OBHS Senior Blues Volleyball

Earlier this year, our Senior Blues Volleyball team stepped onto the national stage at the New Zealand Secondary School Volleyball Championships - an experience made possible through the OBHS Foundation’s Student Support Fund. This fund exists because Old Boys and friends of the school choose to give back, ensuring that financial barriers never stand between our boys and opportunities to grow, compete, and represent Otago Boys’ with pride. Their generosity doesn’t just fund trips; it fuels dreams, strengthens teams, and allows young men to discover what they are capable of when the door is opened for them.

The team’s coach, Simon Maole, shares their story:

In Term 1 of this year, the OBHS Senior Blues Volleyball team attended the NZSS Volleyball Championships in Palmerston North.
The tournament is an incredible spectacle - 190 teams, over 2,000 student athletes, and five days of intense, next-level competition.

With the confidence of winning the South Island Secondary Schools Mainland Volleyball Champs - the first Otago school to do so in 27 years - the boys arrived with a strong sense of belief. But that optimism came with a challenge. Due to the regional seeding system, the team was placed in the 33 to 80 bracket (Divisions 3 to 5), meaning every match from day one was a knockout game.

Showing remarkable character, the boys reset their goals. They aimed to finish in the top three of the 48 teams in their division pool - securing a coveted promotion spot for Otago - and to maintain high performance levels across five demanding days.

They didn’t just meet that challenge.
They exceeded it.

The team finished the week unbeaten, crowned NZSSVC Division 3 Champions.

“A hard division to win because everyone is fighting for those promotion spots.”
- Ben Laing, NZ Junior Men’s Coach (son of Old Boy and former OBHS teacher Mr Stefan Laing)

The boys are genuinely appreciative of the Foundation’s support - support that allowed them to take part in such a special event, to strive for success together, and to represent themselves and their school with pride on a national stage. Their families were equally grateful, especially with the high costs that come at the beginning of the year.

In the past, I’ve seen boys “choose” to step away from opportunities like this because of financial pressure on their families.
This time, thanks to the Foundation, no one had to make that choice.

On behalf of the boys, their families, and myself - thank you.

Simon Maole
Coach, OBHS Senior Blues Volleyball