Coach builds whānau culture as Gisborne teams head to Māori nationals

Avid young Tūranganui-a-Kiwa basketballers travelling to the National Māori Basketball Tournament in Rotorua on Sunday met on Friday for a barbecue and karakia in a bonding and motivational exercise. Photo / Wynsley Wrigley

Friday morning’s thunder and heavy rain were no deterrent for the most enthusiastic basketballers in Tūranganui-a-Kiwa.

Between 90-100 players representing the region across nine boys and girls teams, ranging from an under-8 team through to the U16 level, originally planned a 7am hīkoi from Midway Beach to the Hawaiki Tūranga sculpture for a barbecue.

A post-meal karakia was also part of the planned send-off for the players who will travel to the National Māori Basketball Tournament in Rotorua on Sunday for matches on the following three days.

About 20 players still turned up at Midway Beach on Friday morning despite the weather.

“We went off on a little miniature walk, and then it started to rain again,” said coach Shinae Terekia-Peachey.

It was decided to walk instead to an address in Anzac St to have the barbecue and karakia in more pleasant conditions.

Terekia-Peachey said Friday’s pre-tournament barbecue and karakia was the first to be held.

“I wanted to bring all the players together.”

She wanted a “big sister, little sister, big brother, little brother kind of thing” with older players acting as an older role model.

“Our tamariki will be playing not only for podium places, but to represent their whānau and rohe with pride.”

Terekia-Peachey, who played in the tournament 22 years ago, said basketball was one of the fastest-growing sports in the country, and Gisborne Basketball Association was developing the sport further.

She had been a regular Friday night fan of the Turanga Rising Suns when they packed out the YMCA, but player numbers in Gisborne in that era did not compare favourably with today, Terekia-Peachey said.