This year, Tawhai School joined the Upper Valley Primary Schools Sports Association, providing our students with even more opportunities to participate in quality sporting events beyond the classroom.
The year began with students taking part in Traditional Māori Games, where they developed teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills while learning through movement and play.
We were also proud to host the Upper Valley Primary Schools Football Tournament at Trentham Memorial Park. The event welcomed 48 teams from schools across the region and was a fantastic day of football. A huge thank you goes to all of the staff, referees, volunteers, and supporters who helped make the tournament such a success.
Our senior students represented Tawhai proudly at the Stokes Valley Rhinos Touch Tournament, where they displayed outstanding teamwork, determination, and sportsmanship to be crowned Tournament Champions. A special thank you to our dedicated coaches and especially Aimee Ah Wong for organising the team and ensuring our students had such a positive experience.
Cross country was another highlight of the term. Students challenged themselves during our Tawhai School Cross Country, before many went on to compete at the Upper Hutt Cross Country Championships. Tawhai finished an outstanding 2nd overall, narrowly behind Silverstream School—a fantastic achievement that reflects the effort and perseverance of our runners.
To round out a busy first half of the year, we welcomed Bowls Lower Hutt into the school to deliver coaching sessions for our students. It was wonderful to introduce tamariki to a new sport,
Looking ahead, we have another exciting term of sport planned. Students will have the opportunity to compete in the Upper Valley Primary Schools Sports Association Basketball and Touch Rugby Tournaments, continuing to build their skills, confidence, and teamwork against schools from across the region. We are also excited to welcome AFL New Zealand to Tawhai School, where students will be introduced to Australian Rules Football through a series of fun and engaging coaching sessions. We look forward to providing even more opportunities for our tamariki to be active, challenge themselves, and experience a wide variety of sports throughout the remainder of the year.
Ryan McGarry