Tapuae mentor to coach Poverty Bay in Heartland Rugby

Paoraian Manuel-Harman, who coached Wairoa side Tapuae to their club's first Poverty Bay championship title last year and now gets his hands on the reins of the Poverty Bay Weka in the NPC Heartland championships this season. Photo / NZME.

Former Hawke’s Bay Magpie Paoraian Manuel-Harman will be one of the youngest coaches in this year’s NPC Premier and Heartland rugby.

Tapuae coach Paoraian Manuel-Harman. Photo / Paul Taylor.

The 30-year-old, who made his debut for the Magpies in a Ranfurly Shield match against Heartland side South Canterbury in 2022, will coach Poverty Bay this season after a stellar 2024 season in charge of the first Wairoa team to win a top-grade provincial championship.

Last year he was player-coach of Tapuae as the club went through an unbeaten season in the Poverty Bay Premier competition to land the club its biggest prize in its 120-year history, and the greatest success for a Wairoa team in the Poverty Bay or Hawke’s Bay competitions.

This year he will mix the Poverty Bay Weka Heartland role with coaching and playing for Tapuae in the Poverty Bay competition that starts this Saturday.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 52 years of journalism experience, 42 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.