The MPs won the rugby against the Federated Farmers team at Paddy's Park on Saturday afternoon in a great game. The Feds won the netball but scores did not mean a great deal - it was all about raising money for and supporting farmers hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle and other weather events in 2023.
Photo / Maeve O'Malley
The MPs won the rugby against the Federated Farmers team at Paddy's Park on Saturday afternoon in a great game. The Feds won the netball but scores did not mean a great deal - it was all about raising money for and supporting farmers hit hard by Cyclone Gabrielle and other weather events in 2023.
Photo / Maeve O'Malley
The politicians won the rugby and the Feds won the netball in Saturday’s Parliamentary Sports Day at Patutahi, but the big winners were the region’s farmers, still battling to get back on their feet after Cyclone Gabrielle.
For many farmers across Tairāwhiti, the recovery from the cyclone and other 2023 weather events is ongoing.
Saturday’s events at Paddy’s Park were about supporting them and principal event organiser Toby Williams, from Federated Farmers, summed it up succinctly.
“It was an awesome day.”
Ngātapa rugby stalwart supporter Johnny Larsen said he had never seen a crowd so big at Paddy’s Park.
“The rugby between the parliamentarians and the Feds team was a very good game of footy, won by the politicians, and the Feds netballers were convincing winners over the MPs,” Larsen said.
Colin Skudder (not pictured), from the Marotiri Farm Partnership on the East Coast, was named the winner of this Holland tractor at the halftime break in Saturday's Parliament v Feds rugby game at Paddy's Park. It was a nomination and selection process to decide the recipient. Presenting it were (from left) Robby Smith (general manager of Stevenson and Taylor in Hawke's Bay who donated it), Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, Federated Farmers national president Wayne Langford and chief organiser of the Sports Day fundraiser at Ngātapa, Toby Williams (obscured). Photo / Maeve O'Malley
The Parliament team won the rugby 20-12 on the No 2 field, while Ngātapa played Tapuae in a Poverty Bay Premier club rugby game on the main field alongside them.
Williams, who played in the forwards in the Federated Farmers rugby team, said: “It was impressive to play in it, so cool.
“The MPs team were very structured. You could tell they had played a lot together.
“But we showed a bit of East Coast heart and... [a willingness] not to yield.”
The Federtated Farmers team scored a couple of late tries to Jack Jefferd and Hamish Smith to keep the final scoreline pretty tight.
“It was a very enjoyable game.”
At halftime, Colin Skudder from Marotiri Station between Tolaga Bay and Tokomaru Bay was presented with the keys to the Holland tractor the Feds gave away.
Their organisation also presented four $10,000 vouchers to local farmers and five $1000 Farmland vouchers.
Lineout action from the Parliament versus Federated Farmers rugby match. Photo / Maeve O'Malley
“The event has raised just under $300,000, which includes the extra $50,000 that Woolworths customers donated for cyclone relief,” Williams said.
“We [Federated Farmers] will put in place an application process later in winter whereby farmers in the region will be able to apply for help with fencing gear if they need it.”
The appeal was supported by Rotary Gisborne, Woolworths, the JN and HB Williams foundations, Gisborne-Wairoa Federated Farmers, the Farmers Adverse Events Fund and a range of sponsors, including FMG, who put money up for the team uniforms.
“We have also raised quite a bit of money through the Trade Me auctions we have had running,” Williams said.
“All in all, it’s been a fantastic effort by everyone involved to raise this substantial amount of money to help our struggling farmers with their fencing needs.”
Not quite the Silver Ferns but an entertaining spectacle all the same as the Federated Farmers and Parliament netball teams did battle. Photo / Maeve O'Malley
