An innovative programme has opened up a whole world of sporting opportunities for te reo-speaking tamariki.
Hemi Tahuri is one of the parents on the dedicated team behind the Te Ao Kita programme. The parents shared a concern about young people not being active enough or playing sports, mainly due to not seeing themselves in these spaces. They decided to do something about it and came up with the Te Ao Kita programme.
‘Tamariki and rangatahi aged 6-16 can hear and communicate in their own language and freely express themselves as they learn to play sports,’ declares Hemi.
Operating out of Parrs Park, the programme provides foundational skills sessions so that tamariki can confidently participate in club and interschool sports. All sessions are delivered in te reo and reflect tikanga Māori values. ‘This ensures that tamariki feel supported and increases the chances of them becoming actively involved,’ says Hemi.
The programme has clearly hit a massive unmet need. Thanks to word of mouth, the 10 young people who attended the first session quickly grew to 120 active participants. ‘At 85%, most kids had never played sports before,’ reports Hemi.
Te Ao Kita offered sessions in netball, tag, rugby union and rugby league. However, it was touch rugby that really grabbed the young people’s attention. Whole families got involved, and there was even a parent and kid team. Hemi says Te Ao Kita had around ten teams in the Massey touch competition. He advises that many parents on opposition teams commented on how great it was to hear te reo being spoken on the rugby field.
And even though many of the kids hadn’t played before, there’s plenty of natural talent out there. Hemi says the programme entered several teams into February’s Māori Touch NZ Tamariki National tournament held in Hamilton. All teams came in the top three, with one narrowly missing out on a winner’s trophy in a nail-biting final.
‘It’s fantastic to see our tamariki and rangatahi trying something new, building their confidence and being active in our communities,’ advises Hemi.
Te Ao Kita was partly made possible by $20,000 from the 2024 Your West Support Fund. And the programme was so successful that it’s running again this year.
The touch season may have finished, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get involved in rugby league or general fitness sessions.
For more information, contact the group on 021 585 023.
