"I was very happy with my performances at nationals. To throw some personal bests was really great," he said.
"Oceania Championships are on the agenda. I've put my name down for selection so hopefully that happens.
"Commonwealth Games are something I'm also aiming for."
Kini and Hetaraka have themselves a mutually beneficial rivalry. With both being national-level throwers, they can push each other in training and competition.
Hetaraka said the rivalry pushes them to improve.
"I want to beat Nik of course. He's one of the ones I need to beat this year," he said.
"We have a friendly rivalry. If one of us throws a good throw, we'll tell them it was a good effort.
"But there's still that side of 'oh god, he's above me. I have to beat him'."
Hetaraka also returned from nationals with a medal. He grabbed bronze in the under-18 hammer throw with a 45.12m effort. He was only behind Kini (47.83m) and Auckland's Isaac Vaeau-Mulitalo (467.92m).
While they thrive on their local rivalry, they have an Olympian they can always source for inspiration in Rio bronze medallist and 2017 world champion Tom Walsh.
"I've competed against Tom before at nationals and he's really impressive. He's great to watch," Kini said.
"It's amazing how Tom balances both the sport and his work life at the same time. It's something to aim for," added Hetaraka.
Meanwhile Scott showed her throwing pedigree too, securing a silver in the women's under-18 hammer throw (44.64m) before returning home for the ASB Northland Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships where she continued her strong form.
The Whangarei Girls' High School student set the Senior Girls hammer throw record with a 44.68m throw, ousting a record held since 1997.
Scott, who has been in the sport for the last five years, said she was happy with her recent form.
"I was really stoked. As always I was looking for a bit more but I'm really happy with the outcome," he said.
"I'm basically looking to always improve my personal bests. There's a lot to focus on with school and hockey so I'll see where I get to this year."
Scott, Hetaraka and Kini are coached in their throwing codes by Robin Ball, a vastly experienced head.
Scott said what makes him great is making sure the athletes each have accountability for their performances.
"He's an amazing coach, he's really talented," she said.
"He's a coach that believes it has to come from you. It's all about putting your own work in but he's always there giving tips."
Corrine Smith also produced strong performances at the ANZ Track and Field Championships.
The race walker took out silver in the women's open 3000m walk and silver in the 20km event.
Northland is in a strong position athletically. The recent secondary school championships brought about many impressive performances with records being either broken or threatened.
Kerikeri High School's Alexander Hull broke a 20-year-old record when he set a new pace of 8:57.11 in the Senior Boys 3000m.
His Kerikeri schoolmate Olivia Sherman increased her own Intermediate Girls shot put with an impressive throw of 12.60m while Mia Gordon of WGHS set a new Intermediate Girls 3000m mark.
Amy Alderton continued to show her jumping prowess with Junior Girls records in the long jump (5.04m) and triple jump (10.75m).
Other athletes who came close to setting records were Jenna Johnston (WGHS) who attempted the record height in the Intermediate Girls High Jump, having already won the event, and Jai Dawson (Kerikeri falling just two seconds short in the Intermediate Boys 800m).
The profile of athletics continues to rise in New Zealand thanks to the efforts of the likes of Walsh and Olympic bronze medal-winning pole vaulter Eliza McCartney.
In the same vein, Northland continues to rise as an athletic force and we could be seeing some local faces on the world stage in the near future.
