What has brought you the most joy or strength this year? 

Solomon | Kaikohe

Solomon describes how their community sports hub, Papa Hawaiki, provides a space for tamariki to explore opportunities and develop new skills, enabling them to go further in life.

“When I reflect on this past year and the strength and the joy that Papa Hawaiki has given to our community. It would be the fact that it is a community hub that is a living, breathing reflection of what Kaikohe is and always will be.

We are in Papa Hawaiki which is a community sports hub for Kaikohe. This has been in the pipeline for the community for countless years. And I guess what this has brought to the community is a sense of belonging.

We’ve had kapa haka here. We’ve got volleyball. We’ve got netball on a Thursday night, this place is packed. Got the canteen going, there’s food being sold out of the canteen. There’s basketball on Wednesday nights. There’s pickleball on a Monday night. You come down here and this place is a vibe.

Sports is a catalyst, especially in a community like ours here in Kaikohekohe. Sport is the number one avenue out for a lot of our tamariki. So creating the space for them to be able to explore those opportunities, those sporting opportunities and develop their skill set, just enables them to go further.

So when we look at Cheryl Waaka, who’s an ex-Black Fern, who’s still currently in our community, plus, you look at Portia Woodman, who’s a current Black Fern. They’re living examples of what can come from sports.

This is what this facility is about – creating that next generation of sporting athletes and successful athletes. Because as I said, that’s one of the main pathways for our tamariki in this community.”