The weather may not have played ball but it was still a celebration when the Mahia Community Sports Courts were opened on June 23.
The weather may not have played ball but it was still a celebration when the Mahia Community Sports Courts were opened on June 23.
The new multi-use community sports courts at G.C. Ormond Reserve in Mahia have received a big thumbs-up from locals.
They are already getting plenty of use with kids meeting to play and practice basketball before and after school, and tennis players also making the most of the facility.
The courts were opened in late June by Gina Mihingarangi Colbert and Denny Ormond. They were joined by four generations of G.C. Ormond’s descendants, led by granddaughter Pepi, who were first through the ribbons and gates.
The opening was a milestone for the community-led Ngā Manu o Taiharuru kaupapa aimed at enhancing recreation and play spaces for Mahia.
The courts completed the first stage of works – also featuring a new playground and pou whakairo (carved pole) by master carver Boydie Te Nahu at Mahia Beach, with seating and planting in the recreation reserve.
Next on the wish-list is a pump track and skate facility to complement Mahia’s surf culture and create a safe and accessible space to hone fitness, board, and balance skills.
The new Mahia community sports courts are proving popular with local school students who get to practice their basketball skills before and after school.
The kaupapa was almost entirely grant-funded. Volunteer kaimahi (workers) working with Wairoa District Council and Tairāwhiti Adventure Trust raised close to $600,000 to complete stage one.
The majority of funding came from an Eastern and Central Community Trust (ECCT) grant in late 2023, which enabled work to start.
“David and the team at ECCT have been amazing,” said Mahia resident and volunteer Rachel Dossor, one of the drivers of the project.
“They immediately connected with the community need here and understood how this kaupapa would be transformative for locals of all ages and abilities.”
ECCT chief executive David Clapperton was in Mahia for the opening and delivered more than 100 balls on behalf of the iSport Foundation of All Blacks greats Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.
The improved facilities are owned and managed on behalf of the community by Wairoa District Council.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the generosity of our project funders, with additional grants from First Light Foundation and generous private and commercial donations to get this stage over the line, and the extraordinary community of Mahia who continue to give their support, skills and time to the kaupapa,” Dossor said.
The permeable turf courts were completed in just four weeks. They feature adjacent full-sized basketball and netball courts overlaid with two full-sized tennis courts. Practice netball and basketball hoops allow for additional play outside of the game areas.
“Let our young ones be the manu o taiharuru,” said Rohan Ormond, the cultural adviser for Ngā Manu o Taiharuru.
“Let this area be their playground where they can allow their visitors to come and go, but they stay and be the custodians/kaitiaki; where they can make a noise and have their fun.”
The Mahia community sports courts are open daily from 7am to 9pm at G.C. Ormond Reserve on the corner of Weld and Newcastle streets.
The playground opened in time for the 2023 summer holidays. The pou whakairo Ngā Manu o Taiharuru – which connects the kaupapa and the community - was revealed in a moving dawn service in May.
