Teams to look out for - 2019 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals part 4
This year we look at the Top 8 teams from 2018’s New Zealand Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals.
This week we look at:
Tūranga Wāhine Tūranga Tāne (Gisborne Girls and Boys)
2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Tūranga Wāhine Tūranga Tāne
Gisborne Girls High School is an all girls school with over 700 students of which about 60% are of Māori descent, students come from Gisborne but also the wider Tairawhiti district. The education review office reports that “Hinetu embodies the philosophy of Gisborne Girls’ High School. It reflects school understandings of the range of opportunities, connections and ways of working that explicitly develop young women to be ready for the world they will move forward into and allow them to ‘stand tall.’
2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Gisborne Girls Students
Tūranga Wāhine partner up with Tūranga Tāne or Gisborne Boys High. Gisborne Boys are an all boys school with over 800 students of whom over 60% are of Māori descent. The education review office (ero) report that “The school culture is based on the school’s motto Toa Hinga Kore, Toa Mate Kore and values of respect, honesty, perseverance, loyalty and courage.
2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Tūranga Tāne
Together Tūranga Wāhine Tūranga Tāne (TWTT) have formed one of the most dominant teams to compete at the New Zealand Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals Tournament. The school was the very first school to have ever won the national tournament two times, doing so in 2011 and 2012 also becoming the first school to win back to back titles.
2018 NZ Secondary School Ki o Rahi Nationals - Tūranga Wāhine Tūranga Tāne
Last year, TWTT started Day 1 in Pool C alongside Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Tupoho, Cullnane College, Lytton High Schoool, Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Kawakawa mai Tawhiti and Te Kura Kaupapa Maori o Nga Uri a Maui.
On Day 1, TWTT played and beat Tupoho 26 - 9, Cullinane 24 - 10, Kawakawa mai Tawhiti 19 - 9 and Nga Uri a Maui 27 - 5. Their only loss of the day was to local rivals Lytton High School in which they only just went down 10 - 13. This meant they finished second in Pool C and would face Pool B’s winners Te Wharekura o Rakaumangamanga on Day 2.
A tough ask beating 2017’s runner up, TWTT did push them hard but couldn’t quite get over the top of Rakaumanga meaning 2018 was the first time in probably forever that Tūranga Wāhine Turanga Tāne did not make the Top 4.
A very strong team they will be looking to get back into this Top 4 come Hastings 2019.
For all the awesome photos from Ki o Rahi Nationals 2018 please head along to the Tairāwhiti Ki o Rahi page HERE.