Congratulations to Aiden Hemming, Heemi Tipene, and Beau Mani on their selection in the North Island team.

From Wednesday the 11th of January to Saturday the 14th of January, three HBHS players, Aiden Hemming, Heemi Tipene, and Beau Mani, played in a New Zealand Māori Under 16s inter-island game. They played in a North Island versus South Island trial game which finished in a 2-2 draw, and this will potentially lead to a game versus Hawaii later in the year.

Aiden said, “Māori’s was another great experience for me because of the combination of cultural experience and playing football. Being around other Māori footballers always makes me proud as there aren’t many of them, but when I’m there the quality of football is always positive and fun.”

Heemi adds, “It was a good experience to play in a squad with talented Māori footballers where there was a lot of passion and competition amongst the boys, and a privilege to be a part of it all and trying to promote Māori football in Aotearoa."

Beau thought the same as his team mates and added he was proud to be involved.

A photo of the team is above, with Beau 4th from right on the top row, Aiden 5th from the left on the top row and Heemi 3rd from left in the top row (as you can tell it was in the holidays due to their haircuts!).

A huge congratulations to all three of our young footballers helping to promote their culture.