Kāhu ki Rotorua: Ko te kawa ururoa he kawa māhitihiti - Netball-starved fanatics primed for season liftoff

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Kua rua tau ngā pou-tākaro netipōro e rapu ana i te huarahi mōna e tae ai tōna kaha tākaro ki a rite ki ngā tau kua pahemo, inaianei kai te korikori ngā wheua me ngā iaia o te karapu o Te Whakarewarewa e piki anō ai te kaha o te tinana e hoki ai ia ki te mura o te ahi.

E rua ngā tīma whakataetae i tēnei tau ko tētehi rōpū he tauira kura-tuarua katoa rātou, ko tētehi atu he tīma pakeke, whoi anō ko Kimiora Insley tō rātou pou-ako.

Hei tāna, "I tīmatangia ngā whakaharatau mō te netiporo i te Pēpuere, ka whakaharatau mātou e rua pō i te wiki kotahi".

"Mātua me pakari te tinana, kia kāua ia e whara, nā reira ko ngā whakapakaritanga tinana, he mea hākoakoa, he mea mahi tahi, ko te whāinga nui ko te kauawhiawhi me te manaaki tētehi ki tētehi. Hari katoa ana te ngākau i taku kitehanga i ngā toa e tākaro hāneanea ana, me te whakapakari hoki !".

He pou-mahi mā Sports Bay of Plenty a Kimiora. E kaingakau nuitia ana ki te ao hauora me te netipōro. Ae, kua āhua taumaha ngā whakaharatau i ngā wiki e ono kua pahemo, engari koina te āhua o te māuiui e hāereere nei.

"He wiki hou, kua māuiui tētehi, nā reira kāore e tino pai tā mātou whakatakoto rautaki ā rōpū nei, whoi anō ka whakahuri te wairua o te whakaaro kia angitu ai te rōpū kia koke whakatemua tonu mātou".

Me tana whakamihi hoki ki te karapu o Te Whakarewarewa i pakeke ōu rātou whakaaro me te wawe hoki ki te whakatakoto rautaki ārai māuiui korona e kaha tonu ai te hunga hiahia ki te tākaro ki te whakaharatau.

I ū māia nei a Rotorua Netball ki ngā whakahau a te Kāwanatanga mō te tākaro, me te māmā hoki ki te tuku rautaki mōhiohio ki ngā mema katoa mō te tau hou nei me pēwhea e anga whakatemua ai i tēnei wā māuiui.

Nō mua rānō i te whakahikinga ture e te Pirimia a Jacinda Ardern i kakamā noa atu a Rotorua Netball ki te whakarite i tētehi whakaaro kia tutuki i a rātou te māhiti netipōro tuatahi ka tū a te mutunga wiki nei.

Anō kō ngā whakamihi ki a Rotorua Netball me ō rātou whai whakaaro pakeke ki te ao e nōhia nei tātou whoi anō ko te whakaaro hoki ki te ao netipōro.

E noho ana a Kimiora me ōna hoa , kai te rangona e ia te wairua hiakai o ngā pou-tākaro kua nanakia te roa ki te tākaro ehara ko ngā pakeke anake engari ko ngā tīma kura hoki.

"Kua e hia kē ngā whakataetae kua whakakorengia i tēnei wāhanga tonu o te tau, nā reira ka nui te piki o te wairua kua wātea tātou ki te hoki ki te papa whakataetae".

Ko tana mahi inaianei he poipoi tangata kia pūāwai ō rātou pūkenga mō te netipōro.

"Kai te whakahaere kaupapa whakapakari pūkenga mō ngā tau whitu me ngā tau waru, e toru tekau mā tahi ngā pou-tākaro kua rēhitangia, ka nui te hiahia ki te manaaki me te poipoi i a rātou kia ora roa ai kaua ko te kēmu anake engari ko te wairua o te kemu nei".

Ko tētehi o ngā raruraru ko te itiiti o ngā pouako me ngā ringa awhina. Ko te pena pūtea tētehi kaupapa mutunga kore e whiwhi pūeru tākaro ai ngā mema, kai wareware i a tātou ngā ārani hoki, me utu penehini, waihoki ko te nama ki te kāhui netipōro.

Tērā tētehi wā e ono ngā tīma o Te Whakarewarewa nā reira i rangatira ai te kaupapa pena pūtea, ko te tino taonga i nui ai te moni, ko ngā pūrini mamao.

"Tae mai te hiahia kia rua rau o ēnei pūrini, pau katoa!".

E hoki ana ngā maumaharatanga ki tētehi taima ko Kimiora me tētehi anake e mahi pūrīni ana, he kaupapa tā te tīma whutupōro, nā ka tae moata kē tō rātou pahi.

"Ka puta mai te tangata hautu pahi ki te awhina i a māua, e weta e, i oti i a mātou iti nei te kotahi rau e rima tekau ngā pūrini – ka oti ana ka kī ngā pihapiha ki te waipiro. Huri ana ngā rekereke!

Jaylene Tamati and her team mates training at the Whakarewarewa rugby clubrooms. Photo / Supplied

I whakahono mai a Kimiora ki te karapu o Te Whakarewarewa i te tau e rua mano i tana hokitanga mai ki Rotorua. I tū kē tētehi tīma netipōro rānei ko tōna tupuna oroko ko te pahikitepōro nō te tau kotahi mano e iwa rau e wha tekau. Ko te tīma whutupōro e hika, pakeke rānō nō te timatatanga o te rau tau kotahi tekau mā iwa, i te tiriti o Froude te karapū i te rautau e ono tekau, engari ināianei kai Puarenga kai tahaki o te rori o Te Ngae e tū ana.

Ko te tohu nui kua puta mai ki a ia i ngā tau e rua kua pahemo kia wairua urutau.

"Ki ētehi ko te whakaitiiti haere i te hunga mātakitaki e pai ana ki ētehi, kāore e pai ana ki ētehi, whoi anō nā te hangarau o te ao hou kua māmā ake tēnei āhuatanga me te pai hoki, ko te painga ake o te netipōro he wā tuku i ngā taumahatanga, ko te noho tahi me ngā hoa, ko te whakawewete i te tikitiki o ngā rangi heahea kua pahemo kia mā ai ngā whakaaro".

Tūtū te pūehu ka rere te pōro ki te rangi kōmata, kōkiri.

English Translation

Netball is coming out of the two-year hibernation imposed by Covid and the Whakarewarewa Rugby and Community Sports Club is limbering up for the new season.

The club has two teams in this year's competition, a mix of high-school students and players into their 50s, both coached by long-term club member Kimiora Insley.

"We have been training twice a week since early February. Being conditioned to play is important so we have been doing lots of fun fitness activities, where the players have to work with each other and support each other through tasks.

"It's great to see them enjoying it and having fun, and getting the physical benefits from it too."

Kimiora, who works for Sport Bay of Plenty, is passionate about being physically active and hauora and especially netball. But team training has been scratchy over the past six weeks because of Covid and people self-isolating.

"We have had players absent each week due to isolating as a household contact or with symptoms. It hasn't been the best preparation for a team sport, but we adapt and those that come are able to train and learn."

Kimiora said the Whaka Club had been very good at setting up a Covid plan for trainings which they were able to follow.

Rotorua Netball had followed Government guidelines for providing community sport and have been excellent in communicating to their members their policies and procedures for 2022.

Even before the Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced the lifting of restrictions on outdoor gatherings from midnight tonight, Rotorua Netball had a format in place to ensure the first grading day this weekend went ahead.

Discussing team tactics during a pre-season training session.

Kimiora was full of praise for Rotorua Netball who had done a lot of work in the background, to ensure that netball runs this year.

Asked what people in her network felt about the coming season, she said many are thankful that netball is going ahead, including school netball.

"There have been a lot of competitions cancelled this term so its great to see netball is not one of them."

Kimiora loves coaching and developing players, and hopes to continue doing this for years to come.

"I am currently running a skill development programme at the club for Year 7 & 8 players, and currently have 31 players registered.

"This is an age group that I want to nuture as all too often we see the numbers start declining early secondary school. If I can develop their skills, and passion for netball at
this age then hopefully they will continue to be involved for a lifetime."

Like many sports, netball suffers a lack of coaches and volunteers to help with teams.
Fundraising is an ongoing concern to provide uniforms, the oranges at halftime, travel and association fees.

At one stage the Whaka club had six teams and a very successful fundraising scheme was selling steamed puddings.

"We had orders for 200 of them, they were all pre-sold."

But Kimiora recalls another occasion when only she and one other turned up at the club to make puddings. The rugby team were going away to play and their bus arrived early.

"The bus driver said he'd help us so the three of us made 150 puddings. We enjoyed a drink after that work."

Kimiora joined the Whaka club in 2000, soon after arriving in Rotorua. "In 2000 I was a player/ coach for an individual team.

Ange Katipa played for us that yeah and suggested that we affiliate with the Whaka Club as some of our team members had affiliations there.

"That started my association with the Whaka club, now in my 22nd year. Over the years I have been a player, and a coach for many teams."

There has been a Whaka netball team, or its predecessor outdoor basketball, since at least the 1940s.

Whaka has had a rugby team since the late 19th century and built its club rooms in Froude Street in the 1960s. Its headquarters now are at Puarenga Park, along Te Ngae Rd.

For Kimiora, the most important message of the last two years is adaptability.

"For many, limiting numbers at games has had a mixed response as some ppeople want to watch the games. However the use of social media, live streaming games etc has actually increased visibility of some of the games, which is great.
"During these times, netball is a place to go where you can stop and slow down with what's happening in other areas of your life, spend time with mates, be active, enjoy what you are doing and have some fun."