Melissa Watts puts in the hard yards at the Kaiwaka Netball Club.
Melissa Watts puts in the hard yards at the Kaiwaka Netball Club.
Melissa Watts (Kaiwaka), Rana Paraha (Whangarei) and Maurice Rogers (Kaikohe) were the recent successful winners of Sport Northland's Lotto Sport Maker prize draw. The three winners were presented with Lotto Sport Maker merchandise and a first-aid kit for their contribution in making sport happen in their region.
Melissa Watts
Melissa Watts, from Kaiwaka, has managed the Kaiwaka Netball Club for seven years and represents the club at Rodney Netball Association and Kaiwaka Sports Association meetings.
Her role also includes some coaching, umpiring, organising positions and being responsible for the first aid. She also looks after the funds and fundraising, organises prize-givings and trophies, makes all club certificates, calendars, publishes results, holds and issues uniforms and tracksuits and helps with carpooling.
Melissa became a volunteer after her eldest daughter turned 6 and was taken for a look at the local Fun Ferns netball competition. Afternoons were spent at the courts watching the Kaiwaka teams, to see how the game was played.
When her daughter played her first game, Melissa was asked to take over coaching her team and has been with the club since.
Melissa finds it rewarding to know she is helping grow a love of the sport in young people and enjoys watching players develop over the years.
"It is particularly rewarding when I see the young players who started and developed in the Kaiwaka Netball Club go on to participate in netball at a representative level," she says.
Melissa played netball as a young girl for seven years for the Kaiwaka Netball Club and returned to play a season a couple of years ago.
Rana Paraha, from Whangarei, was also acknowledged for her contribution to making sport happen. As well as being the sports co-ordinator with Te Kura Kaupapa Maori O Te Rawhitiroa, Rana co-ordinates Northern Women's rugby, with the help of delegates from other clubs. She also coaches the Northland Secondary School Girls Rugby (under-18) team and coaches and plays ki-o-rahi for the Ngapuhi ki-o-rahi team (rippa and tackle).
As a player, Rana also enjoys volunteering to help maintain women's rugby within Northland. She likes to give young up-and-comers the chance to perhaps play for the New Zealand Black Ferns one day.
With ki-o-rahi being a traditional Maori game, and enjoyable to play, Rana wants to help revitalise a sport that has heritage and history regarding the WWII Maori Battalion.
Rana had always wanted to play rugby since former All Black Bevan Holmes was her primary teacher. However the closest she got to playing on a rugby field was playing rugby league at the age of 13, then soccer at high school.
She finally began playing rugby in Auckland as a 20-year-old and has stayed with the sport since. On moving back to Whangarei, she linked with the Hora Hora Rugby Club in 1996 because women's rugby was part of the club.
Rana is keen to encourage others to become a Sport Maker and to share their knowledge with up-and-coming talent. It is rewarding and enjoyable to watch the players grow and further themselves - through to possible representative level.
"The best part of being a Sports Maker is watching the players develop, seeing them enjoy themselves and become a star within themselves," she says.
Maurice Rogers
Maurice Rogers does what he needs doing at the Kaikohe Rugby Club.
Maurice Rogers is a key Sport Maker who is involved with the Kaikohe Rugby Club. He says he just does what needs doing around the club, so whether it is setting up the playing fields or cooking in the kitchen, his volunteering role is wide and varied.
Maurice has been volunteering with the club for more than 10 years - since he began coaching when his son took up the game in 2002. He enjoys helping out at the club and supporting the community, however admits it can be a challenge to find the time. Family support is important to be able to put the time in to volunteering, so he is pleased to have his family keen to step in to give a hand when required.
Maurice is passionate about his role as a Sport Maker but seeing the kids happy and making sure he has done the job to the best of his ability are the most rewarding parts of the role.
Over his lifetime, Maurice has been involved in numerous sports including rugby, touch, softball, tennis and squash.
