The UNISS tournament opened yesterday at the Whangarei Netball Centre at Kensington Park with the release of three doves - symbolising sportsmanship, goodwill and peace for the week.
Unfortunately the sky was dark and it rained for much of the morning, making conditions difficult for competition but the skies cleared for
the afternoon matches.
The two Fijian umpires, Gabrielli Qoro and Melaia Druwani, were invited to referee at the tournament as a part of their ongoing development.
The pair are getting international experience and hope to eventually get their Oceania Badge qualifications.
"We sat the theory test last year and our federation chose us as the lucky ones who could come over here and do our practical tests," Qoro said.
The tournament is a great opportunity for the pair, despite the wet start.
"I was a bit shocked by the weather, especially when I had the first game at nine o'clock this morning.
"To me it was freezing of course, not so much from the rain perhaps but the breeze as well but luckily it's cleared up now," he said.
Qoro said both he and Druwani had been impressed with the standard of high school netball they witnessed so far.
"The standard here is very high ... especially considering that this is only the Upper North Island - there is no wonder that New Zealand netball is right at the top of the world," Qoro said.
He said male netball referees aren't all that common in Fiji.
"I'm a teacher and for while I worked in an all-girls high school and netball was a big game there and that's how I got involved," he said.
Qoro is also the Fijian national athletics "jumps" coach and will be heading to Samoa for the South Pacific Games at the end of the UNISS tournament to coach the Fijian athletes.
The tournament continues today and for the rest of the week at the Whangarei Netball Centre.
