Pearl Going

Sián-Pearl Going (born 27 January 1985) is a prominent New Zealand mountaineer, humanitarian and international media publicist. Her climbing career is focussed towards high-altitude alpinism, and her humanitarian endeavours are largely focussed on fair-trade, anti-slavery and environmental issues.

Mountaineering

New Zealand's first fully sponsored alpine athlete, Going is currently climbing the seven summits and traveling to both the North and South poles, an elite sporting feat known as an adventure grand slam. If successful she will become the first New Zealand woman and first individual of Maori descent. Her climbing style is fast and light.^[3] Going is mentored and coached by Guy Cotter the director of New Zealand firm Adventure Consultants^[4] pioneers of Everest expeditions voted the best adventure travel company on earth by National Geographic. Founded by New Zealand mountaineer Rob Hall.^[5]

On 6 August 2011 Going became the first New Zealander and one of the youngest in the world to climb full alpine style up the remote North side of the highest peak in Europe Mt Elbrus, Russia.

Early November 2011^[6] she became the first New Zealander and the fastest woman in the world to complete a full traverse of Mt Kilimanjaro the highest peak in Africa in just 4days and 9hrs.^[7] In February 2012 one month out from her scheduled departure to climb Mt Everest Going climbing from the south was hit by a near career ending rock fall during an expedition to complete a full 360 traverse of the second highest of the seven summits Mt Aconcagua. She went on to complete her summit and traverse but her injuries saw her undertake two months rehabilitation learning to walk and climb again.^[8]

Going returned to climbing by successfully undertaking the Great Wall a 6c rock climb on Koh Yao Noi in the Phang Nga province of Thailand. Controversial at the time because Going typically an alpinist had not sport climbed in over eighteen months.

In June 2012 Herald on Sunday^[9] reported Russian climber Lyudmila Korobeshko announcing her intention to race Going in climbing the Seven Summits. Northern Advocate^[10] later reported Korobeshko was attempting the Bass list of seven summits while Gong was attempting the Messner list - considered more challenging by mountaineers. Media also reported she had turned down an overseas sponsor deal choosing to remain in her native New Zealand Going said 'Mountaineering is definitely becoming more commercial and there comes a point where you have to draw a line and say this is who I am, this is what I need and no amount of money can influence that.’^[11]

Going's climbing partner Cason Crane was the first openly gay individual to complete the Seven Summits. He completed his climbs raising awareness for the Trevor Project.

Partnerships

Adidas Outdoor, Black Diamond, Smith Optics, Sony.

Career

Going is a prominent international media publicist who has worked broadly across the not for profit, politics and entertainment sectors. In July 2012^[12] Going discussed her move from the world of media to climbing telling Lucire "I think a certain element of me was always putting up a front as a publicist. I’m not really that unbreakable hard core tough cookie that people think I am. It was a difficult job to really express yourself as a human being because you are always shielding and protecting others. You have to appear invincible because sometimes that is what is required in the job. You have to take the hits and keep moving forward. I cry a lot less in the shower these days."

In Nov 2013 Going cited her close friendship and families support of former Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta during the nations struggle for independence and fair trade as a marker that greatly influenced her life growing up. Her support of Benny Wenda and the West Papua Independence movement is well documented.

Her work prior to prominence as a media publicist establishing the New Zealand fair-trade network and campaigning in an anti-slavery lawsuit brought against food giant Nestle is cited as a prolific contribution to the movements amongst those in the not for profit sector. Going told Fuego in March 2014 "My godfather was a barrister and as a child he demanded that I form solid arguments around my values. In his home were photos of the 1981 Springbok riots that both he and my mother supported. From a young age I understood that the world had great injustice. The programming from my childhood was simple; you are either fighting against it, or you are condoning it. So I fight and I will not denounce that fight for anyone, they can slander me, take the things I love, beat me and rape me as they have. These things I believe in and if I have to; I will die fighting for them."^[13] The article covered Going's support of the ATEST (Alliance To End Slavery And Trafficking) a project launched in 2007 by Humanity United the philanthropic initiative of French Billionaire Pierre Omidyar.

Dirty Politics

In December 2012 she hit back at the online abuse she had been subjected to speaking out against internet bullying she addressed the bloggers who had gone as far as to insinuate she did not climb mountains and was not a member of her own family. She said enough was enough both she and her family would no longer tolerate the lies or abuse any longer.^[14] For half a decade she had remained silent on the issue she decided to speak out after a brutal rape she had been subjected to in the Papua region of Indonesia while on a climbing expedition was outed on social media. Going later described the invasion of her privacy and the lengths some had gone to in their campaign to discredit her as an inhumane situation that had led to a suicide attempt and treatment for depression in her early twenties. She stated that the public needed to take responsibility to think about what they read and ask some hard questions about the validity of it. ^[15] Going was heralded for her bravery after discussing the incidences so openly.

In August 2014 it was revealed through the release of the Dirty Politics book ^[16] by investigative journalist Nicky Hager and subsequent released emails that were hacked from right wing blogger Cameron Slater proved Slater had taken payments for running targeted smear campaigns against innocent individuals. Going's name was referenced amongst the subsequent materials released as one of the popular targets of the Dirty Politics network. For a period of over half a decade Going's life was threatened continually, her family attacked and career targeted by a coordinated hate campaign involving two hate sites that Slater later admitted establishing.^[17]

Family

Going was born in Northland and is a member of the Going family^[18] considered largely to be one of the nations pre-eminent sporting families famous for producing Rugby football players including All Blacks legend Sid Going, Ken Going,^[1] Todd Miller and Jared Going.^[19] In 2009 the Going family celebrated 150yrs since first arriving in New Zealand in 1859.^[20][21] In 2010 New Zealand media labelled the Going family the closest thing Northland has to a royal family such is their prominence in the region. Her grandfather is wealthy Northland businessman Wynne Going. Her uncle is All Black legend Sid Going who during the 1970 All Black tour of South Africa was forced to play as an honorary white.^[22] Going is of Maori descent. She has three older half siblings who are not members of the Going family.

Personal life

Going was raised in Northland on the Tutukaka Coast situated on the doorstep of the Poor Knights diving and fishing mecca. She is an avid free diver and has held deep sea fishing records as an angler of marlin. In 2012 Going was voted sexiest explorer alive by FHM magazine^[23] and featured on the DT Lux sexiest woman alive list.^[24] In 2013 she was named in one of the Sports Illustrated's 25 sexiest sportswoman articles.^[25] She is the first climbing athlete to feature on such lists. In Going's late teens and early twenties she was referenced in NZ media as a socialite. ^[26]

References

External links

• Sián-Pearl Going
• Sián-Pearl Going on Facebook