After winning the women’s 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 Māori, then in English, “First and foremost, I give thanks to our Heavenly Father, and massive love and respect to my opponent – I hope everything is well.”
Those words are reflective of Lani’s upbringing in the Northlands of New Zealand. She knows what comes first. Lani’s mother, Agnes Daniels, is the Te Horro Branch Relief Society president. She believes that upbringing had everything to do with Lani’s boxing success.
“The Church keeps you grounded. There’s only two great people: the Saviour and our Heavenly Father. The gospel keeps you humble. The Māori have a saying, ‘The kūmara [sweet potato] doesn’t tell you how sweet it is.' You don’t go around telling people how good you are. It’s not done in Māori; you just don’t do that. Lani has a soft, kind, and gentle nature – she cares about people. She’s humble.”
Lani’s 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.
“It 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.”
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In Pipiwai, the local marae—a sacred Māori communal meeting place—stands 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.
For Lani, that connection is inseparable from who she is.
“The 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.”
That courage was tested early in her career when the New Zealand Olympic boxing team dropped her 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.
Reflecting on what matters most, Lani points to her upbringing and family as her greatest blessing:
“’Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it’ (Proverbs 22:6). I was raised right. It had everything to do with my family. I can see the blessings and happiness in their lives. I’ve been blessed by the faithfulness of my family.”
Through all the wins and losses, Lani Daniels’ story is one of discipline, humility, and faith—a champion who knows exactly what comes first.