Whiti Ora Tairāwhiti

What a fantastic day at the Primary Rugby 7s held at Waikirikiri Park on Wednesday 🏉

28 teams from 20 schools and kura took part. Some incredible skills from both girls & boys were on display throughout the day. Big mihi to Poverty Bay Rugby Football Union for organising and hosting another epic rugby day. The day could also not happen without the GBHS student referees who officiated all games, thank you!!

Congratulations to all tamariki that took part and to the winning teams. Results from each division:

Boys A grade
🥇 Makauri
🥈 Central
🥉 Mangapapa
🏅Te Kura o Manutuke
🏅 Te Wharau
🏅 Awapuni

Boys B grade
🥇 Rere Combined
🥈 Wainui
🥉 Ormond
🏅Te Hapara
🏅 Makaraka
🏅 TKKM o Horouta Wananga
🏅 TKKM o Nga Uri a Maui
🏅 TKKM o Whatatutu
🏅 Riverdale
🏅 Te Kura Rua Reo o Waikirikiri
🏅 Te Kura o Patutahi
🏅 Te Kura o Muriwai

Girls A Grade
🥇 Te Wharau
🥈 Mangapapa
🥉 Awapuni
🏅 Te Kura Rua Reo o Waikirikiri

Girls B grade
🥇 TKKM o Nga Uri a Maui
🥈 Te Hapara
🥉 Makauri
🏅 Waikirikiri
🏅TKKM o Horouta Wananga
🏅 Te Kura o Muriwai
🏅 Riverdale

Volunteers are the heartbeat of our communities. They give their time, energy, and skills to support others, often without expecting anything in return 🌟

This National Volunteer Week, we want to celebrate the incredible volunteers who make a difference across Tairāwhiti every day.

Nominate in the comments below a volunteer who deserves recognition and they’ll go in the draw to win one of two Kathmandu jackets.

To nominate:
➡Tag your volunteer in the comments
➡Tell us why they deserve to be recognised

Whether they coach a sports team, help at a marae, support community events, serve on a committee, or quietly lend a hand wherever needed, we want to hear about them.

Two nominated volunteers will be randomly selected to receive one Kathmandu jacket each.

📅 Nominations close: Sunday 21 June 7pm, and the winner will be announced Monday 22 June.

Let's shine a light on the people who give so much to our community. Ngā mihi nui to all our volunteers, this week is for you!

Congratulations Taylor 👏

Join Mareikura Waka Ama Club at Anzac Park this Sunday as they celebrate Men's Health Week 🙌

Come down for a paddle, a coffee, a sausage sizzle, and some good kōrero. Whether you're an experienced paddler or giving it a go for the first time, this is an opportunity for tāne to connect, move, and support one another in a relaxed environment.

📅Sunday 21 June
⏰9am
📍Anzac Park

Please fill in the form below if attending ⬇

Stronger Together, Healthier Together Men's Health Week 2026 Join us at Mareikura Waka Ama Club at Anzac Park this Sunday, 21 June, at 9:00 am as we celebrate Men's Health Week. Come down for a paddle, a coffee, a sausage sizzle, and some good kōrero. Whether you're an experienced paddler or giving it a go for the first time, this is an opportunity for tāne...

Tairāwhiti Secondary Schools Badminton Championships – Boys Event 🏸

On Friday, secondary school badminton players from across Tairāwhiti came together for the boys' championship event. This year, the tournament has been split across two days, with the girls' event set to take place on Friday 26 June.

A fantastic eight teams took part:
🔹 2 x Gisborne Boys' High School
🔹 2 x Lytton High School
🔹 2 x Campion College
🔹 1 x Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Horouta Wānanga
🔹 1 x Tolaga Bay Area School
The day was played in great spirits, with plenty of quality badminton and sportsmanship on display throughout.

A huge thank you to Geoff Wright and Linda White from Badminton Eastland for their outstanding work delivering this event, as well as their efforts organising and running the secondary school league throughout the season.

Congratulations to all teams who competed, and especially to Gisborne Boys' High School, who backed up their recent 5th-place finish at the Super 8 Tournament with a dominant performance, claiming both 1st and 2nd place overall. Campion Gold secured a well-deserved 3rd place finish.

🥇 1st – Gisborne Boys' High School 1
🥈 2nd – Gisborne Boys' High School 2
🥉 3rd – Campion Gold

Well done to everyone involved, and best of luck to the girls competing on 26 June!

Te Uranga O Te Ra (TUoTR) are seeking expressions of interest for an Appointed Board member position.

See the post below for details 🤗

Te Uranga O Te Ra (TUoTR), the Regional Sport Organisation for Waka Ama in the Tairawhiti-
Hawkes Bay region is seeking expressions of interest for an Appointed Board member position
on the Board.

The Board currently comprises five Elected Board members and one Appointed Board member, and this final appointment will complete the seven positions on the Board.

This is a great opportunity to bring your governance capabilities, skill sets and drive to add value
to the team and make a positive impact on Waka Ama in our region.

For this particular position, the Board is seeking expressions of interest from people with the
following skill sets:

● Marketing and communications, particularly in social media.
● Sponsorship and fundraising.
● Experience in providing positive outcomes for tamariki and rangatahi.

As an appointed director, a history of direct involvement (paddling, coaching or administration) is
not essential for this position. An understanding of the sport, its culture and communities, and the
positive impact it makes are important.

If you would like to explore this opportunity please submit your expression of interest via email
with a personal statement of no more than 500 words highlighting your relevant skills and
experience, motivation for the role and any other relevant information the panel should know.
If you would like to discuss this before submitting your expression of interest please contact
[email protected] attention Myka Nuku (Regional Chair).

Please submit your expressions of interest no later than Friday 26th June, 2026 to

[email protected]

This report presents key findings and recommendations from the Voice of the Coach survey, completed by 49 coaches in Te Tairāwhiti between October and December 2025.

Building on the findings from 2024, this survey aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the local coaching landscape, exploring coach demographics, motivations, challenges, and the factors shaping their development.

View the full report here
➡ https://whitiora.org/voice-of-the-coach-2025/

The 20-Year Celebration for the Tairāwhiti Rising Legends programme has been postponed. We'll still be celebrating, we'll announce the new date soon 🤩

Calling all past Tairāwhiti Rising Legends 📣📣

We’re celebrating 20 years of the Tairāwhiti Rising Legends programme and we'd love to invite those who have been part of the journey. If you’ve ever been part of the TRL’s (or supported someone who has), this is your moment to reconnect, reflect, and celebrate.

📅 Thursday 18 June
🕠 5.30pm
📍 Waikanae Surf Lifesaving Club
🥤 Refreshments provided
👔Smart Casual

If you’re a past TRL and wanting to attend, please RSVP to [email protected]

ECNI Secondary Schools Cross Country 2026 🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

Last Wednesday, the annual East Coast North Island Secondary Schools Cross Country Championships were held at the Gisborne Showgrounds.

A total of 140 rangatahi from 17 schools across the East Coast North Island came together to compete in a fantastic day of racing. Thankfully the weather turned on a great day for the athletes, creating ideal conditions and some outstanding performances across all races.

A huge thank you to the Gisborne Showgrounds for once again hosting the event, and to all the schools that travelled near and far to be part of the day. We would also like to acknowledge our marshals from Tūranga Tangata Rite, whose support helped ensure the event ran smoothly and safely.

🥇 Year 9 Girls
1st – Willow Hambleton (NGHS)
2nd – Maggie Harper (Woodford House)
3rd – Milly Edwards (GGHS)

🥇 Year 9 Boys
1st – Couper Reid (GBHS)
2nd – Hugo Joll (NBHS)
3rd – Emmett Roux (Taradale High School)

🥇 Junior Girls
1st – Charlotte Oveneden (Havelock North High School)
2nd – Sylvia Allen (Iona College)
3rd – Tora Doward (Woodford House)

🥇 Junior Boys
1st – Nicholas Kuklinski (St John's College)
2nd – William Heywood (CHB College)
3rd – Emmett Cribb (NBHS)

🥇 Senior Girls
1st – Maggie Thompson (Havelock North High School)
2nd – Alyssa Palmer (NGHS)
3rd – Sophie Wedd (Havelock North High School)

🥇 Senior Boys
1st – James Redpath (NBHS)
2nd – George Lewis (Havelock North High School)
3rd – Noah Hemmingson (Lindisfarne College)

Congratulations to all athletes who took part and represented their schools with pride. We look forward to seeing everyone again next year!