Still Standing: East Auckland Community Comes Together for Men’s Mental Health

On Saturday, our East Auckland community came together for something bigger than fitness.

The Still Standing Challenge was a 12 hour functional fitness fundraiser held at Renegade Fitness, bringing together local gym members, patients, friends, families, health professionals and supporters from across Botany, East Tamaki, Howick, Pakuranga and the wider East Auckland area.

The goal was simple, but not easy - 12 Hours, 12 Challenges, 1 Purpose.

Together, we raised over $5,000 in support of men’s mental health through I AM HOPE and Gumboot Friday. But the event became much more than a fundraiser. It became a picture of what community, resilience, health and support can look like when people are willing to show up for one another.

A Physical Challenge With a Bigger Message

Still Standing was built around 12 different fitness challenges across the day. Each hour asked something different from the body and mind.

This was intentional.

Strength.
Endurance.
Grit.
Patience.
Focus.
Pain tolerance.
Teamwork.
The decision to keep going.

From running, rowing, skiing, lifting, sled pushes, burpees, barbell work, strongman movements, and long endurance efforts, the day was designed to test people in different ways.

Men’s mental health is not a single moment. It is not solved by one conversation, one workout, one good day, or one burst of motivation. It is often a long, quiet endurance event. There are hours where you feel strong, hours where you feel alone, and hours where the only real victory is still being there when the next one starts. That is what the name Still Standing was about.

Not perfection.
Not pretending everything is easy.
Just still standing.

East Auckland Showed Up!

One of the most powerful parts of the day was seeing how many different parts of our local East Auckland community came together.

There were members of the gym community from Renegade Fitness & other East Auckland Crossfit gyms in Howick & Pakuranga. There were friends and families. There were local businesses who supported the cause. There were people who came to complete one event, people who stayed for several hours and people who committed to the full day.

There were also many Platinum Chiropractic patients and supporters who took part, including people who had previously dealt with injuries, neck pain, back pain, sciatica, arthritis or movement limitations. This was incredibly meaningful to witness.

As a Chiropractor for Botany, Howick & Pakuranga, I spend a lot of time helping people restore movement, rebuild confidence and trust their body again. For some people, the goal starts as getting out of pain. But over time, that goal often grows.

They want to move better.
They want to train again.
They want to play with their kids.
They want to return to sport.
They want to feel capable.

Still Standing became a living example of that.

People who had once felt limited by pain or injury were out there lifting, running, carrying, pushing, pulling and supporting others through the same challenge. It was a reminder that health care should not only be about reducing symptoms. It should be about helping people build the confidence and capacity to live fully.

Where Chiropractic, Fitness, Fatherhood, and Community Met

For me personally, this event brought together many parts of who I am.

I am a Chiropractor.
I am a father.
I am part of the East Auckland health and fitness community.
I am someone who believes strongly in movement, resilience and personal responsibility.
I am also someone who understands that strength is not just physical.

Still Standing was the coalescence of all of that.

It was not just a workout event. It was not just a fundraiser. It was not just a men’s mental health day. It was all of those things crossing paths at once.

At Platinum Chiropractic in Botany, we talk often about the connection between the body, the brain and the nervous system. We talk about how movement affects confidence, stress, energy, resilience and quality of life. And most importantly, WE LIVE THIS LIFE. 

On the day of Still Standing, that idea was not theory. It was happening right in front of us.

People were tired, sweaty, sore, and challenged. But they were also laughing, encouraging each other, donating, joining in and staying connected.

That matters.

Because one of the hardest parts of mental health is isolation. Events like this remind people that they are not alone. There is a community around them, and sometimes the first step is simply showing up.

Thank you to our Platinum Chiropractic community for showing up, giving generously and proving that health is not just something we talk about in the clinic. It is something we build together.

Most importantly, thank you to every person who used this event as a reason to start a conversation, check in on a mate, support men’s mental health or remind someone that they are not alone.

Still Standing, Together

Still Standing raised over $5,000 for men’s mental health.

That number matters.

But what matters just as much is the message behind it.

East Auckland showed that when gyms, health professionals, patients, families, local businesses, and everyday people come together, we can build something powerful.

We can create spaces where people feel stronger, more connected, and more supported.

We can use movement as a metaphor for resilience.

We can remind people that asking for help is not weakness.

And we can keep standing, together.

From all of us at Platinum Chiropractic, thank you for being part of Still Standing.

Platinum Chiropractic, Botany
Supporting health, movement, and resilience across East Auckland.

Thank you to all.