Sport at Te Puke High School is undergoing a fresh initiative driven by director of sports Melissa Preece.
"I arrived here a year and a half ago to a bit of a mess but it has been a lot easier this year," she said.
"The most important part of my job is to get kids participating in sport but we want to go that step further where we are creating that talent. We now have a talent identity programme to find the kids that are really talented so we can encourage them to go further.
"We are seeking them out to see exactly what their needs are, whether it be more training or individual fitness training programmes. Sport is such a career opportunity now for kids so we are trying to get them to do what they want to do for the rest of their lives.
"We have to lift our game to make sure we hang on to our best kids and encourage the others to get into sport. So far so good but we still have a way to go."