Students from all over Northland converged on Te Rangi Aniwaniwa in Kaitaia earlier this month to contest the titles in various code in the week-long Northland Area School Sports Championships.
The event featured students from Years 9 to 13 for the most part, representing 13 area schools across the province attempting to claim bragging rights in rugby, netball, futsal, volleyball and basketball. It also provided an opportunity for players to win selection into representative teams to contest the national area school championships in Whangarei during the first week of the school holidays next month, July 15-19.
Winning the rugby championship was a combined Whangaroa, Hokianga, Opononi side who held the best aggregate results after round robin play was completed. Eleven schools in all took part in the rugby competition but most were forced to make up combined sides due to lack of numbers, with the only two schools able to produce full XVs being Taipa and Broadwood.
The other most highly contested sport during the week was the netball, and the final was watched by a large crowd before the event prizegiving and rep team announcements took place in the Te Puna Ora gym. Hokianga came from behind to quell any chance of the upset hinted at by Kaikohe, who got away to a surprisingly strong start in the match. Particularly notable was having the MC read out the names and positions of every player on the court over the PA one by one to loud cheers from the audience - even the Mangonui rugby final doesn't get that!
The host school, Te Rangi Aniwaniwa, was deemed the most successful overall. Results were as follows. Basketball, boys: Te Rangi Aniwaniwa 1, Te Rawhiti Roa 2, Mangakahia 3; girls: Te Rangi Aniwaniwa 1, Te Rawhiti Roa 2, Broadwood 3. Volleyball, boys: Taipa 1, Tauraroa 2, Te Rangi Aniwaniwa 3; girls: Hokianga 1, Opononi 2, Taipa 3. Futsal: Tauraroa 1, Te Rangi Aniwaniwa 3; girls: Te Rangi Aniwaniwa/ Tauraroa 1, Taipa 2, Abundant Life 3. Whutupaoro (rugby): Hokianga/ Opononi/ Whangaroa 1, Tauraroa/ Te Rawhiti Roa 2. Netiapaoro (netball): Hokianga 1, Kaikohe 2, Tauraroa 3.
Te Rangi Aniwaniwa students selected to represent Northland at the area schools nationals in July were, basketball: Tumoana Halkyard, Kapene Ripikoi, Rehia Parangi, Blair Blair, Paera Joyce, Michaela Riwai, Atareta Rupapera, Ariana Smith; volleyball: T Halkyard; futsal: P Joyce, R Parangi, Makere Ripikoi, Rebecca Parangi; and, netball: A Rupapera. Rugby: R Parangi.