Grace Millane's mother has spoken out about her healing process since her daughter's death.
Grace was murdered while backpacking in Auckland in December 2018. Jesse Kempson was sentenced to life in jail with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years after strangling Grace to death the night before her 22nd birthday.
Gillian Millane told 1News she plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in her daughter's memory, to raise money for White Ribbon and other charities that raise awareness of violence towards women.
"I do treks anyway, so when I was diagnosed with breast cancer that's when I had to stop doing treks," she said.
Gillian told 1News she has climbed "mountains every day" since her daughter's murder. (Source: Breakfast)
"And last New Year, it wasn't very great - and I thought, 'right, I've got to change things up here' so I decided, why not climb Kilimanjaro?
"Basically, I climb mountains every day, so why not climb a real one?"
Gillian added that she thinks of Grace and her late husband David "every minute of every day". David died of cancer in November 2020.
"They're always there...they're just always with me. They're never not going to be there are they, they're my heart," she said, adding Grace would have called her decision to make the trek a "mid-life crisis".
"They would've initially though 'Mum's lost the plot', but they would be incredibly proud."
Anyone who wants to donate to Gillian's cause can do so at JustGiving. Grace's family also set up Love Grace, which donates handbags filled with practical items to victims of abuse: "Our Grace loved a handbag," the website reads.
READ MORE: Grace Millane's killer's ex-girlfriend speaks out
"We needed something to channel our grief, to make a positive out of such a horrendous nightmare.
"So we thought, right, OK, essential items in a bag, giving women in refuge just a little bit of luxury, a little bit of thought that somebody actually cares about them - and Scott Beard did say to me when we reached 10,000 bags that 'that's 10,000 smiles you've put on women's faces', which is a really nice way to think about it," Gillian said.
Detective Inspector Beard worked closely with the Millane family as police worked to find Grace's killer, and again during the trial.
When asked what her message would be to Kiwis who want to support her climb, Gillian said: "I can't thank them enough for the messages of support and love that we get, even now, on a daily basis.
"[Grace] is always part of New Zealand now, she's a New Zealander, and the people in New Zealand are fantastic, they really helped us try and get through this traumatic period."
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