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The Daniels family at their home in Pipiwai: Father Mike, sister Caroline, Lani, and Mother Agnes. April 2026.\u00a9 2026 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.DOWNLOAD<\/p>\nAfter winning the women\u2019s World Boxing Organisation and International Boxing Federation super middleweight title, the ring announcer asked Latter-day Saint boxer, Lani Daniels, from Pipiwai, New Zealand, how she felt about her victory. Her response was in M\u0101ori, then in English, \u201cFirst and foremost, I give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and massive love and respect to my opponent \u2013 I hope everything is well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Daniels family at their home in Pipiwai: Father Mike, sister Caroline, Lani, and Mother Agnes. April 2026.\u00a9 2026 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.DOWNLOAD<\/p>\n
Those words are reflective of Lani\u2019s upbringing in the Northlands of New Zealand. She knows what comes first. Lani\u2019s mother, Agnes Daniels, is the Te Horro Branch<\/a> Relief Society<\/a> president. She believes that upbringing had everything to do with Lani\u2019s boxing success.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Church keeps you grounded. There\u2019s only two great people: the Saviour and our Heavenly Father. The gospel keeps you humble. The M\u0101ori have a saying, \u2018The k\u016bmara [sweet potato] doesn\u2019t tell you how sweet it is.’ You don\u2019t go around telling people how good you are. It\u2019s not done in M\u0101ori; you just don\u2019t do that. Lani has a soft, kind, and gentle nature \u2013 she cares about people. She\u2019s humble.\u201d<\/p>\n Lani\u2019s father, Mike, who serves as the Te Horro branch president, also knows how being teachable and humble plays a big part in making good life decisions. Early in their family life he was offered a job that would require him to work 700 kilometres away in Gisbourne. He turned it down.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was the best choice we ever made. I just picked up what work I could around here and we got through it. Having the gospel in our lives helped.\u201d<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tTemple Square is always beautiful in the springtime. Gardeners work to prepare the ground for General Conference. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t1 \/ 2<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload Photos<\/p>\n In Pipiwai, the local marae\u2014a sacred M\u0101ori communal meeting place\u2014stands alongside a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Te Horro Valley. Together, they symbolize the harmony between cultural heritage and spiritual faith that shapes the lives of local members.<\/p>\n For Lani, that connection is inseparable from who she is.<\/p>\n \u201cThe principles and values the restored gospel have taught me throughout my lifetime has given me a firm foundation. The gospel has made me confident and stronger. Made me courageous.\u201d<\/p>\n That courage was tested early in her career when the New Zealand Olympic boxing team dropped\u00a0her because she refused to box on Sunday. Yet her faith remained unwavering, guiding not only her decisions in the boxing ring but also her perspective on life.<\/p>\n Reflecting on what matters most, Lani points to her upbringing and family as her greatest blessing:<\/p>\n
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