Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Rugby: Fijian kids tonic for Te Puke rugby

Bay of Plenty Times
31 Mar, 2016 04:30 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Fijian scholarship students to Te Puke Intermediate Joseph Vueti (left) and Josese Vukataki at All Blacks Sevens training at Blake Park yesterday. Photo / John Borren

Fijian scholarship students to Te Puke Intermediate Joseph Vueti (left) and Josese Vukataki at All Blacks Sevens training at Blake Park yesterday. Photo / John Borren

A positive initiative by Te Puke Intermediate's Rugby Academy has broken new ground in the proud association between Fiji and New Zealand.

Over the years many Fijian schoolboys have attended New Zealand secondary schools on full scholarships but none at primary and intermediate levels - until now.

Joseph Vueti, 13, and Josese Vukataki, 12, from Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva will spend the rest of the school year in Te Puke. The boys are the first in a three-year programme and featured in Fiji's two main newspapers and on national television news before they flew out on March 19.

This weekend they have their first full game of rugby for Te Puke Sports against Rangiuru, which they are excited about. Missing home and their families is the obvious downside but they both say they are settling in well and looking forward to learning from the experience in the classroom and on the rugby field.

Te Puke Intermediate's Rugby Academy was established two months ago and is the brainchild of two former Steamers in Darren Harvey and Steve Milne. They both went to Fiji with school principal Jill Weldan to attend a rugby trial involving 70 boys from which Joseph and Josese were selected.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Milne says the arrangement is a win-win situation for everyone involved.

"We know that rugby is struggling in the Te Puke area for all sorts of reasons. There are a lot less playing it so all we are trying to do is create a little bit of a vibe around by having the Fijian boys come on board and being part of our group.

"It is giving them an opportunity but also giving us an opportunity as well. They are going to bring an element of difference to what they do which is going to be really good for our guys.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We should be able to live off some of the stuff they do which we don't do in terms of the way they play the game. We have already noticed in the last couple of trainings there are certain things they do that we possibly can't dream of doing. They keep the ball alive so well and there are opportunities to work off them plus we can teach them the fundamentals of what we do."

Milne says much of the credit for establishing the rugby academy should go to Darren Harvey.

"He has been the full driver behind the thing. Jointly we came up with the idea but in terms of administration and getting stuff through the school that needs to be ticked off he has been magnificent. I try to concentrate on what happens inside the chalk and he concentrates on what happens outside the chalk. It seems to be working so well."

The Fijian scholarships are not the only New Zealand sporting first for Te Puke Intermediate.

Discover more

Rugby: Premier format to breed success

24 Mar 12:30 AM

Rugby: Baywide champs excitement builds

24 Mar 12:40 AM

Rugby: Upset win kicks off Baywide comp

28 Mar 02:00 AM

Rugby: Chiefs flyer overcomes daily battle

01 Apr 03:30 AM

The school has produced four All Blacks in Royce Willis, Jarrad Hoeata, Tanerau Latimer and Nathan Harris - more than any other intermediate school in the country.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

live
Bay of Plenty Times

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins

11 Jul 08:08 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins
live

Up to 50 people evacuated from homes after wild weather, clean-up begins

11 Jul 08:08 PM

The North Island is expected to get off to a wet start this morning, with lingering rain.

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

'Powerful example': Mum overcomes addiction to build a life helping others

11 Jul 06:00 PM
Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

Bay home crowd rallies behind netball's Magic

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

Tearful hunter admits shooting and killing friend

11 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP