Wairarapa Ki Uta Ki Tai kapa haka roopu who Shari Taylor helped qualify for the nationals. PHOTO/FILE
Maungariki darts juniors top team
MAORI SPORTS AWARDS
CHRIS COGDALE
[email protected]
Kapa haka tutor and mentor Shari Taylor was the big winner at the Wairarapa Maori Sports Awards on Thursday night.
Taylor won Taumata Hakinakina [Overall Sportsperson of the Year] after earlier winning Tino Tautoko [volunteer category] in the awards’ ceremony at Copthorne Solway Park.
Taylor devotes a lot of her time tutoring various kapa haka roopu in Wairarapa.
She encourages and supports the growth of kapa haka and Te Ao Maori in schools, and is a mentor for future kapa haka leaders.
With Taylor’s support, Te Rangiura O Wairarapa and Wairarapa Ki Uta Ki Tai kapa haka roopu qualified for national events.
Te Rangiura O Wairarapa performed at the national seniors’ competition, and Wairarapa Ki Uta Ki Tai, were second at the Wellington regionals and have qualified for the nationals in 2020.
Senior men
New Zealand shearing international Paerata Abraham and Wairarapa-Bush rugby star James Goodger were joint winners of Tai Pakeke Tane [senior men] award.
Abraham won numerous speed shear competitions over the shearing season. He won the PGG Wrightson’s all breeds circuit final at the Golden Shears. Abraham Paerata is a member of the New Zealand team.
Goodger was named captain of the Wairarapa Bush Rugby team, but a shoulder injury curtailed his season. This team made the semifinals of the Meads Cup in the Heartland championship.
Goodger also played for the NZ Heartland XV against Samoa at Eden Park.
Senior women
Central Hinds cricketer Georgia Atkinson took out the Tai Pakeke Wahine [senior women] award.
As well as being in the Hinds team which won the Hallyburton Johnstone Shield, the New Zealand premier women’s cricket trophy, Atkinson was picked for the national development team that played Australia.
Atkinson was in the Wairarapa Korus team who were second in the Central Districts T20 and Mike Shrimpton Trophy competitions.
Atkinson was also the people’s choice for the Jeff Workman Memorial Award.
Coach
Kaiarahi [coach of the year] was won by 2019 Heartland XV head coach, Mark Rutene.
Rutene was also the assistant coach of the Horowhenua-Kapiti Heartland Championship team.
Team
The Maungariki Junior and Youth Darts team won the Te Roopu Hakinakina O Te Tau [Team of the Year] category.
Nine of their junior and youth players represented the National Region 11 team at the nationals in Hastings.
Club members won the girls’ junior singles, were runners-up in the mixed pairs and boys’ youth pairs and were junior youth semi-finalists.
Secondary schools
Wairarapa College student Josh Taylor’s outstanding year in athletics won him Tai Ohi Tane [secondary schoolboys] award.
He won the 400m and scored three other placings at the national secondary schools’ athletics championships.
At the New Zealand Track and Field Champs he placed third in the 400m and second in the long jump in the open para division. Taylor was named Athletics Wairarapa Para Athlete of the Year, Wellington Athletics
Para Male Athlete of the Year and was the Wairarapa Times-Age Disabled Sports
Personality of the Year.
The Tai Ohi Wahine [secondary schoolgirls] went to Ocean Bartlett for her efforts in cricket and netball.
Bartlett is a senior member of the St Matthew’s Collegiate First XI cricket team who qualified for the national Gillette Venus Cup to be played next week.
Bartlett was picked for the Central Districts Under-18 and Under-21 teams and the Hinds training squad. She was also in the St Matthew’s Premier A Netball team for the 2019 season.
Primary schools
Tai Tamariki Tane [primary and intermediate schoolboy] award was won by Genuine Savaliga.
A member of the Wairarapa Spitfires baseball team, Savaliga was in the Wellington Under-12s for the Pony international tournament in Miyazaki, Japan.
He is also a talented rugby player having gained selection into the Wairarapa-Bush Under-11 team.
New Zealand’s highest ranked junior girl’s darts player Reinga Ranger won the Tai Tamariki Wahine [primary and intermediate schoolgirl] award.
Ranger represented Region 11 at four regional competitions culminating in her competing at a national level.
Ranger won the junior girls singles title at the National Junior and Youth Darts Championships in Hastings.
HONOUR ROLL
Taumata Hakinakina – Shari Taylor [Kapa haka]
Tai Pakeke Tane – James Goodger [rugby] and Paerata Abraham [shearing]
Tai Pakeke Wahine – Georgia Atkinson [cricket]
Kaiarahi – Mark Rutene [rugby]
Tino Tautoko – Shari Taylor [Kapa haka]
Te Roopu Hakinakina O Te Tau – Maungariki Junior and Youth Darts
Tai Ohi Tane – Josh Taylor [athletics]
Tai Ohi Wahine – Ocean Bartlett [cricket and netball]
Tai Tamariki Tane – Genuine Savaliga [baseball and rugby]
Tai Tamariki Wahine – Reinga Ranger [darts]
Jeff Workman Memorial Award [People’s Choice] – Georgia Atkinson
