Rangiora school looks beyond winning to grow sport uptake
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Rangiora High School has changed the way it manages sport as it looks to grow participation.
The school has produced several national sporting stars in recent years, including All Black Fletcher Newell and Football Ferns Gabi Rennie and Macey Fraser.
Associate principal Paul Donnelly said the school wanted to take a more holistic approach which was about more than "winning".
"Winning and losing is a part of life. You get out and do the best you can, even if the scoreline doesn’t go your way."
Sport taught young people transferable skills such as teamwork and collaboration to help prepare them for the world beyond school, he said.
Changes included disbanding the Rangiora High School Rugby Club and bringing the sport under the direct control of the school.
Donnelly said the move had not been popular, but the sports co-ordinators hoped to bring more equity across the different sporting codes by adopting the "rugby model".
Rugby would continue to have its own management committee, and the sports co-ordinators would gradually introduce committees for each sporting code over the next two to three years, beginning with basketball, volleyball and netball, he said.
"We looked at how do we offer the best service to kids in a very busy world. How do we develop coaches and managers, and how do we instil in our students that how we behave on the sports field and how we behave in school are the same?
"And we want to have more equity, with no code left behind"
PE teacher John MacDonald will take over as sports director next year, overseeing a team of four sports co-ordinators.
The school received no funding for its sports programme and relied on sponsorship from local businesses and donations from the wider community.
This year 30 sports were offered, including seven new sports introduced during the year.
Basketball was the most popular with 166 students participating, followed by rugby with 139 players and volleyball with 122.
About 40% (663 students) of the student body of 1670 participated in sport this year, a four percent growth compared to 2022 and matching pre-Covid levels.
But it was less than the peak of 750 students participating in sport in 2017, when the roll was well over 1700.
While there were 57 staff members involved in sport, MacDonald said the school was reliant on the support of the wider community and was seeking expressions of interest for coaches, managers and referees for next year.
Most sports teams had a coach and a manager, while higher level teams might have assistant coaches and assistant managers.
Development opportunities were available for coaches and referees through the North Canterbury Sport and Recreation Trust and through regional sporting bodies.
MacDonald was looking for equipment develop a weights room in the school gym for student athletes.
‘‘Not all of our students can afford a gym membership and it will also make it more cost effective to run team trainings.’’
The school also offered coach appreciation and induction evenings, where coaches from the different sporting codes could connect and exchange ideas.
Board of trustees presiding member Simon Green was contacted for comment.
■ Public interest journalism funded through New Zealand on Air.
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Hero
“I was born and raised in war. To be honest, those are not good memories.
I really like Iran, and I really miss it, but I couldn’t be myself there. Even though my family didn’t like my decision, I left Iran. I promised myself that I would do whatever I can for all communities, especially for the kids, so they do not have the same experience I had.
I studied software engineering in Iran and left in 2006. I went to Malaysia and stayed in Kuala Lumpur for seven years. I was admitted to Lincoln University to do my PhD here, but unfortunately, I couldn’t afford the expenses. I requested a scholarship, but they told me I had to be there for six months first. So, I stayed in Malaysia and did my PhD in network security. In December 2013, I came to New Zealand with a work visa.
It took me a while to connect with the Iranian community here. I volunteered with the Multicultural Council, SPCA, and community patrol, and I established the Christchurch Iranian Society in 2017. Before that, I started working on Radio Toranj, the only Farsi-language radio show in New Zealand.
One of the reasons I started organizing cultural events was to showcase Iranian culture. I wanted to show people that we have delicious food, colorful dresses, traditional customs, and our own instruments. My hope was to show people that we are not what you see in the media.
I am working to involve all the communities that celebrate Nowruz, the Persian New Year, in the Nowruz festival in March 2025. We want to share this celebration not only with our community but with the public as well. It’s better when it’s shared.
I remember the first time someone from Dunedin called me and asked, Hero, can you help? Something happened, and they keep declining Iranian visa applications. When I heard that, I felt insulted. We are still human, so how can they do that?
Through this journey, I’ve learned a lot. Every single day, people with different cases call me, and I try to share my knowledge and guide them as much as I can.
I have received several awards, including the Christchurch Civic Award and an Award of Recognition for my contributions to the community during the pandemic. In 2021, I established Canterbury Kia Ora Academy, a charitable trust. Through this charity, I can help other communities as well, not just the Iranian community.”
- Hero
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