June update

Ehara taku toa i te toa takitahi, he toa takitini.

My success should not be bestowed onto me alone, as it was not individual success but success of a collective.

Kia ora te whānau

As we transition into the heart of winter, we are delighted to introduce three new athletes joining the Tātai Whetū Waitaha family: Olive Connolly in Rugby League, Moriya Karati in Squash, and Ruby Hale and Hannah Kara in Football. Their talent and dedication promise to bring even more excitement to our community. We’ll profile some of our new athletes every month so that you get to know them.

We are looking ahead to a really important hui that will see the whole community come together to meet, share kai, learn valuable information and embrace the whānau spirit of Tātai Whetū. Please do read more about this below and RSVP via the link. It is the first event like this that we have held and is a tremendous opportunity to come together and support each other.

Our athletes continue to set high standards, and we look forward to the challenges and opportunities ahead. Let's keep celebrating our successes, supporting one another, and striving for excellence together.

Nau mai, haere mai,

Ged, Tayla, and Poppie

Sports development in schools

Programme lead Ged Robinson is currently running an exciting six-week development programme for Hillmorton High. The first session of the Senior Athlete Development Course showcased Ged's impressive knowledge, experience, and unique ability to eat an apple while juggling, much to the delight of the students.

The course delves into essential topics such as growth mindset, athlete mental skills, and various methods for personal growth and development. Ged's dynamic approach and engaging teaching style have already made a significant impact. We look forward to expanding this initiative to reach more schools and support grassroots athletes across the region.

New athlete spotlight

Moriya Karati

We are delighted to welcome Moriya Karati to our Tātai Whetū family. A talented squash player, Moriya has been selected to represent New Zealand at the WSF Junior World Championships. Drawn to our program by the opportunity to build a strong support network, Moriya is eager to enhance her mental skills training and benefit from the expertise of our community. She is passionate about setting and achieving goals, and she aspires to be a role model in her community, encouraging young girls to participate in sports. Moriya's commitment to giving back is evident in her efforts to coach and run tournaments for younger players at her club. We are proud to support Moriya on her journey and look forward to seeing her achieve great things.

Meet Olive Connolly

Continuing to support the growth of rugby league, we are pleased to welcome Olive Connolly to our Tātai Whetū family. Olive is an accomplished rugby league player with an impressive track record. She has been invited to play as an invitational player for Nga Hau e Wha o Wainuiomata, touring the Gold Coast and competing against Australia's National State Champion schools. Olive was named MVP of the team. She has also represented the New Zealand Māori U18 Women's team in the Pacific Youth Cup, where the team secured second place, and has been named in the Canterbury U18 9's National team for the National tournament. Additionally, Olive was selected to participate in the NZRL Rise Rookie Academy, an elite program preparing league athletes for the next level of performance.

Joining the Canterbury Rugby League Youth Development programme in 2023, Olive sees the Tātai Whetū programme as a crucial step to advancing her skills and reaching her NRLW goals. She is particularly interested in strength and conditioning, and seeks to maximize her training results with the support of Tātai Whetū's services. Olive believes that the programme will help her become more self-aware, resilient, and capable through mentoring and educational workshops. She aims to be a role model for her family and community, demonstrating that with hard work and the right support, anything is achievable. Olive is eager to set an example on and off the field and to become an ambassador for more women to play rugby league.

Tātai Whetū Hui

We are excited to announce a special hui set to take place on 25 August from 9 AM to 4 PM at the Burnside Bowls Club.

This important event will feature expert speakers including Ilia Lindsay, Conrad Goodhew, Jess Moulds, Anna Simsic, and Richard Smith, who will provide valuable insights on topics such as wellbeing, coaching, nutrition, and athlete life.

This hui is designed for all parents, coaches, and athletes, with attendance being compulsory for athletes. It is also a wonderful opportunity for our community to come together and support one another. Please RSVP below to confirm your attendance. A detailed itinerary will be shared soon. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your knowledge and support our athletes' journey to excellence.

*Athletes - let Ged know if there’s a valid reason that you can’t make it such as sport competition etc.

Find us on socials

Social media is a great way to promote athlete successes and share what it's like to be part of our crew. Our posts are all about celebrating wins, and shouting out the hard work behind the scenes. 

We’d love your help. When you're posting about your sports journey or the awesome support you get from us, give us a tag. It helps more people find out about the cool stuff we're doing together. And don't forget to encourage your mates to follow us too. 

The bigger our online whānau gets, the better our chances are of scoring more funding to keep doing what we love. Let's make some noise and spread the word about Tatai Whetu Waitaha – it's all about supporting each other and growing together.

Instagram

LinkedIn
Facebook

Athlete feedback

We’re continuing to gather some feedback on the programme from our athletes. This will help us to identify where we are doing well, where we can do better, and how we are making a difference. We really appreciate the time taken, and this makes a big difference to how many we can help in the future.

If you’re an athlete or a parent, please fill out this survey below. This is really helpful for our programme leaders and allows us to support more athletes and ensure what we deliver is really targeted. Every athlete needs to do this survey.

He tangata, he tangata, he tangata.

As always, we're immensely grateful for your support in our journey. Together, we're making a real difference in the lives of these exceptional athletes.

Nāku iti nei,

Tātai Whetū Waitaha

Thanks to our amazing sponsors.