Tiny school a rugby and education phenomenon

Manukura in Palmerston North doesn’t have its personal rugby subject, but it boasts the perfect secondary college ladies’ rugby crew in New Zealand. 

The crew have gained the Nationwide High 4 First XV and Condor Sevens championships, efficiently defending each titles in 2023. Manukura additionally gained the contact nationals earlier this month.

Manukura attended the Sanix world youth rugby event in Japan in April. Solely one of many dozen ladies within the squad was from Palmerston North; Manukura doesn’t have boarding amenities.

For 17 years, Manukura has resided on a short lived web site on the outdated Massey Academics’ School  in Hokowhitu. The roll is barely 191 however with a burgeoning ready listing and new buildings value $30 million set to open in 2024, growth to 300 is probably going.

Women rugby at Manukura solely began in 2015 with a ten-aside crew. The inaugural coach was Black Fern Janna Vaughan.

Fellow Black Fern Kristina Sue, a Sky Sport feedback individual, changed Vaughan in 2017, and Manukura made their first nationwide High 4 the next yr. The varsity counts Black Ferns Kaipo Olsen-Baker and Charmaine Smith, and Australian worldwide Carys Dallinger, as worldwide rugby alumni.

Extra impressively Manukura wāhine are bucking the development of underachievement in Māori training.

Adrienne Ashby from the 2017 crew not too long ago grew to become the primary physician out of Manukura.

Lucy Brown has graduated from Massey College with a bachelor of well being science. She performs halfback for the Manawatū Cyclones. 

Bella Rawiri of the Otago Spirit has a science diploma. Tylah Maniapoto from the inaugural 2015 crew graduated with a bachelor of pharmacy with honours from Otago. Her youthful sister Jayda was the 2023 captain and not too long ago made the New Zealand U18s Sevens crew.

Elinor-Plum King (Manawatū Cyclones) was the skipper in 2021. She research physics at Massey College.

How have such outcomes been achieved in lower than a decade?

“It’s large to have pathways, to point out our younger wāhine the place we will go from right here,” Sue says.

“Sport is simply the automobile used to create a secure, pleasing studying surroundings the place ladies can be taught to specific themselves, query and problem norms, develop good habits, and empower themselves to develop confidence and a way of belonging.”

Manukura has a “particular character college” designation that enables it to show the New Zealand curriculum, however pursue its personal goals, functions, and goals to mirror its personal explicit values.

The varsity is constructed round “tutorial excellence,” “cultural dedication” and “excessive efficiency sport.” Whereas non-Māori are eligible to use, desire is given to younger athletic Māori.  Rules of tikanga are strongly utilized and Te Reo Māori is obligatory in 12 months 9.

A typical day runs in another way at Manukura. College students arrive at 7.45 am and do 90 minutes of conditioning earlier than a bathe and breakfast.  Crucially, the kai has no sugary drinks and processed meals.

A day by day briefing is adopted by three 50-minute research blocks and a fast lunch break earlier than a fourth research block. The final interval of the day is devoted to sports activities and cultural periods. 

College students within the rugby programme are given particular person efficiency plans based mostly on age and skill designed to broaden their technical, tactical, psychological, bodily and private management. Whereas this isn’t unusual at main boys’ colleges, it’s vastly completely different from what Sue skilled in eight years at Whanganui Excessive Faculty. 

Although she loved her time within the state system, it wasn’t as “student-focused” and “pastoral” as Manukura. She described Manukura founders Nathan Durie and main netball coach Yvette McCausland-Durie as “visionary” and “altruistic.” (They’re now in Auckland reopening Māori boys boarding college St Stephens – or Tīpene).

“Each profitable programme has its champions and assets that help them. My supply in teaching is because of being guided by two of the perfect educators within the nation,” Sue says. 

“Rhiarna Ferris and I got here as a bundle. We met within the fitness center. She was a power and conditioning coach who’d come to sevens from a netball background. She’s an distinctive forwards coach and a fantastic educator.”

With no boarding amenities, it’s widespread for college students to bus the perfect a part of an hour from Otaki and Levin simply to get to high school. It’s common both for different pupil households and even lecturers to host college students from everywhere in the nation. This builds an unmistakable bond.

For 2 years Sue has lived with pupil Anyis Drossaerts-Lake. What occurs if Anyis trains poorly or underachieves in school?

“It’s not a mainstream factor, however on the finish of the day we’re nonetheless skilled and so they’re children and we discuss these issues by means of,” Sue says.

“One of many greatest variations is the way in which we handle self-discipline. Within the state system, misbehaving is like getting a purple card, detention, suspension, punitive. We take a extra restorative method, have some kai, speak about it, go residence for the weekend and convey your whānau again to apologise to the entire college. It’s a Māori method of doing issues that’s somewhat completely different, however in my expertise, it really works.” 

Black Fern Olsen-Baker made the New Zealand U15 basketball crew whereas dwelling in Gisborne, however give up when she was reduce. She stated attending Manukura, the place she performed for the Manawatū Cyclones in school, was the perfect determination she ever made. 

“If it doesn’t problem you, it gained’t change you,” Sue says.

“Our senior management group drives loads of what we do. It’s all the time flattering after I obtain suggestions at tournaments about how our ladies thanked the ref, took dishes up after dinner, and cleaned the dressing room. Generally our ladies are pissed off that others don’t do this.”

Manukura had cause for frustration after they had been overwhelmed by their strongest rival, St Mary’s School (Wellington), lower than a month earlier than the Hurricanes Regional last this yr. Hours of video revision and an overhaul of the sport plan modified the result second time round. 

Manukura was held to a 19-19 draw within the 2022 Nationwide High 4 Ultimate by Christchurch Women’ Excessive Faculty. This season they trounced probably the most profitable crew within the historical past of the competitors, Hamilton Women’ Excessive Faculty, 31-0 within the last. Hamilton has a roll of over 1700.

“That was actually satisfying,” says Sue. “I believe you be taught probably the most out of your losses. Nathan and Yvette are leaving Manukura to restart St Stephen’s, and whereas this can be a large loss, we will take away classes from them to make sure our Manukura tikanga stays agency.”