The Shield makes its way to Rāroa for the first time.

aA huge day out with close to 150 students participating in the Annual Sports exchange with Hutt Intermediate. The weather played ball and the students set the tone with a huge school anthem that sent shivers down the Hutt Intermediate students spines. It set the tone for the day as there were many positive results coming through. It was awesome to see the students out supporting their mates and staying positive throughout the day. It was topped off as the overall result fell in favour of Rāroa 8-5 meaning Rāroa took home the shield for the very first time! Congratulations to all those who participated and the staff and coaches that made it happen.

Table Tennis

The first event of the Hutt exchange was Table Tennis and it kicked off a very successful day for Rāroa. The girls were up first and set a huge precedent as Iley Nunns, Leonora Webb, Hayley Searancke and Amelie McClintock returned shot after shot with ease to take away maximum points for the girls. It was going to be a long way back for Hutt as the boys stepped up to the table. The skill of the table tennis boys was incredible and the Hutt boys were just outstanding! They had to get past a determined Rāroa lot of Lucas Colon-Rivera, Cameron Cooper, Connor Kemp and Riley Allison. Lucas and Connor took their first games and the Table Tennis points were decided and the pressure was off. It was a very impressive outing for the Rāroa Table Tennis side

Table Tennis Team: Leonora Webb, Hayley Searancke, Iley Nunns, Amelie McClintock, Connor Kemp, Cameron Cooper, Lucas Colon-Rivera, Riley Allison

Tennis

At the very start of the day, Lucy Kemp, Harry Bealing and Lauren Hamilton set off to Lower Hutt Tennis Club to battle it out for the tennis win against Hutt. Harry played in an intense doubles match alongside a Hutt student (as Sam Jones was unfortunately absent). The immense sportsmanship and fast paced hits Harry gave kept Hutt on their toes, even heading into a tie breaker! It was an unfortunate loss for Harry in the end. Lauren Hamilton played in a singles match and gave it her all. Fast feet and strategy ensured she kept the game close right through to the end. Similarly, Lucy Kemp played in a singles match and the energy and determination from her was remarkable. All three matches from all Rāroa players ended in tie breakers and unfortunate losses for us. Incredible talent on the tennis court that’s for sure!

Tennis players: Lucy Kemp, Lauren Hamilton, Harry Bealing

Absent: Sam Jones

Girls Football

It was a sunny day at Hutt Intermediate, and the Rāroa girls football team (Green Gingo Gorillas aka triple G) were getting ready to play the Hutt Intermediate girls football team. We started with a bang, with an early goal by Darcie Boobier, where she dribbled past two defenders on the right wing and smashed it into the goal. With the confidence from that goal, we went on to score two more with another one by Darcie and banger from Iona Chaytor. Hutt Intermediate then scored two goals, but after that we solidified our win with a goal from Lucy Kemp. We had loads of other chances, with crossbars from Darcie and Leonora Webb, and a disallowed goal by Amelie McClintock. Hutt also had heaps of dangerous chances, but with most of them were saved by Tori Thompson, our amazing keeper. The end score was 4-2 to Rāroa Intermediate, which helped Rāroa get the overall win. The triple G were very disappointed to miss heaps of tournaments this year due to covid, but we still have done very well in the exchanges we have played in this year, and the Green Gingo Gorillas remain undefeated with the help of our very dedicated coach, David Webb, who I know works very hard planning training sessions and lineups.

-Leonora Webb

Girls Football Team: Leonora Webb, Lucy Kemp, Iona Chaytor, Amelie McClintock, Tori Thompson, Neve Turner, Kate Ross, Ava Robb, Darcie Boobier, Iley Nunns, Zoe Ferguson, Keegan Marks

Rugby

The magnificent weather was paired with a fantastic opening from the Rāroa 1st XV. A try looked like it was coming after terrific carries from Caleb Rawiri, Eamon McCarron and Rory Watson and a scything break from Edea Kidu. Alas, a try and a lead for Rāroa was not to be and despite brave defense epitomised by Bentley Faulkner, Riley Kennedy and Jordan Sutton, we went down to a more physically dominant Hutt team.

There were some terrific performances right across the park, none more so than the aforementioned Bentley Faulkner, Edea Kidu and Jordan Sutton but also from Zaqueo Tijerina and Lucas Iremonger.

Finally, the leadership demonstrated from our courageous captain Rory Watson, was an example to all who witnessed it; as he led through his actions others followed him.

Congratulations to both teams who took part in an outstanding match.

Rugby 1st XV: Cam Heron, Bentley Faulkner, Caleb Rawiri, Lucas Iremonger, Eamon McCarron, Max Thompson, Riley Kennedy, Rory Watson, Zaqueo Tijerina, Owen Egan, James Hay, Edea Kidu, Ben Rouse, Thane Johnstone, Jordan Sutton, Jared Kamu, Conan McNabb, Kobi Harrington, Cordell McMenamin, Paduanio Simoes, Trey Liefting, Keaton Seymour, Blake Porteous.

Kī O Rahi

Kia ora e te whānau,

Rāroa was fortunate to put together perhaps the strongest Kī O Rahi side in the school's history. Kael Kincaid, Owen Egan, Rangitihi Te Tau, Blake Porteous, Jordy Sutton, Orlando Hawkins, Joell Ngaheke-Chell, Ava Kinikinilau, Nasi Meafoou, Anaheramaia Wright & Kelly Wardhaugh made up our side. Our match was played over 4 quarters with Rāroa able to score points freely in both taniwha and kīoma roles. This lead to a good win. Our teamwork and communication were impressive! Joell and Nasi, led the way with their defence of te tupu, while Kael, Owen & Blake bought energy and skill to run in plenty of tupu manawa (tries) A special mention to our referees from Hutt Valley High, who also lead the sides in karakia to begin and end our match. Ngā mihi nui ki a koutou.

Boys and Girls Basketball

The ladies started off well, winning the tip off and scoring first, and second....and third! This was a real team effort with everyone getting really involved. Phoebe was a scoring machine while all of the ladies were outstanding on defence against a very physical team. I heard a rumor it was the first time we've beaten the Hutt and they sure did it well. Scoring so many points they went off the score sheet! 72-14 Easily the best effort I've seen on a court!

Girls Basketball Team: Phoebe Lucy, Kacey McCully, Liv Pritchard, Effie Holbert, Ava Kinikinilau, Laney Myhill-Chapman, Abbie Sutherland

Another great game with the Rāroa boys team starting well to build a 22-14 lead at halftime. The second half saw the Hutt team stage a comeback with the final score 32 all! Both coaches and players wanted to play on so we played 5 mins of overtime. The final score.... 36 all!! Both coaches believed a draw was a fitting finish to what was a very even game.

Boys Basketball Team: Carter Scheule, Orlando Hawkins, Kael Kincaid, Rangitihi te Tau, James Wright, Rupert Hewitt, Jesiah Moon, Daniel Hawkesby, Echelon Topp

Coach - Vinnie Sharp

Boys Football

Wow… what an absolutely outstanding display of football the boys put on today!!! With not having had the opportunity to play much this year we went into the game with the goal of playing a simple, team game and have fun. Boy did the Redhawks come to the party. Right from the first whistle they worked as a cohesive unit, stringing some great passes together, not rushing into things, passing across the whole field and playing magnificent through balls from the midfield. All the small things we have been working on in training came together beautifully and it wasn’t long before Matias Colon-Rivera opened the scoring with an absolutely sensational shot from outside the box.. Top bins! That really set the tone.

There were definitely a few things that really stood out for me. The way every boy on the pitch worked for each other, moving the ball around (which was especially difficult on a pitch with long sticky grass), backed each other up, and communicated constantly. One other thing that made all the difference for this game was the boy’s fitness levels. They were able to keep a high intensity for the full 50 minutes, purely out-running the Hutt team. This was by far the best game of football I have had the opportunity to watch and it was a pleasure to be able to coach these boys through it.

The Rāroa Redhawks finished the game on a clean sheet, winning 8-0 with our goals going to Matias Colon-Rivera (2), Lucas Colon-Rivera (2), Blake Porteous, Owen Egan, Samuel Hunter, and Riley Allison.

Massive well done to the team. You should all be very very proud of your game.

Rāroa Redhawks - Ruben Dray(c), Eamonn McCarron, Tyler Norman, Riley Allison, Lukas Heinrich, Jacob Jefferson, Max Lee, Lucas Colon-Rivera, Matias Colon-Rivera, Samuel Hunter, Muhammad Jawad, Blake Porteous, Owen Egan, Zac Alexander

Girls Hockey-

From the first whistle the girls came out firing, dominating possession and territory. No one would think it was only our third game of the season with the way the team was playing! Every player out there was pressuring the ball and keeping a tight formation that Hutt couldn’t get pass. Eventually we striked and from then on there was no stopping Rāroa.

The final score was 5-1 to Rāroa, with every player out there having some brilliant moments. It caps off an undefeated season for the team which is no surprise after the way the team performed in the exchange- it was one of the most impressive Hockey performances I’ve ever seen! Everyone played exceptionally, but there were definitely some stand out performances yesterday from Lauren Peoples, Ruby Easton-Smith, Morgan McLellan, and Lily Fenwick.

Finally, the leadership demonstrated throughout the game and season from Holly Familton set a high standard for all future Girls Hockey captains.

Congratulations on the fantastic season!

Holly Familton (C), Lauren Peoples, Isla McKenzie, Sophia Graham, Morag McLellan, Ashleigh Keall, Zoe Cursons, Ruby Easton-Smith, Brooke Lusby, and Lily Fenwick

Boys Hockey-

The energy was high for the boys before the game. Warms ups, hitting drills, and heaps of communication about what they wanted to achieve let me know that they were serious about walking away with a victory. From the first whistle they played as a team, passing between each other well, and offering support to players with some beautiful outlet passes and forward runs.

New recruit Matthew Knight dazzled spectators with his stick control and skills, with the usual incredibly high standard of play in support from all players. A few standard out performances from Arham Jain, Troy Thompson, James Catherwood, and Lachlan Gardner helped us to a convincing 6-0 victory.

A massive thank you to our tremendous captain Jake McLellan. His ubiquitous influence, leadership, and courageous play was outstanding to see not only in this game but throughout the season.

Congratulations on the fantastic season!

Jack McLellan (C), Arham Jain, Troy Thompson, James Catherwood, Charlie Dillon, Boston Spray, Quentin Keller, Ray Snyman, Finn Fraser, Lachlan Gardner, Lachlan Barry, and Matthew Knight.

Netball

Rāroa had three incredible teams representing Netball at Hutt Exchange - The Eagles (Y8), The Falcons (Y8) and The Rubies (Y7). It was incredible to see the energy the girls brought to the games and what a way to finish the very different 2020 season!

The players all showed immense Whakaute on the court for their teammates and also for Hutt Intermediate. It was fantastic to see the energy and enthusiasm to end the season with solid effort. Our players looked determined for a win while they warmed up and they carried that focus onto the three courts.

The Eagles made an incredible comeback in the 3rd quarter - closing the gap to only being down by 3 points! The girls managed to keep up the pace with quick passes, loud encouragement for each other and the tight defence. Hutt Intermediate kept sinking big shots and the gap grew larger. In the end it was a disappointing loss with a score of 28-21 but The Eagles came off the court with big smiles and were very grateful for a big season.

The Falcons played amazingly and came in eager for a win! The shooters shone and the ball was looked after right down the court. Their win of 17-14 was well deserved and what an accomplishment it was.

The Rubies faced a tough battle and it was a hard start. They communicated well with each other and looked hard for all opportunities to get intercepts. It was an unfortunate loss for the Rubies 13-5, but the girls should be very proud of their efforts. Special thanks to Sofia Brier for filling in too!

Eagles team: Phoebe Lucy, Abbie Sutherland, Olivia Pritchard, Laney Chapman-Myhill, Lily Tankersley, Ava Kinikinilau, Rylee Adamson, Maia Suttie

Falcons team: Iona Spinks, Katherine Ng, Hayley Ng, Jessica Churchman, Lauren Peoples, Emily Nel, Caterina Cao, Leni Cuff, Alice Patchell, Kelly Wardhaugh

Rubies team: Anaheramaia Wright, Lucy Dunning, Mia Barr, Kacey McCully, Nevaeha Hancock, Havana Vaka'uta, Taamairangi Te Tau, Lucy MacMillan, Sofia Brier

Chess

A very focused and intense start to the morning as our chess team took on Hutt’s best. At times the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. With all players ranked 1 - 8 and playing two games each, there were some quick games, as well as some very well thought out, strategic games being played right up to the 40 minute time frame. Round two of the games turned out to be the decider, coming right down to the last game where Hutt managed to take it out by only half a point!!!

Well done to all our chess team players. A well fought battle.

Rāroa Chess team: Will Steward, Felix Fu, Lithesh Udayakumar, Culain Kelly, Toby Shannon, Nikhil Jupudi, Saad Malik, and Ira Crampton.

Minecraft

This was the first time Minecraft was included in the Hutt Exchange and was a fantastic experience for all involved. Students were tasked with creating an amusement park within a 90 minute time frame. They were judged on their creativity, attention to detail and moving parts. All of our students represented Rāroa incredibly well and were cohesive units working towards a common goal. In a close scoring affair Hutt Intermediate took out the win by a narrow 1.5 points, scored 66-64.5. Plenty was learned on the day and we are looking forward to hosting this event next year.

Rāroa Minecraft team: Bella Joe, Luca Cosgrove, Mateo Chapman, Altar Abieza, Jackson Rowe, Alex McCormick, Jasmine Sewell, Maia Mesbahi, Iris Polaschek, Hayley Shaw, Sophie Wembridge, Juliet Welby, Sam Harford, Oliver Stacey, Mitya Lark, Lewis Clark, Jayden Cook and Stefan Parry.