Term 4 Awards Assembly

On Wednesday morning it was a privilege to recognise our ākonga at the final Awards Assembly for 2025. We recognised those who have both excelled in performance and contributed meaningfully to the culture and legacy of sport in our school.

A special mention to our Year 13s receiving their Elite Colours: Charlotte Chiles (triathlon) and Zoe Crisp (water polo) have been on a journey that has taken them to NZ representative level - not by talent alone but by choosing the early morning starts, the extra lap and to put in the mahi when no one is watching.

I also want to acknowledge our Year 13s who received their Service Awards through coaching, umpiring and giving back to their sport.

Izzie Jones and Sam Parker (Service to Lifesaving) and Greta Jenkins, Lucy Botherway, Hollie Bray, Alyssa Buchan and Marisa Reeg (Service to Sport).

In a world that often celebrates the spotlight, it’s the young volunteers behind the scenes who show up for others that remind us that true impact and heart in sport, is made through service. 

A full list of award recipients can be found here.

Have Your Say on Sport Fundraising

As we start planning and preparing for sport in 2026, we want to hear from you. Please complete this short two-minute survey about:

• A. Your opinions on fundraising for travel, and

• B. Other ways you can support sport including whether you have a skillset / experience / connections to share.

Meet Our New Coaching Staff

Our purpose as a sport department is to nurture and provide opportunity so all ākonga can be the best they can be. Our coaches are an integral part of this and I want to take an opportunity to introduce several of our wonderful new coaches who have joined Team Rangi Ruru in our summer codes.

Tennis

We welcome Hukaatai Hart (Huk) and his team of Daiki Naka and Rhys Weaver from Hooked on Tennis / Waimairi Tennis Club as our new Tennis coaching team. Having developed a successful junior tennis programme at Waimairi Tennis club, they have a great vision for tennis at Rangi Ruru and capacity for coaching players of all levels. We welcome any new tennis enquiries as we look to expand the programme.

Huk brings over 17 years of coaching experience and is known for his fun, energetic style, he’s passionate about helping players build confidence, develop strong technique, and enjoy the game. His goal is to make tennis welcoming, rewarding and lifelong.  Daiki is leading our Premier Squad, bringing his US college tennis experience and top 100 national ranking to the role. His attention to detail and commitment to athlete wellbeing make him an ideal fit for our high-performance players. Rhys, a coach with 20-years of experience in tennis as both a player and coach, working across Christchurch and internationally in the Maldives, Greece, and Cyprus.

Water Polo

We are incredibly lucky to have landed Csaba Rull as our head water polo coach. Csaba is the Head Coach and Women's Coach for Canterbury Water Polo. He is a highly experienced water polo and swimming coach with a career spanning over two decades. Originally from Eger, Hungary, his expertise extends across technical swimming instruction, water polo skill development, and coaching consultancy, having worked in Hungary, Japan, and beyond. Passionate about nurturing talent, Csaba is dedicated to helping athletes reach their full potential. He is hardworking and committed, and continually seeks new methods and strategies to refine his coaching and inspire the next generation of athletes.

Lauren Batchelor joins Csaba as our assistant coach. Lauren plays water polo in the Canterbury Open Womens’ team, juggling this with her studies at Canterbury University. Originally from Auckland, she brings great experience as a young female in the sport of water polo, she understands the challenges they face and inspires our ākonga.

Dan Amosa is coaching our Year 7-8 Water Polo team. Starting in term 3, Dan Amosa brings a wealth of experience coaching youth sport. He is innovative, seeks out new coaching ideas and the development of the players within this short period of time has been both encouraging and exciting.

Gwen Harrop

Director of Sport