Sir Graham opens sports academy

Sir Graham Henry needed little convincing to be a part of the new Jarrod Cunningham Sports Academy at Havelock North High School, a venture he officially opened yesterday.

Jarrod Cunningham was a former Magpies player who died in 2007 after battling Motor Neuron disease. He also represented the Blues in the inaugural Super 12 when Sir Graham was coach.

A quick text from the Jarrod Cunningham Trust trustee Damon Harvey was enough to entice Sir Graham along, where he spoke of his memories of Mr Cunningham, and told the students of the need for professional sportsman to be successful on and off the field.

"He was a guy who persevered," Sir Graham said of Cunningham.

"What I remember about him was he was a top man. The thing I respect about him was he had perseverance."

He said Cunningham fitted in easily among the Blues squad, and it was this type of "holistic" nature that made him stand out.

Officially opening the academy was a "privilege", he said.

"He was a pretty relaxed character, he fitted in easily and he had self reliance."

Sir Graham also told the inaugural Jarrod Cunningham Academy students that they must excel in their sports lives and in their personal lives.

"It's an opportunity," he told the students.

"An opportunity to be better individuals if you like. The best All Blacks... they've got their life together outside of the sports field. Those sorts of things are very important. Make sure you get the rest of your life in order first, because that's what McCaw is like, Carter is like, Smith is like."

The academy comes at the initiative of the Jarrod Cunningham Youth Sport Trust, which since 2008 has put back about $150,000 into the local community. Cunningham was a student at Havelock North High School.

The academy was established after the trust consulted the school and students about how it could contribute, and Mr Harvey said the academy would strive to "equip" students will skills on and off the field.