Photography: @erikaberendsenphotography.
With the crowd going wild in the stands at Napier’s McLean Park rugby field and a scoreboard clock ticking down, Te Ana Anderson walked from the 22-metre line towards Heath Kingston, the man she’d loved for years, to score the ultimate goal – becoming his wife.
“I was really nervous leading up to it and he was the opposite,” recalls Te Ana.
“But once we actually got out there, my nerves went away, then his kicked in.”
The couple recently got hitched in a seven-minute half-time ceremony in front of 7500 guests during a Hawke’s Bay Magpies vs Wellington rugby game. While Te Ana and Heath aren’t normally ones for public displays of affection, the couple were the winners of the ‘Say I do on the 22’ competition run by the Hits Breakfast radio show.
Thankfully, they were able to enjoy a private moment together before Te Ana made a mad dash to the start line to walk down the aisle with her children, Natalia, 22, and Kingston, 17.
A stunning moment
“She looked stunning,” says Heath, who was accompanied by their daughter Tayla, 13. “It was overwhelming in the best possible way. I just blocked everybody out.”
Despite a few reservations about sharing their personal vows with so many strangers, the couple say they simply focused on each other and the small crowd of around 70 invited friends nearby.
“Apart from one lady who yelled out, ‘Don’t do it!’ everyone in the crowd was so excited for us,” recalls Te Ana.
From competition to celebration
With the second half set to kick off, the couple’s wedding was quickly wrapped up, followed by a reception at McLean Park. They have Te Ana’s friend to thank for winning them the competition, after she entered by sharing a quirky poem about the couple’s relationship.
Their road to that memorable ceremony has been cemented by back-breaking work together – shearing sheep and building a business, raising a blended family and a proposal 13 years ago. The couple met shearing in rural Hastings in 2009 and, over a few years, their friendship turned into something more.
A perfect match
“She was driven, funny and she gave as good as she got,” tells Heath.
A shy Te Ana admits she loved the way Heath helped her recognise her own strengths.
“He gave me confidence. He helped me to believe I could do anything I set my mind to.”
An awkward first kiss
Eventually, this led to the most awkward first kiss imaginable – while counting sheep together, Heath took his chance.
“I was like, ‘What are you doing?’” laughs Te Ana, who fortunately already knew she had feelings for him.
As they navigated the challenges of blending their families, starting a business and having daughter Tayla, marriage seemed the next natural step. One day, on the remote golden shore of Ocean Beach in Hawke’s Bay, with no ring in his pocket and a cheeky grin, Heath wrote in the sand, “Will you marry me… one day?”
Dreaming of the perfect day
“I bought a dress, we pencilled in dates, and I dreamed of something small and intimate,” shares Te Ana.
“But Heath wanted a big bash, then COVID arrived and made it all too hard.”
So has marriage changed anything after so long together?
Even with strangers on the street still congratulating Heath after recognising him from the event, the couple say it feels more like a ‘refresh.’
Te Ana explains, “Even though we’ve been together for so long, it felt like we’ve officially become one family.”
