This year Sport Northland has teamed up with the I Have A Dream Foundation to help motivate and mentor tamariki, by providing an after school programme of hip hop dance to engage tamariki to become active.

“He Oranga Poutama has worked with students from Otangarei in the past and so when the opportunity presented itself to be part of their after school programme and in conjunction with IHAD, we jumped at the opportunity” says Horrace Maunsell, Sport Northland Kaiwhakahaere. Liaising with Phoenix Ruka, Navigator for the IHAD team, plans were put into place to awhi the tamariki to perform at the annual kapa haka festival hosted at Manaia View School. 

The kaupapa for the festival is about entertaining whanau and community in Kapa Haka, celebrating culture and showcasing what great young talent that Northland has to offer. The annual event attracted 13 other primary and intermediate kura, all of which participated in front of a crowd of around 500 spectators.

With classes well under way they were off to a flying start, the style and skill of the tamariki was undeniable, going from strength to strength with every lesson. “Needless to say when it was time to perform the tamariki did not disappoint putting on a very entertaining show capturing the crowd’s attention, impressing the other schools and community with a very passionate performance. The style and skill level demonstrated by the tamariki was next level, keeping the crowd entertained throughout their performance” says Maunsell.

“Otangarei now has a very strong base for hip hop dance and great support from both Sport Northland and us. I Have a Dream will continue supporting next year, hopefully becoming a competitive team and role models in their community. With such talent anything’s possible for these young leaders. Looking forward to see what next year has in store for the crew” says Ruka.