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

Te Puke Intermediate leading the way with sports academy

By Peter White
Bay of Plenty Times·
11 Jun, 2017 03:10 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

Nacani Batidrava (left) and Waisake Salabiau at Te Puke Intermediate rugby training. Photo / George Novak

Nacani Batidrava (left) and Waisake Salabiau at Te Puke Intermediate rugby training. Photo / George Novak

When Steve Miln and Darren Harvey set up a rugby academy at Te Puke Intermediate last year it was a major step into the unknown.

No other primary or intermediate school in New Zealand had taken the bold move to set up a specialist rugby academy along the lines of many secondary schools.

Miln and Harvey decided to go a step further and offer scholarships to two Fijian boys who caught their eye at the national under-14 tournament.

It turned out to be a master stroke as Joseph Vueti and Josese Vukataki from Marist Brothers Primary School in Suva not only benefited greatly inside the classroom but they inspired Te Puke to win their first AIMS Games sevens rugby title.

This year's scholarship recipients Nacani Batidrava, 12, and Waisake Salabiau, 12, also from Marist Brothers, are settling in well with the upcoming Tai Mitchell tournament their first major challenge.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Education is taken seriously in Fiji. Waisake says he gets up at 4am to start a three-hour journey to get to school and then does it all again to get home. He is finding it much easier to get to school in Te Puke.

Academy directors Miln and Harvey are delighted with how well the academy went last year.

"The over-riding vision of the academy is that we are using rugby as a vehicle to make great young men. We are equally proud that the boys in the academy are achieving both inside and outside the classroom," Harvey said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We are teaching valuable life lessons and embedding good values that they can use in high school and in the community and work force. The academy sets high standards."

Miln says last year the rugby programme was successful with scholarships offered to some of the boys from other schools.

Last year's team captain Senio Pulega became the first Te Puke intermediate student to be awarded a full scholarship to King's College in Auckland.

"We don't want them to leave Bay of Plenty. That is not we are trying to do but if they end up at these prestigious schools then that is their choice as a family," Miln said.

"We were just trying to develop a group of players and give them some different thoughts about the professional side of the game. Having fun is one thing but obviously you have to work hard.

"I think behaviour-wise within the school they improved. They are only 12 so they do muck up just like adults do I suppose. We wanted to paint those pictures for the school that we can tidy up some of the behaviour issues and rugby is a good way to do it because they love playing the game."

Harvey says there have been wider benefits from the programme including the establishment of a netball academy.

"We have found a lot of support in our community for the academy. We have also been very grateful to Trevelyan's Pack and Cool and Farmlands who have made [the academy] happen this year.

"The support from the Te Puke community has been great."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

Waipuna Hospice burglary: 'Dumpster divers' raid charity's skip bins

Bay of Plenty Times

'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test

Bay of Plenty Times

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Waipuna Hospice burglary: 'Dumpster divers' raid charity's skip bins
Bay of Plenty Times

Waipuna Hospice burglary: 'Dumpster divers' raid charity's skip bins

Waipuna Hospice skip bins were targeted by 'dumpster divers' during a night-time break-in.

17 Jul 05:45 AM
'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test
Bay of Plenty Times

'It's on in the Tron': Robertson looking forward to final test

17 Jul 05:00 AM
'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave
Bay of Plenty Times

'It is unacceptable': Decorated NZ soldier lies in unmarked grave

17 Jul 03:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
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