make it known where you're from and don't ever lose yourself in the minds of the world."