Organisers of the Upper North Island Secondary Schools Tournament 2018 say that Māori school participation in the netball tournament has grown.
Ngā Taiātea Wharekura have been attending the event for over three years and want to see even more Māori schools participate.
Head Girl Apakura Poutapu-Matenga says, “We have come here under the teachings of our school which are to strive, believe, complete, support and celebrate.”
This is their second game today against Te Aroha College.
Fellow student Bridie Te Ahumairangi Potts says, “We held on, they would score and we would then score so it was a hard game.”
“Being here is about showcasing our skills, coming to the courts, playing netball- that's us." says Poutapu-Matenga.
Today is day one of the tournament which organisers say has grown.
Organiser Lynette Brady says, “There are probably eight or ten kura, some of them are combinations, there's some really small quotes- there's a combination this year.”
The tournament finishes on Friday with the top six in the A grade to play at the national secondary schools tournament in Timaru next month.