On board skills and rugby event get funding nod
Local families and rangatahi will benefit from a diverse range of activities on and off the sports field, thanks to Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board funding decisions made on Thursday 18 July.
The Rugby for Life community event in Russell is a free, two-day festival on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 July. The 'Rumble is Russell' will see the New Zealand Parliamentary Rugby Team face up to a selection of players from the Russell Sports Club. A crowd of up to 400 supporters is expected.
After-match refreshments at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel will include a chance for spectators to rub shoulders with former All Blacks, rugby heroes, local legends and Members of Parliament. The board’s $3000 funding will pay for a shuttle bus between Russell Wharf and the sports ground.
Heading into the high seas is now an option for two students from the Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Ward, after a youth development sailing course was granted $4000 by the board. Each year the R Tucker Thompson Sail Training Trust takes around 240 rangatahi (aged 14 to 18) on voyages lasting seven days, around the Bay of Islands. The Northland teens learn to sail, undertake physical challenges, and participate in team-building and leadership activities. Educational modules include safety at sea, meteorology, seamanship, Polynesian celestial navigation, marine navigation, sustainability, marine wildlife, financial literacy, food and nutrition. Te Ao Māori is also woven into the programme.
Back on land, the largest open chess tournament in the region has been granted $3000 by the board. The Northland Chess Championships hosts up to 260 players with most being 12 years and under, but competitors can range all the way to 80-plus. The goal is to inspire new and existing players to join in and to attract locals as well as players from outside the region. The event is run by the Kerikeri Chess Club in partnership with the Our Kerikeri community group.
Main image - a group of upcoming leaders on a training voyage on the R Tucker Thompson sailing ship.
Image below - the Rugby for Life community event in Russell this weekend.
