As part of our ongoing Member Interview Series, Jenni Prisk sat down Gráinne Moss.
Gráinne (pronounced Gronya) Moss grew up in Bangor, County Down, Ireland and in 1987 at the age of 17, she successfully swam the 33.7km English Channel! By 2026, she followed her course to become an ultra-marathon swimmer having completed the Oceans Seven Challenge by swimming Japan’s Tsugaru Strait. The other dangerous channels Gráinne has conquered include the Catalina Channel, Molokai Channel, Cook Strait, Strait of Gibraltar, and the North Channel.
In addition to training and swimming, Gráinne has an MBA (Hons) from the IMD, and a BSc (Hons) in Biology from the University of Liverpool. Currently, she serves as the CEO for the NZ Ministry for Regulation. Previously Gráinne was the CE for Pay Equity with the Te Kawa Mataaho Public Service Commission, CEO & Secretary for Children at Oranga Tamariki and Managing Director for Bupa Care Services NZ. Gráinne lives in Wellington with her husband; they have four children.
Gráinne Moss’s lovely Irish lilt is akin to the waves on the ocean, which is very apt when you discover how much time she has spent in the water gaining her swimming triumphs. I was delighted to speak with her, and we started with how and where her swimming career began.
“My swimming began in Northern Ireland, at the age of six. My father taught me, however, when a coach saw me swim, he asked if he could coach me because he recognised that I had a good, natural style. I swam with that coach for a long time before we moved to Bangor that’s right by the sea, and really really cold, but you’re bulletproof when you’re a kid. We had fun swims and races, and I became a competitive swimmer in the pool and the sea, and as I got older and taller the swims got longer.
At age 16, I was selected to represent Ireland for a 25k swim, in Lake Windermere (England) where I finished 9th. I was then told that I could swim the English Channel, which shocked me, but I swam it when I was 17. And I’ve just kept on swimming!”
Please tell us about the atmosphere, the tension, the stress, the support and the ultimate joy of swimming such amazing distances.
“My mum (81) and dad (86) have been very actively involved and supportive with my swimming. My mum is amazing; she sometimes has to be on the pilot boat by 4am for 15-16 hours, and to feed me while I swim. My kids and husband have also been on the boat beside me, so it’s become a family affair.
I’m not allowed to touch anybody or the boat. I’m allowed only one swimsuit, one cap and one pair of goggles, and nothing electronic. I jump off the boat and swim to the start, then after I swim for an hour, mum throws out a bottle that has liquid in it, on a dog lead. It contains leek and potato soup that mum makes. I feed every 30 minutes after the first hour – I drink a NZ sports drink, called PURE (made in Christchurch) then alternate between soup and PURE. I experience no human physical contact. Peeing is very important, and I report to the boat that I’ve peed as it’s a sign that my body is doing well.
When I get into the water life becomes very simple, one arm in front of the other. It’s just me and the boat and the wildlife. I was fortunate about an hour before I completed Fouveaux Strait, a whole pod of dolphins swam with me; I was crying in the water. It was an other-worldly, unforgettable experience. I believe they came to help me home.
And then there are jellyfish!! If there’s a jellyfish in the sea it will find me and sting the bejasus out of me. I have no love of those.
I’ve been the only swimmer in Cook Strait who had a shark encounter. I was grabbed by the neck and pulled out of the water, then they cut the power on the boat. The stopwatch was started and about 6-7 minutes later a bunch of dolphins came by. Philip Rush (the long distance swimmer who is the current world record holder for the fastest two and three way swim of the English Channel) was on the boat and asked me if I could get back in the water. I had a moment of clarity, dived in, and finished the swim in the dark.
I must make a visceral and emotional commitment to my swims in order to be able to carry through with the training. There’s an amazing swim community in Wellington who swim with me, so I’m never alone, even for 4-6 hours in the harbour.
There’s a big buildup to every swim and a very anxious wait on the weather and the tide window. The local pilot makes the call, then I must get my head in the game. I absolutely love the journey and all the people I meet, also the insights and challenges. The joy just keeps coming. I get it when I’m guest speaking about being the first Irish woman to swim the English Channel, and after all these years, it’s still exciting.”
What has the power of swimming given you for your career in leadership?
“The swim with the shark was a really good leadership lesson: if you don’t know what your main role is you may not be doing it, and you may be stopping others from gaining opportunities. I had to finish the swim!
Ultra-marathon swimming teaches discipline, resilience and humility because I can’t control the weather or the tides. The ocean doesn’t care about my qualifications or the hard work, and success isn’t about the individual, but about the collective – the team.
I once tried to swim between Ireland and Scotland and got stung from head to toe by jellyfish but swam for seven hours after being stung. I was in immense pain. I failed to complete the North Channel then, but failure is in the eye of the beholder, and I knew I hadn’t failed. I was amazed by the seven hours, and that helped me reframe what success is. It’s given me confidence to take on challenges where success isn’t guaranteed. And to be comfortable with success being defined by me, not others. You make better decisions.
I love my job with the Ministry for Regulation. It’s varied, spanning the whole economy and touching both social and economic issues that affect the lives of New Zealanders. We work to improve regulations so they deliver better outcomes for people, whether they’re farmers, carers, business owners or consumers. It’s exceeded all my expectations, setting up something new and picking a team from scratch, and I know the swimming has helped because I can envisage the end goal.”
Now that you have Oceans 7 firmly under your belt, do you still enjoy swimming?
“I’ve talked with other athletes who can’t go back to their sport because they’re not at the top anymore, but after I had my kids, I did go back to swimming. I will always swim. It gives me balance, keeps me fit, gives me an interest. It’s a great positive in my life – all the people, community and adventures. My dad taught all of my kids to swim, however, none of them have followed in my footsteps. They play hockey, dance, and fence, however my eldest is a good swimmer and water polo player. And my husband rides a bike.”
You have recently rejoined Global Women. Please tell us why and what you will bring to our organisation from your life and learning?
“I was on the board of Global Women in 2013 and a member for a long time. I’m very careful about conflicts of interest and in 2022 I was working on areas that Global Women was advocating on, so I resigned, as a precaution. I really love to support and mentor other women and every time I go to a Global Women event, I feel the warmth and support that’s unique and special! Even when I haven’t been formally inside the organization, I’ve always been connected on the edges.”
As we age, we sometimes believe that we can’t achieve major goals. Yet you successfully swam the treacherous Tsugaru Strait at the age of 56! What advice do you have for us?
“When we lose physical benefits as we age, we can leverage other advantages. Now I have such a breadth of experience that I couldn’t use at 17. I have a big swim coming up in Sydney. I will swim Lake Waikaremoana, and in 2027, the English Channel, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of my first crossing.
I was in the top 10 in the world when I was 17, then swam until 31 at a very high level, went on to secure major professional roles and had a family. Once, I swam in the Auckland Harbour Swim with 1500 people and finished in the bottom quartile. While it was quite tough mentally, I had to come to the realisation that there are tradeoffs in life, if you’re passionate and you love what you do, it doesn’t matter if you’re not in the top 10. If you love it, do it!”
Does Aotearoa NZ feel like home to you now?
“I’ve been in NZ since 1998, and now mum and dad live round the corner from us. There are so many similarities between the two countries. I am Irish by birth, and Kiwi by choice.”
Gráinne, we are so fortunate to have you and all your qualities in our midst. Welcome back to Global Women. Buíochas ó chroí!